Lyme Science Blog

The authors estimate that the number of Lyme disease cases in Canada that go undetected is greater than the 10-fold difference in the U.S. For example, “Calculation of expected human Lyme disease cases based on tick and canine infections in New Brunswick indicates a minimum of 12.1 to 58.2-fold underestimation (1.7% to 8.3% cases detected).” […]

“Clinically, PTLDS is largely a diagnosis of exclusion, requiring documentation of prior Lyme disease, appropriate treatment, and onset of unexplained, subjective symptoms within six months after a Lyme disease diagnosis that persist for at least six months after completion of antibiotic treatment,” writes Moon from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. [4] Many patients

A study published in Healthcare (Basel) by Johnson and colleagues [1] summarizes information provided by 3,903 individuals registered with MyLymeData. The findings reveal how persistent Lyme disease misconceptions contribute to diagnostic delays and patient suffering. The participants reported a delay in diagnosis. “More than half (51%) reported that it took them more than three years

When Laboratory Confirmation Fails Clinical Reality Babesia clinical diagnosis may be necessary when laboratory tests fail to confirm infection. Investigators from ISDH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined specimens from 14 patients diagnosed with Lyme disease and B. microti. They tested for Babesia infection by Giemsa-stained blood smears, PCR (polymerase chain

Severe Lyme carditis in an adolescent can present with life-threatening arrhythmias requiring emergency intervention. A 15-year-old boy with heart rate of 300 beats per minute and ventricular tachycardia needed multiple cardioversions and temporary pacing. Yet after antibiotic treatment, his heart block completely resolved and he remained symptom-free at one-year follow-up — demonstrating the reversible nature

Using data from Geisinger electronic medical records, researchers identified 9657 Lyme disease cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2014 in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. [bctt tweet=”Are African-Americans less likely to be diagnosed with Lyme disease?” username=”DrDanielCameron”] Only 1.4% of Lyme disease patients in central and northeastern Pennsylvania are African-American, according to a medical records review. Moon

Babesia clinical presentations can vary widely, as one case demonstrates. The woman was admitted to the emergency room with fever, chills, lethargy, fatigue, and marked changes in sensorium. Clinicians initially believed her symptoms were due to sepsis, but she was later diagnosed with concurrent Babesia and anaplasmosis. Her case demonstrates how “patients with babesiosis show

Could a Lyme disease blood transfusion transmit infection? While the tick-borne disease Babesia is known to spread through blood transfusions, the risk with Lyme disease remains theoretical — but worth considering. Studies have found Borrelia burgdorferi in the blood of patients with early Lyme disease using culture tests. “Borrelia are likely to be found circulating

Now, a new study by Connally and colleagues examines the effectiveness of treated clothing after it is worn and washed/dried. [2] Does this impact the contact irritancy and toxicity against Ixodes scapularis nymphs? The investigators forced blacklegged ticks to be in contact with Permethrin-treated clothing for 30 to 120 seconds. They then monitored the ticks’

In their article “Searching for the Immature Stages of Ixodes scapularis in Leaf Litter and Soil in Texas,” Tietjen and colleagues, from Texas A&M University, speculate that nymphal ticks in the south could be in the leaf litter or in different soil layers rather than on the understory vegetation. [1] So, employing a different type