Will eliminating deer help stop the spread of infected ticks?
Adult blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) which can transmit the Lyme disease bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, along with a multitude of other pathogens, prefer to feed on white-tailed deer. The white-footed mouse is the primary reservoir host. As more and more tick-borne diseases emerge, the urgency for finding effective tick management strategies is greater than ever before. Blacklegged ticks are now known to transmit other infectious agents which cause Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Powassan virus.
Unexplained stroke: Look for Lyme disease
On rare occasions, Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) can cause a stroke. The authors of “Ischemic stroke: Do Not Forget Lyme Neuroborreliosis,” review the case of an 83-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency room of Geneva University Hospitals in Switzerland. [1] The case highlights the importance of gathering a complete patient history and in performing adequate ancillary tests.
Preventing unnecessary surgery for children with Lyme arthritis
It can be difficult to tell the difference between Lyme arthritis and bacterial septic arthritis in children. But making the distinction is critical since treatment differs for each. The knee is the most common joint impacted for the majority (90%) of patients with Lyme arthritis, explains Willis and colleagues in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedists. [1] Elbow pain is rarely reported as an initial symptom, and therefore, Lyme disease is usually not considered when children complain of isolated elbow pain.
Babesia case in the South Bronx
Last week, New York City (NYC) officials issued a health advisory, calling on physicians in the city to be on the alert for patients with tick-borne diseases, as the number of cases continues to rise. Since 2000, the number of tick-borne disease cases in NYC has steadily increased, with fluctuations from year to year. But between 2016 and 2017, cases of anaplasmosis and babesiosis more than doubled in all boroughs except Queens. And last year, the first case of anaplasmosis transmitted through a blood transfusion was reported in NYC.
Clinicians in foreign countries should consider Lyme disease with symptomatic travellers
A report published in Infection and Drug Resistance reviews the case of a 44-year-old woman who visited a neurological outpatient clinic in Japan complaining of fatigue and partial mouth paralysis. (She was unable to open her mouth.) The symptoms had persisted for 2 months.
When it looks like a brain tumor, but it is Lyme disease
Pseudotumor cerebri, also referred to as idiopathic intracranial hypertension, is a condition caused by elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure in the brain. Symptoms can mimic a brain tumor, but in actuality there is no tumor. Instead, there is unexplained intracranial pressure in the head. The condition is rare in prepubertal children.
Five cases of Lyme carditis in Canada: multiple hospital visits to diagnose
A recent article published in The American Journal of Cardiology highlights five cases in Canada involving Lyme carditis which manifest with high-degree atrioventricular block (AVB). The authors reviewed cases which occurred over a 2-year period at Kingston General Hospital in Ontario, Canada.
Re-infection with different B. burgdorferi strain can cause a super-infection in mice
Numerous strains of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, can exist in hosts living within the same geographic area, writes Bhatia, from Rocky Mountain Laboratories, in the journal PLOS Pathogens. [1] “Many different strains of B. burgdorferi are stably maintained in the same local population of infected wild animals and ticks.”
Netherlands patients pay a high price for having persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease
In a recent issue of PLOS One, Berende and colleagues describe the high cost to Netherlands patients for having persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease. Productivity losses were significant. For the three study groups, the productivity losses over a one-year follow-up averaged 7,667, 7,858 and 9,392 euro’s with a range of 4,466 to 12,270 euro’s.
Lyme endocarditis in 68-year-old avid outdoorsman
“Lyme endocarditis can be a challenging diagnosis to make, given the rarity of cases, inability to grow the organism in culture, and serologic testing that does not clearly distinguish between current and prior infection,” according to Paim and colleagues from the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic. [1]
