Lyme Science Blog

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

Babesia odocoilei Infection in Humans: Symptoms and Treatment Challenges Babesia odocoilei has been identified in two individuals using PCR testing and DNA sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene, according to Scott and colleagues in the study “Detection of Babesia odocoilei in Humans with Babesiosis Symptoms.” This report provides the first evidence that this Babesia species

Lyme Disease Eye Problems and Vision Changes Lyme disease can affect the eyes and visual system in several ways. In their article, “Contrast Sensitivity Loss in Patients With Posttreatment Lyme Disease,” Rebman and colleagues reported that some Lyme disease patients experience impaired contrast sensitivity.1 Contrast sensitivity refers to the ability to distinguish objects from their

Persistent Lyme Infection: Evidence Lyme Disease Can Persist Research suggests that Lyme disease may persist in some patients despite standard treatment. Multiple studies indicate that Lyme disease can result in a persistent infection, leading to ongoing symptoms that may require additional evaluation and treatment. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted several clinical trials evaluating

Fatal Babesia Case: How Delayed Diagnosis Turned Deadly A fatal Babesia case is uncommon but devastating when diagnosis is delayed. Babesia infection can be difficult for clinicians to recognize because symptoms often resemble more common illnesses such as viral infections or kidney infections. When Babesia is missed, the parasite continues multiplying inside red blood cells.

Lyme carditis diagnosis during a COVID-19 quarantine A 42-year-old man from New York City received a Lyme carditis diagnosis after quarantining in upstate New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case is discussed in the article “A curious case of Lyme carditis in an urban hospital,” by Brissett et al. 1 “Lyme carditis was a surprise

Powassan Virus: A Rare but Dangerous Tick-Borne Infection Powassan virus is a rare but serious tick-borne infection that can cause severe neurologic disease, including encephalitis and meningitis. Unlike Lyme disease, which may require prolonged tick attachment, Powassan virus transmission can occur rapidly. In their article “Underrecognized Tickborne Illnesses: Borrelia Miyamotoi and Powassan Virus”, Della-Giustina et

Can Lyme Disease Trigger an Autoimmune Disease? Can Lyme disease trigger an autoimmune disease? The relationship between Lyme disease and autoimmune conditions has been debated for years. Some researchers believe infections like Lyme disease may trigger immune responses that resemble autoimmune disease in certain patients. Others argue that many of these cases reflect ongoing infection