Lyme Science Blog

Physician Frustration With Lyme Disease Patients Some physicians report frustration when caring for patients with Lyme disease or suspected tick-borne illness. In a qualitative study, clinicians described challenges in counseling patients who arrive with strong beliefs about Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment. “Providers described challenges and frustrations in counseling patients with strong preconceptions of Lyme […]

Mitral valve dysfunction from Lyme carditis The 22-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with cardiac problems. He suffered from morbid obesity and  complained of chest pain and lightheadedness for several days. During his examination, he was sweaty with a fast pulse of 115. He also reported having an erythema migrans (EM) rash. Clinicians initially

Tick Bite Leads to Multiple Co-Infections Tick bite coinfections are more common than many realize. A single tick can transmit multiple pathogens simultaneously, leading to complex illness that may be difficult to diagnose and treat. This case report illustrates how one patient developed three separate tick-borne infections after a single tick bite. “Two days after

Bell’s Palsy Due to Lyme Disease Misdiagnosed, Patient Bedridden Misdiagnosing Lyme disease as Bell’s palsy can lead to severe neurologic complications if the infection is not treated promptly. This case illustrates how delayed recognition of Lyme neuroborreliosis left a young woman bedridden for months before appropriate treatment was started. Until recently, India has been considered

Can Lyme Disease Cause Bone Loss? Researchers have begun exploring whether Lyme disease can affect bone health. Evidence from both case reports and laboratory studies suggests that infection with Borrelia burgdorferi may be associated with bone abnormalities in certain situations. In a 2003 case report, “Bone marrow manifestation of Lyme disease (Lyme Borreliosis),” Kvasnicka and

Does Lyme carditis differ in children vs. adults? The authors analyzed charts of pediatric and adult patients with heart block and a positive Western Blot test for Lyme disease, who were hospitalized at Maine Medical Center. The study included 10 children and 20 adults who were admitted for Lyme carditis between January 2010 and December

Clinical presentation of Lyme disease in patients living in Germany The authors collected data via an online questionnaire from 252 Lyme disease patients and a control group of 267 healthy individuals living in Germany to examine the clinical presentation, including neuropsychiatric and psychological symptoms. The findings revealed that “Lyme disease can cause diverse psychological and

Autopsy finds Lyme disease spirochetes in patient with Lewy body dementia In a recent study entitled “Detecting Borrelia Spirochetes: A Case Study With Validation Among Autopsy Specimens,” researchers describe a woman with Lyme disease who was later diagnosed with Lewy body dementia.² Lyme disease diagnosed at age 54 At age 54, the woman was diagnosed

What Is Borrelia Miyamotoi? Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment Borrelia miyamotoi (B. miyamotoi) is an emerging tick-borne infection transmitted by the same deer ticks that carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease. Although first widely reported in the United States in 2013, evidence suggests the infection may have been circulating for years. So, what

Untreated Babesia Infection: When Positive Tests Go Unmanaged Babesia infection may sometimes go untreated—even when diagnostic tests are positive. In an article by Wormser, a case is described involving a 61-year-old woman who tested positive for Babesia but did not receive treatment. The patient lived in Westchester County, New York, an area highly endemic for