In their article, “Bartonella- and Borrelia-Related Disease Presenting as a Neurological Condition Revealing the Need for Better Diagnostics,” Ericson and colleagues describe the case of a 61-year-old female, who experienced a painful bite while hiking in Minnesota.¹ It was diagnosed as a spider bite because of the two large bite marks present and the painful […]

A 37-year-old pregnant woman was admitted to the hospital at 31 weeks gestation due to severe headaches and a fever that had been ongoing for 1 week. A few days prior to admission, she developed night sweats, chills, sweating, dyspnea and diarrhea. Her symptoms began while travelling in Washington. She reported hiking outdoors but did […]

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a rare red blood cell disorder that occurs when antibodies directed against a person’s own red blood cells cause them to burst, leading to insufficient concentration in the blood. The disorder has only rarely been associated with a Babesia infection. An elderly man, with an intact spleen, was admitted to […]

Rocky Mountain spotted fever was initially identified in the Rocky Mountain region. However, RMSF cases are now reported throughout the nation, with higher incidence in the southeastern and south-central regions. In their article, “Unconventional Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Presentation From Kentucky: A Compelling Case Report and Literature Review,” Hussain and colleagues describe the case of […]

1)  What does a Lyme flare up feel like? When a Lyme disease flare occurs, patients will notice a return of the symptoms they have experienced before or a worsening of existing symptoms. Some patients may also develop new symptoms. A flare-up can come and go and vary in intensity. What does a Lyme flare-up […]

In their article, “Medical Gaslighting and Lyme Disease: The Patient Experience,” Fagen and colleagues examine the extensive range of gaslighting techniques experienced by chronic Lyme disease patients.¹ And, explore the demographic variables (i.e., geographic location) that may be associated with higher rates of medical gaslighting. What is medical gaslighting? Gaslighting refers to a type of […]

In their article “Isolated Sudden Bilateral Neurosensory Hearing Loss as a Presentation of Lyme Neuroborreliosis: A Case Study,” Rochd et al. discuss the case of a 23-year-old woman who “presented with a 2-month history of temporal headache, tinnitus, and instability, which was followed by sudden bilateral hearing loss without any other associated symptoms.”¹ The woman […]

A 26-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with flu-like symptoms, syncope and exhibited third-degree atrioventricular heart block. He had experienced 3 episodes of syncope overnight and reported having a mild cough and congestion for several weeks prior to his admission. The man had a tick bite one month earlier while visiting his family in […]

In their article, “An analysis of companion animal tick encounters as revealed by photograph-based crowdsourced data,” Kopsco and colleagues found, “The percentage of reports of ticks found on companion animals is more than doubled in the fall and winter seasons from what was reported in the spring and summer seasons.”¹ Between January 1, 2014 and December […]

Since the species was first identified 7 years ago, there have been only 7 reported cases of Lyme disease caused by Borrelia mayonii. In Open Forum Infectious Diseases Correspondence, McGowan and colleagues describe the recent case of a Borrelia mayonii infection in a 51-year-old man from northern Minnesota. The case is featured in a Letter […]

The case involved a 46-year-old man with Lyme disease who presented to the clinic with cardiac complications, which initially manifest as palpitations. The patient lived in a Lyme endemic region and reported that one month earlier, he had a “pinching sensation in his right thigh with an associated macular erythematous rash,” according to the authors. […]

In their 2007 article, “Do Bartonella Infections Cause Agitation, Panic Disorder, and Treatment-Resistant Depression?” Schaller and colleagues describe 3 patients with acute psychiatric symptoms associated with Bartonella-like sign and symptoms.¹ Each of the patients was exposed to ticks or fleas and manifest symptoms consistent with Bartonella, i.e., an enlarged lymph node near an Ixodes tick bite and […]

Rocky Mountain spotted fever has primarily been reported in 5 states in the United States, according to the CDC. These include Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and North Carolina. However, RMSF has been documented in other states, as well. The disease can be transmitted by various ticks depending upon the region. In the eastern U.S., it’s […]

In their article “A Longitudinal Study of a Large Clinical Cohort of Patients with Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Co-Infections Treated with Combination Antibiotics” Xi and colleagues looked at 140 individuals who tested positive for tick-borne infections (TBI) with 33% of those patients infected with multiple TBIs.¹ The authors found that out of the 140 participants: […]

Over the last several years, there has been a three-fold increase in the number of anaplasmosis cases in the United States. The tick-borne illness can be transmitted through the bite of an infected blacklegged (deer) tick and causes flu-like symptoms, similar to those seen in Lyme disease. Anaplasmosis has only rarely been associated with cardiac […]