Lyme Science Blog

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH “Multiple trials have shown efficacy for a 10-day course of oral doxycycline for treatment of erythema migrans and for a 14-day course for treatment of early neurologic Lyme disease in ambulatory patients,” the review concludes. Furthermore, “Evidence indicates that a 10-day course of oral doxycycline is effective for HGA […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The Journal of Vector Ecology was talking about deer keds seen below (family Hippoboscidae, genus Lipoptena), not deer flies (family Tabanidae, genus Chrysops). Thomas Mather pointed out a fun blog about this “tick with wings” at https://www.tickencounter.org/tick_notes/tick_notes_deer_keds#top 2. The Anaplasma phagocytophilum identified in the paper has not been identified

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH In the recent Clinical Infectious Diseases article entitled “Long-term follow-up of patients with Lyme disease: Longitudinal analysis of clinical and quality of life measures,” the authors conclude that “both mental health and physical health scores increased to be at or above national average over time, regardless of Lyme disease

Lyme disease was first identified in 1975 in a group of children and adolescents living in Connecticut, who suffered from recurrent attacks of asymmetric swelling and pain in several large joints, particularly in the knee. The patients were initially diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. “The typical patient has had 3 recurrences, but 16 patients have

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Fatal Lyme carditis is rarely identified. In reviewing five post mortem cases, Muehlenbach and colleagues found that Lyme disease was not suspected for one patient who complained of episodic shortness of breath, while the second patient tested negative for Lyme disease. Two other patients did not seek medical care.

The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) published evidence-based treatment guidelines in 2006 which states, “Considerable confusion and controversy exist over the frequency and cause of this process [chronic Lyme disease] and even over its existence.” Furthermore, any “[ongoing] symptoms appear to be more related to the aches and pains of daily living rather than

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH There are at least 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease every year in the United States. As this patient group requires antibiotic therapy to treat Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses, there is a chance they can develop C. difficile. However, a rush decision to not prescribe or to discontinue

In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) described three cases of sudden deaths associated with Lyme-induced myocarditis. “During November 2012 and July 2013, one woman and two men (ranging in age from 26 to 38 years) from high-incidence Lyme disease states experienced sudden cardiac death and, on postmortem examination, were found to

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Study examines doxycycline as cause of acute pancreatitis in patient initially treated for suspected Lyme disease. A 51-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a one-week history of extreme fatigue, malaise, and confusion. Three days prior to admittance, the man had started oral doxycycline for presumed Lyme disease

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH A recent discovery by researchers at Mayo Clinic demonstrates the complexity of tick-borne organisms. Pathologists at the institution have described a new Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies in six patients. The new species, provisionally named Borrelia mayonii, was found in the Upper Midwest but it may be elsewhere. Symptoms are