Relying on a negative Lyme disease test can prove deadly
In August of 2013, a 17-year-old boy died suddenly from cardiac arrest. Initially, health officials blamed the Powassan virus for his death. But a recent report in Cardiovascular Pathologist finds that the young man died instead from Lyme carditis.
Powassan virus infection causes polio-like illness
Evidence of a Powassan virus infection affecting the spinal cord has, until now, only been seen in mouse studies. But a new article describes the first known case of a 62-year-old man from Canada who developed a polio-like illness caused by the Powassan virus (POWV).
What blood type do ticks prefer?
Ever wonder why some people are more likely to be bitten by a tick than others? Researchers in the Czech Republic claim it may have to do with a person’s blood type. “The influence of blood groups on certain diseases such as malaria or some cancers has been already discussed and proved,” the authors point out. Type O blood has been linked to the slow progression of malaria, transmitted by mosquitoes. “This may suggest that there could be a similar relationship between tick-borne diseases and some blood group(s).”
The third rail of Lyme disease: how Borrelia bacteria persist
Under the 2016 21st Century Cures Act, academic and government scientists, physicians, along with patient advocates, came together and formed the Tick-Borne Diseases Working Group. The group's mission was to develop recommendations to combat the spread of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
Yale doctor says children don’t have Lyme, but medically unexplained symptoms
Dr. Eugene Shapiro, from the pediatric infectious disease clinic at Yale Medical Center, conducted a review of patient records.
He discussed his findings in a videotaped interview and urged the medically community to develop ways to prevent "healthcare-seeking behaviors" by parents who believed their children may have Lyme disease.
Lyme disease consultations common in France
Concerned about the over diagnosis of Lyme disease in France, Haddad and colleagues respond to a recent article discussing the treatment of 478 patients consulted for presumed Lyme borreliosis (LB) at a center in Nancy, France. In a Letter to the Editor, Haddad includes two other French studies and reports on their results. [1]
6 cases of Babesia in early Lyme disease
In their article “Co-infections in early Lyme disease,” Wormser and colleagues describe 52 adult patients with erythema migran rashes who were evaluated for the presence of co-infections. (Patients with extracutaneous manifestations were excluded.)
9 cases of children in France with Lyme neuroborreliosis
The authors of a recent review describe 9 cases of pediatric neuroborreliosis (NB) collected by the National Observatory of Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis in France between 2001 and 2012. The children, ages 4 – 13 years, presented with “meningeal irritation alone or with facial palsy, or isolated facial palsy, writes Guet-Revillet and colleagues. [1] All of the cases were confirmed with a spinal tap.
Lyme pseudothrombophlebitis in a young child
This case report, featuring an 8-year-old boy, illustrates, once again, the unusual presentation that can occur with Lyme disease. [1] The child was admitted to the emergency department at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia with swelling and pain in his knee and calf.
People re-infected with Lyme disease may develop strain-specific immunity
Have you ever wondered whether an infection with the Lyme disease (LD) spirochete elicits protective immunity? Izac and Marconi addressed that question in a recent study. The authors examined mice infected with clonal populations of spirochetes to determine if broad or strain-specific, bactericidal antibody responses occurred. [1]
