Lyme Science Blog

Lyme Disease Patients Call for Greater Participation in Clinical Trials Advancing Lyme disease care depends on better research—and that requires greater patient participation. To date, only a small number of National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored trials have included chronically ill Lyme disease patients. These studies were limited in size and often enrolled patients years after […]

Depression in Lyme Disease Patients: A Common but Overlooked Symptom Depression is a frequent but often underrecognized feature of Lyme disease. Zomer and colleagues found that approximately 1 in 5 patients referred to a tertiary Lyme center in the Netherlands were diagnosed with both Lyme disease and depression. Findings from the Study The study evaluated

Pseudotumor Cerebri in Lyme Disease: A Pediatric Case Lyme disease can present with neurologic symptoms that are easily overlooked. In rare cases, it may mimic pseudotumor cerebri in children. What Is Pseudotumor Cerebri? Pseudotumor cerebri is characterized by increased intracranial pressure without an identifiable mass or structural cause. Symptoms may include severe headaches, nausea, vomiting,

Persister Cells in Lyme Disease: Why Treatment May Fall Short Why do some Lyme disease patients remain ill despite appropriate antibiotic treatment? One explanation under investigation is the presence of persister cells in Lyme disease—a phenomenon increasingly recognized across microbiology. “Though its applicability to B. burgdorferi has been controversial, persistence is a widely accepted phenomenon

Neonatal Babesiosis: Transfusion Risk in Premature Infants Can a single blood donor transmit infection to multiple newborns? Neonatal babesiosis is a rare but serious threat—particularly in premature infants receiving transfusions. Researchers at Yale School of Medicine described three premature infants in one neonatal intensive care unit who contracted Babesia from a single 24-year-old donor. The

Tick Bite Red Meat Allergy: Alpha-Gal and Emerging European Risk Can a tick bite trigger a food allergy hours after eating? A tick bite red meat allergy—known as alpha-gal syndrome—has been linked to the Lone Star tick in the United States and may now involve European tick species as well. Alpha-gal is a sugar molecule

Congenital Babesiosis: Transmission Risk in Infants of Mothers with Lyme Can Babesia be passed from mother to infant during pregnancy? Congenital babesiosis is rare but clinically significant. Two infants born to mothers with Lyme disease during pregnancy developed Babesia infections, highlighting the risk of unrecognized coinfection. These represent the first reported cases in which mothers

Borrelia miyamotoi in Canada: 10% Infection Rate Raises Coinfection Concerns Borrelia miyamotoi Canada cases may be more common than previously recognized. In a study from Manitoba, Kadkhoda and colleagues tested blood samples from 250 individuals with suspected or confirmed Lyme disease. Samples were collected between 2011 and 2014. The results were notable: 10% of participants

Babesia microti in Suffolk County: High Prevalence in Ticks Babesia microti Suffolk County infections are a growing concern, with tick surveillance studies showing high prevalence across multiple sites in New York and Connecticut. Babesia microti is a growing concern in Suffolk County, New York. Ticks were collected in 2015 and 2016 by tick dragging at