Lyme Science Blog

The 83-year-old man, from Pennsylvania, was admitted to the hospital, reporting pain in his knee, erythema and fever for 3 days. Upon examination, physicians noted he had “a moderate effusion and limited range of motion,” explains Collins. The patient had a total knee replacement, involving the same knee, 6 years earlier. Culture tests were negative […]

A delayed Babesia diagnosis can occur when symptoms emerge after initial Lyme disease treatment. Doctors diagnosed and treated a 67-year-old woman for early Lyme disease with a 21-day course of amoxicillin after she presented with an erythema migrans rash. (The woman was allergic to doxycycline.) Near the end of her treatment, the woman developed fevers

These conditions are typically thought to occur separately with several published reports describing each illness as mimicking the other. But a new article by Koester and colleagues details the first cases of acute Lyme and EBV infections reportedly occurring concurrently. “We describe the clinical presentation of two children with confirmed early Lyme disease and features

A recent article, “Assessment of the Public Health Threats Posed by Vector-Borne Disease in the United Kingdom,” by Medlock and colleagues explores the growing concern Lyme disease poses to residents in the UK. [1] “There has been an increase in the numbers of reported human cases of Lyme disease,” writes Medlock in the International Journal

Babesia combination therapy is essential because doxycycline — the go-to antibiotic for most tick-borne illnesses — doesn’t work against Babesia. This parasite requires a different approach, often involving multiple medications. In a recent article published in The Nurse Practitioner, Paparone discusses the various presentations of Babesia, along with treatment plans for five individuals. Babesia Combination

Avoiding pacemaker implantation in Lyme carditis prevents young patients from decades of device complications, generator replacements, and cumulative healthcare costs. The SILC score (Suspicious Index in Lyme Carditis) helps clinicians identify which patients have reversible heart block from Lyme disease rather than permanent cardiac disease. When Lyme carditis is recognized early, temporary pacing and antibiotics

Heartland virus cases continue to rise, yet much remains unknown about this potentially deadly tick-borne illness. So, what do we actually know about this potentially deadly virus? Symptoms are similar to those seen with other tick-borne illnesses. Patients may experience fever, headaches, joint and muscle aches, fatigue, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. Individuals with the

“Despite being a top international tourist destination, few sources describe the spectrum of infectious diseases acquired among travellers to the USA,” writes Stoney in the Journal Travel Medicine. [1] Stoney, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and colleagues analyzed travel history and clinical diagnoses for non-US-resident travellers who visited GeoSentinel clinics between

Babesia risk is expanding across the United States — and citizen scientists are helping map the threat. A new study found Babesia microti-infected ticks in states where the parasite had not been previously reported. An article by Nieto and colleagues, published in PLoS One, describes a study using citizen science to gather data on human

Borrelia miyamotoi diagnosis presents unique challenges for clinicians. Borrelia miyamotoi, the bacteria which causes relapsing fever, is one of the latest threats. The disease was first reported in the United States in 2013 but has become increasingly more common. B. miyamotoi is carried by black-legged ticks, the same ticks that can transmit Lyme disease. One