Lyme Science Blog

Can You Get Lyme Disease More Than Once? Can you get Lyme disease more than once? Many patients assume that once they’ve had Lyme disease, they’re protected. But in clinical practice, repeat infections and recurring symptoms are common—and often misunderstood. Short answer: Yes. You can get Lyme disease more than once. Limited strain-specific immunity may

Babesia Incubation Period: A 10-Week Delayed Case The babesia incubation period can be much longer than expected—as this unusual case demonstrates. A 19-year-old man developed symptoms 10 weeks after traveling to New York, illustrating why Babesia can be missed when physicians focus only on recent tick exposure. The case was published in Cureus by Patel

What Does a Lyme Flare-Up Feel Like? Lyme flare-up symptoms often feel like a sudden crash—fatigue returns, brain fog worsens, and pain or neurologic symptoms intensify after a period of improvement. A key pattern is fluctuation. Symptoms may improve—and then worsen again—sometimes without a clear immediate cause. These patterns are part of broader mechanisms of

Can Lyme Disease Stay With You Forever? Can Lyme disease stay with you forever? Although many patients will improve with appropriate treatment, others will experience ongoing Lyme disease symptoms that may persist for years. A growing number of case studies continue to document patients with chronic illnesses associated with Lyme disease. Key Point: While many

Herxheimer Reaction in a 13-Year-Old Boy With Lyme Arthritis A recently published case report describes a Herxheimer reaction in a child treated for Lyme arthritis. Nykytyuk and colleagues reported the case of a 13-year-old boy who developed worsening symptoms after starting doxycycline for Lyme disease. [1] Key Point: A Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction can occur during treatment

Lyme Disease Rash vs Cellulitis: When Lyme Mimics Skin Infection Lyme disease can mimic cellulitis, a common bacterial skin infection—leading to delayed diagnosis if tick exposure is not considered. In this case, a 40-year-old woman developed redness, swelling, pain, and a spreading rash at the site of a surgical excision. Key Point: Early Lyme disease

Can You Have Lyme Disease and Not Know It? Undiagnosed Lyme disease is more common than many realize. Some patients remain ill for years before receiving the correct diagnosis—often after being treated for other conditions. Clinical Insight: Lyme disease can go unrecognized for years when symptoms are subtle, fluctuate, or are mistaken for other conditions.

Geriatric Babesia: Why Older Patients Often Need Longer Treatment Babesia can be severe in older adults Symptoms are often atypical Coinfections increase risk Longer treatment may be needed Geriatric Babesia is often more severe, harder to diagnose, and more likely to require extended treatment—especially in older or immunocompromised patients. Babesia infections in older adults are

Powassan Virus in Children Powassan virus infection in children is rare but can lead to severe neurologic illness, including encephalitis and long-term complications. For an overview, see Powassan virus. Powassan Virus in Pediatric Patients Children can develop serious neurologic symptoms following infection with Powassan virus, including encephalitis and meningitis. Symptoms may include fever, headache, vomiting,