Lyme Science Blog

Do Birds Carry Ticks? What Birds Mean for Lyme Disease Spread Birds can transport ticks over long distances Migratory species may spread infected ticks into new regions Bird behavior may influence Lyme disease risk Do birds carry ticks? Research suggests they do. Birds can transport ticks during migration and daily movement, potentially introducing ticks into […]

Bell’s Palsy and Lyme Disease: Can Facial Paralysis Persist? Bell’s palsy may be an early neurologic sign of Lyme disease Some patients develop persistent facial symptoms after weakness improves Nonflaccid facial palsy can affect appearance, speech, and quality of life Bell’s palsy from Lyme disease may not always resolve completely. Some patients develop persistent facial

Chronic Neurological Lyme Disease or Comorbid Conditions After Treatment? Chronic neurological Lyme disease symptoms may persist years after treatment. Fatigue, pain, dizziness, and cognitive problems are commonly reported. Distinguishing persistent neurologic symptoms from comorbid illness remains challenging. The study, “Patient-reported outcome after treatment for definite Lyme neuroborreliosis” by Eikeland and colleagues, described 258 patients treated

Is Lyme Disease in Mexico Underdiagnosed? Lyme Carditis Case Lyme disease may be overlooked in Mexico Heart rhythm abnormalities can complicate diagnosis Delayed recognition may affect outcomes Questions remain about whether Lyme disease in Mexico is underrecognized and whether Lyme carditis symptoms are being missed in patients with unexplained heart problems. A published case involving

Does Single-Dose Doxycycline Prevent Lyme Disease? Single-dose doxycycline remains controversial Preventing a rash may not prevent all Lyme complications Treatment decisions after tick bites remain complicated Many patients ask whether a single 200 mg dose of doxycycline after a tick bite prevents Lyme disease or only lowers the risk of developing a rash. The answer

How Do Ticks Move When Seeking a Host? Ticks do more than simply wait for a host to brush past them. Research suggests adult blacklegged ticks may actively move toward nearby hosts once detected. Understanding tick movement may help reduce the risk of tick bites and tick-borne infections. How do ticks move when seeking a

Bell’s Palsy in Children: Could Lyme Disease or a Tick Bite Be the Cause? Bell’s palsy in children may be caused by Lyme disease Facial nerve palsy can appear even without rash or tick bite history Early recognition and treatment decisions may affect recovery Bell’s palsy in children is not always idiopathic. In Lyme-endemic areas,

Single-Dose Doxycycline After a Tick Bite A pharmacist-run clinic prescribing doxycycline for tick bite prophylaxis was described in a recent article by Portman, “Implementing a pharmacist-run Lyme disease postexposure prophylaxis clinic augmented by academic detailing within the Veterans Health Administration.”¹ Programs allowing pharmacists to prescribe doxycycline for tick bite prophylaxis may improve access to care

Long-Term Effects of Lyme Disease: Symptoms That May Persist Long-term Lyme disease symptoms can affect daily functioning Fatigue, pain, neurologic symptoms, and brain fog may persist PTLDS remains an important area of ongoing research Long-term effects of Lyme disease may persist for months or longer in some patients despite standard treatment. Patients with ongoing symptoms

CDC Lyme Disease Case Definition Often Misused Many physicians mistakenly rely on the CDC Lyme disease case definition when diagnosing patients with Lyme disease. Some clinicians require that patients meet these strict surveillance criteria before making a diagnosis. However, the CDC Lyme disease case definition was developed as a public health surveillance tool designed to