Lyme Science Blog

Geriatric Babesia: Why Older Patients Often Need Longer Treatment Geriatric babesia is becoming more common—and more dangerous. Babesia infections in older adults often lead to more severe illness, longer recovery, and higher mortality rates. The annual number of cases per year climbed from 4 per 100,000 to 9 per 100,000 in the U.S. between 2006 […]

Powassan Virus Encephalitis in Children: Two Infant Case Reports Powassan virus encephalitis is a rare but serious tick-borne infection that can lead to severe neurologic disease. Although most reported cases occur in adults, Powassan virus in children has been documented, including infants who develop encephalitis after tick exposure. Although uncommon, Powassan virus infection can be

Four Proposed Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndromes Causing Persistent Symptoms Post-treatment Lyme disease syndromes describe persistent symptoms that continue after standard antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease. Although many patients recover, a significant number remain ill for months or even years. Individuals who suffer from persistent symptoms are often diagnosed with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) or

Borrelia Miyamotoi and Lyme Disease Coinfection: Study of Persistent Symptoms Could Borrelia miyamotoi and Lyme disease coinfection help explain persistent symptoms in some patients? Borrelia miyamotoi (BM) is a tick-borne pathogen transmitted by the same Ixodes ticks that spread Lyme disease. Unlike Lyme disease, erythema migrans rash and joint pain are uncommon in Borrelia miyamotoi

What Are Treatments for Lyme Disease? Treatments for Lyme disease vary depending on the stage of infection, symptom severity, and the presence of coinfections. Two major medical organizations—the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS)—have published evidence-based treatment guidelines that recommend different approaches to therapy. The Infectious

How to Prevent Lyme Disease: What Actually Works Prevention of Lyme disease is the most effective way to avoid an infection that can become complicated and life-altering. There is currently no widely available human vaccine, diagnostic testing can be imperfect, and treatment may become more complex when co-infections such as Babesia are involved. The best

How Lyme Pathogens Change Tick Behavior and Survival Research suggests that pathogens carried by ticks may alter tick behavior in ways that improve their survival and increase the likelihood of disease transmission. Infections with organisms such as Borrelia, Anaplasma, and Babesia appear capable of manipulating tick biology, potentially increasing the tick’s ability to locate hosts

Lyme Disease Co-Infections: Symptoms, Testing, and Treatment Lyme disease co-infections occur when a tick transmits more than one infectious pathogen during a single bite. Black-legged ticks can carry bacteria, parasites, and viruses capable of infecting humans at the same time. Today, ticks harbor multiple infectious pathogens that can be transmitted through a tick bite or

What is Lyme disease? Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected black-legged tick. The illness is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, a spiral-shaped organism known as a spirochete. The bacterium is typically transmitted by the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), commonly called the deer tick. When an