Lyme Science Blog

Lyme Disease Bacteria Dates Back to the Ice Age Lyme disease may feel like a modern epidemic—but the bacteria behind it is not new. In an effort to understand the evolutionary history of Borrelia burgdorferi, Walter and colleagues at Yale University analyzed one of the largest collections of bacterial genomes assembled to date, using ticks […]

Delayed Lyme Disease Treatment Leads to Carditis and Vision Loss Lyme disease can progress quickly when early symptoms are overlooked or ignored. A 66-year-old man became ill within one week of a tick bite to the back of his neck. One month later, he collapsed and lost consciousness, according to Sharma and colleagues in The

Using Dogs to Track Lyme Disease Risk in West Virginia Dogs may provide an early warning system for Lyme disease risk in humans. Researchers have long used animal sentinel studies to monitor the spread of Lyme disease. Domestic dogs are particularly useful because of their frequent outdoor exposure, known travel history, and ability to develop

How Borrelia Evades the Immune System Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, has developed strategies that allow it to persist in the body despite immune responses and standard treatment. To better understand this process, Embers and colleagues studied infection in rhesus macaques—an animal model that closely reflects human Lyme disease. A Model That

Lyme Disease Fatigue: Persistent Pain and Exhaustion After Treatment Lyme disease fatigue is more than feeling tired. Patients often describe a deep, persistent exhaustion that does not improve with rest—and may worsen after even minor activity. For some, fatigue begins early during infection. For others, it develops months later and becomes one of the most

Top 10 Lyme Disease Blogs of 2017 Some Lyme disease stories stay with readers because they are clinically important, surprising, or deeply human. These were the 10 most-read All Things Lyme posts of 2017. Following is a list of the most popular All Things Lyme blogs for 2017. Click on each headline to read the

Lyme Disease Remains a Burden in Connecticut 40 Years Later Lyme disease was first identified in Connecticut nearly 50 years ago. Yet despite decades of public health efforts, it continues to pose a significant burden. Since 1977, “in spite of all endeavors conducted by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CTDPH) to control the disease,

Bell’s Palsy and Lyme Disease: Why Steroids May Worsen Outcomes Bell’s palsy is often treated with steroids. But when Lyme disease is the cause, that approach may lead to worse outcomes. A 46-year-old man developed facial palsy after frequent hiking in tick-endemic regions of New England, Quebec, and Ontario. Clinicians recognized the signs of Lyme

Can Ticks Be Used to Test for Infection? Xenodiagnosis for Lyme Disease Most Lyme disease tests look for antibodies, not the bacteria itself. Xenodiagnosis takes a very different approach: using uninfected larval ticks as a research tool to look for evidence of Borrelia burgdorferi in humans. Xenodiagnosis: Using Ticks to Test for Lyme Disease “Xenodiagnosis

CDC Expands Lyme Disease Guidance to Emerging States Lyme disease is no longer confined to traditionally high-incidence regions. As case numbers rise in neighboring states, the CDC now advises clinicians to consider Lyme disease beyond historically endemic areas. Previously, the CDC focused on 14 high-incidence states in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest. These included