Lyme Science Blog

“A previously healthy Caucasian 22-year-old male presented to a southern Quebec community hospital with syncopal episodes for one week,” according to Samuel De l’Étoile-Morel from the Department of Internal Medicine, McGill University Health Centre. “He was found to be hypotensive and bradycardic (heart rate 36 beats per minute), due to 3rd degree atrio-ventricular (AV) block, […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH However, the western blot TTT has allowed doctors serologic confirmation for some early Lyme disease cases. The test requires that positive or equivocal ELISA tests be confirmed with 2 of 3 IgM bands or 5 of 10 IgG bands. The western blot based TTT has been considered sensitive for

The authors identified, from an FDA drug library and an NCI compound library, three sulfa drugs and trimethoprim for study. “Dapsone, sulfachlorpyridazine and trimethoprim showed very similar activity against stationary phase B. burgdorferi enriched in persisters; however, sulfamethoxazole was the least active drug among the three sulfa drugs tested.” [1] Combinations of antibiotics were more

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The patient presented with a syncopal episode with no prodrome, shortness of breath and weakness, according to the case study, entitled Electrocardiographic progression of acute Lyme disease. “Three weeks prior to the presentation, he had experienced an “insect bite” on his calf after being outside. A week later, he

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The study entitled “Melting pot of tick-borne zoonoses: the European hedgehog contributes to the maintenance of various tick-borne diseases in natural cycles urban and suburban areas,” investigates the extent to which hedgehogs contribute to the enzootic cycle of tick-borne pathogens. European hedgehogs are urban dwellers and legally protected in

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The Lyme disease bacterium swims in an undulating pattern throughout the body. “The flagella reside within the periplasm, the space between the bacterial cell wall and the outer membrane,” according to Harman, from the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona. [1] “Rotation of the flagella within

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Ceres Nanosciences is marketing the Nanotrap® as “a game changing tool for Lyme disease diagnosis.” The first-of-its-kind urine-based Lyme Antigen test “will provide the most sensitive detection of Lyme disease, at all stages of the disease. Unlike other clinical Lyme disease tests that are indirect, the Nanotrap® LA test

The article, “Chronic Lyme borreliosis associated with minimal change glomerular disease: a case report,” cites four published papers describing kidney damage in Lyme disease patients. The papers consisted of 4 cases of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), a case of crescentic and IgA-deposit nephropathy, and a case of membranous nephropathy. [1] In another case, the authors describe

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The event consisted of 2 days of long distance mountain racing through a tick-infested habitat in Scotland. “Teams of 2 runners each navigate mountainous terrain, carrying all their equipment for an overnight camp,” according to Hall from the University of Salford. [1] To encourage participation in the study, racers

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Polly Murray’s children and neighbors suffered from Lyme disease rather than Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Alan Steere described a cluster of adolescents and adults with Lyme disease in Lyme Connecticut. William Burgdorfer discovered Borrelia burgdorferi in the midgut of the Ixodes scapularis tick. James Krause discovered Babesia microti in the