by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Participants in the PLEASE trial were scored using an SF-36 physical component of Health (PCS) scale. Their PCS scores of 31 to 32 were worse than those of a diabetic and cancer patient. [3] These patients’ PCS scores have been 42 and 41, respectively. While PCS scores have been […]

Physicians are warned of the importance in distinguishing between viral or idiopathic facial paralysis (e.g., Bell’s palsy) from Lyme disease-associated facial palsy. Authors of the study, “Steroid Use in Lyme Disease-Associated Facial Palsy Is Associated With Worse Long-Term Outcomes,” used the term Lyme disease-associated facial palsy (LDFP) rather than Bell’s palsy to highlight the differences […]

According to a study by Wormser and colleagues, from New York Medical College, “Patients with chronic Lyme disease were significantly more likely to be female than were patients diagnosed with either Lyme disease or with post-Lyme disease syndrome.” “This finding,” says Wormser, “suggests that illnesses with a female preponderance, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Doctors from the Tufts University School of Medicine, New England Medical Center described the financial damage Lyme disease caused to 27 individuals with chronic neurologic Lyme disease. “Although most were able to remain employed, three quit their jobs, three decreased their work load to part-time, and two retired earlier,” […]

The study, “CCL19 as a Chemokine Risk Factor for Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome: A Prospective Clinical Cohort Study,” found T-cell chemokines are an important part of the immune response in early Lyme disease (LD). Researchers at Johns Hopkins identified T-cell chemokines CCL19 that rise in early LD then drop to normal in 86% of patients […]

The aspiring young scientist, Jackie Flynn, reported that her informal study found ticks were killed after 5 minutes in the dryer, not one hour. The time difference was significant and caught the attention of researchers at the CDC, who decided to investigate further. Now, three years later, a new study published in Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases has, […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Physicians who prescribe no more than a three-week course of antibiotics will typically recommend watchful waiting rather than prescribing additional antibiotic treatment for patients suffering with persistent symptoms. However, two leading research groups have described the dangers in not taking action. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The study by Krause and colleagues, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, did not break down the time of day the patients exhibited sweats. [2] The authors noted, however, additional symptoms their patients suffered including fatigue (81%), headaches (77%), fevers (58%), chills (42%), myalgias (38%), anorexia […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Differing genotypes of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) that help explain strain virulence have been described by researchers. [8] Each genotype expresses a different Outer Surface Protein C (OspC) on the surface of the spirochete, each with differing virulence. [7] “We define three categories of major OspC groups: one that is […]

This expansion into new geographic territories includes regions in the South, often thought to be free of ticks carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Investigators, for instance, have identified blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) or western blacklegged ticks (Ixodes pacificus) ticks in 71 (28%) of the 254 counties in Texas. [1] Both of […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The cases were identified based on the physicians’ determination in the medical record, patients’ clinical findings, tick exposure, and other relevant details (e.g., laboratory results). The mean costs of early Lyme disease consisted of $801 for direct medical costs, $259 for indirect medical costs, $52 for non-medical costs, and […]

In an accidental discovery, Professor George Poinar, Jr., a palaeoentomologist and parasitologist, identified ticks preserved in a piece of amber estimated to be between 15 and 20 million years old. The scientist, from Oregon State University, had acquired the amber while visiting the Dominican Republic 25 years earlier. But just recently examined it with a […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Lantos and colleagues from Duke University Medical Center recently questioned the accuracy of the IgM immunoblot for Lyme disease (LD) in children and adolescents by reviewing a series of patients admitted to Boston Children’s Hospital during a 7-year period. The study, False Positive Lyme Disease IgM Immunoblots in Children, […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH In a study entitled “A Drug Combination Screen Identifies Drugs Active against Amoxicillin-Induced Round Bodies of In Vitro Borrelia burgdorferi Persisters from an FDA Drug Library,” Feng and colleagues hypothesize that when Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme bacterium, is confronted with certain stressors, such as starvation or exposure to antibiotics, […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The study focuses on the similarities and differences in male and female Lyme disease patients. However, the authors give little attention to the fact that both the male and female participants suffered from Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome a decade after treatment. A growing number of studies describe individuals sick […]