This case report describes an elderly woman from Maine, who was diagnosed post-mortem with a rare deer tick virus, known as the Powassan virus. The 72-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with myalgias, chills, and an erythema migrans rash on her left scapula. She reportedly had 2 tick bites over the course of one […]
Ticks can be tested for the Lyme disease bacteria and other tick-borne pathogens. But the accuracy of test results may depend on whether the tick is engorged. A study by Gasmi et al. found that results may not be accurate when testing ticks which are engorged. [1] The authors examined 4,596 I. scapularis (blacklegged) ticks […]
The 71-year-old woman underwent an exhaustive evaluation to determine the cause of her abdominal pain. Tests included: CT scan of the chest and abdomen; whole body emission tomography-CT scan (PET-CT); colonoscopy; gastroscopy, and an MRI of the small intestines. Initially, doctors did not consider testing for Lyme disease as a cause of the patient’s stomach […]
As the number of tick-borne diseases grows and the geographical spread of ticks continues, there is an increasing interest in what repels ticks naturally and which products are effective and safe to use. Little is known about exactly how ticks detect odors and what smells repel them. “Improving our understanding of tick olfactory mechanisms and […]
Lyme disease patients often struggle with ongoing symptoms including arthritis. Findings from this latest study are a “testament to how unique this bacterium is — and how we need to keep working to understand more about what is going on behind the scenes in order to develop future diagnostics and treatments,” states Mari Davis, lead […]
In this case report, Hareem and colleagues describe a 71-year-old man with facial palsy from Lyme disease who failed treatment. The authors offer an inside look at what led up to the failed treatment.¹ Steroids associated with treatment failure? The man was initially treated in August 2017 for an upper respiratory tract infection and prescribed […]
The study aimed to assess the prevalence of this type of sudden onset hearing loss, particularly among Lyme disease patients. The authors explain, “Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is defined as sensorineural hearing loss of 30 dB or more over at least three adjacent audiometric frequencies occurring within a 72-h period of time.” This type […]
Welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast. I am your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. In this episode, I will be discussing a topic on the what Ebola, COVID-19 and Lyme disease have in common was recently featured in Vox Magazine by author Julia Belluz.1 The article, “Long COVID isn’t as unique as we thought” reviews some commonalities […]
Might Lyme disease cause chronic illness? Studies indicated that Lyme disease can lead to chronic illness including Lyme encephalopathy, [5] Lyme neuropathy, [6] chronic neurologic Lyme disease, [6] and Neuropsychiatric Lyme disease. [7] Could Lyme disease be a reversible cause of a chronic illness in some patients? Having a high index of suspicion will prevent […]
In their article, Rebman and colleagues write, “we found a relationship between contrast sensitivity (CS) impairment in participants with [post-treatment Lyme disease] compared to controls that is associated with neurologic abnormalities and specific cognitive test impairments.” Contrast sensitivity is a measure of a person’s ability to distinguish the foreground from background that is not detected […]
Several factors can impact the likelihood that treatment will be successful for a patient seeking a doctor to treat their Lyme disease. According to a recent study, high treatment response was most closely associated with: doctor treat lyme disease the use of antibiotics or a combination of antibiotics and alternative treatments; longer duration of treatment, […]
UPDATED: April 8, 2021 Could monoclonal antibodies prevent lyme disease? The first human clinical trial of Lyme PrEP, a seasonal shot to prevent Lyme disease, has begun enrolling volunteers to evaluate the safety and pharmacology of the treatment. [1] “Lyme PrEP prevents infection by delivering a single, human anti-Lyme antibody, or blood protein, directly to […]
Investigators reviewed questionnaires from 778 Lyme disease patients treated at the Geisinger Clinic, a health system in Pennsylvania. The authors determined the length of time a patient was ill before seeking medical attention, and the length of time between seeking care for Lyme disease and receiving lyme treatment. They found that the amount of time […]
PERSPECTIVE A growing number of specialties have described a shift to utilizing telemedicine in their practices. “The global pandemic of COVID-19 has dramatically altered the delivery of rheumatology outpatient services because of the redeployment of staff and efforts to minimize infection risk to patients and clinicians in line with physical distancing guidance,” writes Yeoh and colleagues. “Departments […]
I have identified several factors that might have contributed to treatment delays in 15 Lyme disease patients. All 15 subjects failed their initial antibiotic treatment. In many cases, their illness could have been mitigated had diagnosis and treatment occurred in the early stages of the disease. These 15 patients were part of a case series […]
