Lyme Science Blog

Single Dose Doxycycline for Lyme Disease: Why One Dose May Not Be Enough Single-dose doxycycline is sometimes prescribed after a high-risk tick bite to reduce the chance of developing Lyme disease. However, it is not considered treatment for established infection. When early Lyme disease symptoms are already present, a single dose may be insufficient and […]

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

Lyme Disease and Ticks in West Virginia Dogs helped researchers track ticks in West Virginia Tick checks may reveal Lyme disease risk across the state Surveillance can identify areas where tick exposure is increasing Lyme disease and ticks in West Virginia are an increasing concern for residents, pet owners, and clinicians. Researchers have used dogs

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 Exhaustion and Pain After Treatment Persistent symptoms may follow Lyme disease treatment. Fatigue, pain, and cognitive dysfunction can overlap. PTLDS remains controversial. Lyme disease fatigue after treatment can become one of the most disruptive long-term complications of infection. While many patients recover fully after antibiotics, others continue to experience exhaustion, pain,

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 in Connecticut: Why It Remains a Hotspot Connecticut remains one of the historic centers of Lyme disease Persistent hotspots have been identified across multiple towns Targeted prevention may help reduce ongoing exposure risk Connecticut remains one of the most recognized Lyme disease hotspots in the United States decades after the first cases were

Can Lyme Disease Cause Bell’s Palsy? A Case Report Bell’s palsy may be an early sign of Lyme disease Steroids may worsen outcomes in some patients Recognizing facial palsy early may improve treatment decisions Although erythema migrans and arthritis are common, Lyme disease Bell’s palsy and facial nerve involvement are also well-recognized presentations. This case

What Is Xenodiagnosis? Testing Lyme Disease Using Ticks Xenodiagnosis uses ticks to study Lyme disease The method remains experimental in humans Researchers use ticks to investigate persistent infection “Xenodiagnosis was positive for B. burgdorferi DNA in a patient with erythema migrans early during therapy and in a patient with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS),” writes