Lyme Science Blog

Lyme Carditis Without Typical Lyme Disease Symptoms Lyme carditis can occur without typical Lyme disease symptoms. A 70-year-old man developed heart block from Lyme carditis despite having no rash, no recalled tick bite, and no classic Lyme disease symptoms. The case highlights why clinicians in endemic areas should consider Lyme testing in patients with unexplained […]

Round bodies, blebs and biofilms in Lyme disease Lyme Disease Biofilm and Pleomorphic Forms of Borrelia burgdorferi Lyme disease biofilm formation may help explain how Borrelia burgdorferi persists in the body despite treatment. Researchers have increasingly focused on the pleomorphic forms of the Lyme bacterium—including round bodies, blebs, and biofilms—to better understand the biology of

Intravenous Antibiotics Helpful for PTLDS Intravenous antibiotics for PTLDS may improve symptoms for some patients with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials found that intravenous ceftriaxone showed better results than placebo for fatigue severity in patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms. By Dr. Daniel Cameron Key Point: A systematic review of

Borrelia Miyamotoi Symptoms: Mild to Severe Borrelia miyamotoi symptoms can range from mild flu-like illness to severe neurologic disease depending on the patient’s immune status. This tick-borne infection, transmitted by the same ticks that spread Lyme disease, often causes fever, fatigue, and relapsing illness that can easily be mistaken for other infections. According to Cleveland

Fatal Heartland Virus Infection in the Mid-Atlantic Region Heartland virus infection is an emerging tick-borne disease that can lead to severe illness and death. Although most cases have historically been reported in the Midwest and southern United States, investigators have now documented a fatal Heartland virus infection acquired in the Mid-Atlantic region. In their article

Borrelia Miyamotoi Ticks: Mother to Offspring Transmission Borrelia miyamotoi ticks can transmit the infection in multiple ways. In their article “Borrelia miyamotoi: A Comprehensive Review. Pathogens,” Cleveland and colleagues discuss Borrelia miyamotoi as an emerging tick-borne pathogen and how it can be transmitted from a mother tick to their offspring. Vertical transmission in Borrelia miyamotoi

Pacemakers for Lyme Carditis Pacemakers for Lyme carditis may be required when Lyme disease causes severe disturbances in the heart’s electrical conduction system. Lyme carditis occurs when Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes infiltrate heart tissue and trigger inflammation that disrupts normal cardiac conduction. Lyme carditis typically develops within 1 to 2 months after the onset of Lyme

Similarities of Long-COVID and Lyme disease in children The authors explored the current Long-COVID literature, and specifically addressed the cardiovascular, thrombotic and cerebrovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and dysautonomia seen in Long-COVID. The authors did not include Lyme disease in their discussion. “One study found that fatigue, headache, dizziness, dyspnoea,

Stroke associated with Lyme disease in a 59-year-old man The study entitled “Ischemic Stroke With Hemorrhagic Conversion in a Case of Lyme Neuroborreliosis” by Sathi and colleagues describes the case of a 59-year-old man who presented to a hospital in Florida with ischemic stroke with aphasia and acute confusion that had been ongoing for two

Increasing spread of Lyme disease in Europe The existence of Lyme disease in Greece remains controversial. In a recent study “Serological evidence of possible Borrelia afzelii lyme disease in Greece,” Karageorgou and colleagues examined patients throughout Greece suspected for Lyme disease by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and by western blotting for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato