Lyme Disease News and Research

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Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful in the later stages of disease. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. Steps to prevent Lyme disease include using insect repellent, removing ticks promptly, landscaping, and integrated pest management. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease can occasionally transmit other tick-borne diseases as well.

Few tips to remove a tick and prevent future bites

As tick populations grow and spread across the country, their prevalence is increasing the public's risk for some troubling diseases. Of these diseases, say dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus and alpha-gal syndrome- a mysterious red meat allergy- are among the most serious.

19 Sep 2017

Study of ticks and tick-borne diseases receive global boost

A unique scientific resource for the study of ticks and tick-borne diseases has moved to the University of Liverpool with exciting plans for international expansion.

24 Aug 2017

New biomarkers for early Lyme Disease identified

A team of researchers led by Colorado State University has developed a test to facilitate early diagnosis of Lyme Disease, which it is hoped will improved treatment outcomes. Until now, it was difficult to distinguish Lyme disease from similar, less severe tick-borne conditions.

18 Aug 2017

When wounds won’t heal, therapies spread — to the tune of $5 billion

Carol Emanuele beat cancer. But for the past two years, she has been fighting her toughest battle yet. She has an open wound on the bottom of her foot that leaves her unable to walk and prone to deadly infection.

3 Aug 2017

Study shows how climate change affects Europe's most dangerous pathogens

The impact of climate change on the emergence and spread of infectious diseases could be greater than previously thought, according to new research by the University of Liverpool.

2 Aug 2017

New research helps unravel ecological interplay of African bat, novel virus and a parasite

If there is anything scientists are certain of when it comes to bats and their supposed role in causing human disease, it is that they still have a lot to learn.

13 Jul 2017

Infectious disease experts examine how quickly Lyme disease symptoms resolve in children

For many Americans, the warmer weather of summer means more time spent outside: More gardening and yard work, more hikes in the woods, more backyard barbecues. But for this year in particular, some experts predict warmer weather will lead to more ticks.

23 Jun 2017

ISU entomologist urges summertime precautions against mosquitoes and ticks

Ryan Smith, an assistant professor of entomology at Iowa State University is encouraging Iowans to take precautions this summer when spending time outdoors in areas commonly populated by mosquitoes and ticks, which can transmit West Nile virus and other diseases that can have serious or potentially fatal outcomes.

22 Jun 2017

Preventative measures can help minimize rising threat of tick-borne illnesses

Healthcare providers and researchers agree: this will be a bad year for ticks and we need use preventative measures to minimize the threat of tick-borne illnesses.

27 May 2017

Study identifies conservation management activities that could affect Lyme disease risk

Lyme disease – an infection contracted from the bite of an infected tick– is an important emerging disease in the UK, and is increasing in incidence in people in the UK and large parts of Europe and North America.

10 May 2017

UC Santa Cruz researcher identifies major gaps that must be filled in to control Lyme disease

Scientists have built a large body of knowledge about Lyme disease over the past 40 years, yet controversies remain and the number of cases continues to rise.

25 Apr 2017

New test identifies increased prevalence of tick-borne pathogen in Suffolk County

Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health report elevated levels of a pathogen responsible for the tick-borne disease babesiosis in Suffolk County, New York, where rates are the highest in the state. Results are published in the journal mSphere.

20 Apr 2017

Wearable biosensors can track physiological changes linked to illness

Your watch might be able to tell you it's time to call in sick. Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health have revealed the ability of wearable biosensors, similar to the Apple Watch or Fitbit, to detect physiological changes that may indicate illness, even before symptoms appear.

10 Mar 2017

Researchers decode how ingenious tick immune system fights myriad of microbes

Everyone agrees that ticks are exceedingly nasty creatures. For hundreds of millions of years, they have survived on Earth by sucking blood from their victims for days, often leaving behind terrible diseases as a thank-you note.

14 Feb 2017

UTSA professor awarded grant to support research on preventing spread of Lyme disease

Janakiram Seshu, associate professor of biology and associate dean of The Graduate School at The University of Texas at San Antonio, has received a $404,250 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to support his research to better understand and prevent the spread of Lyme disease.

2 Feb 2017

UCF researcher combines new and old science to create method for speedy medical tests

A UCF researcher has combined cutting-edge nanoscience with a magnetic phenomenon discovered more than 170 years ago to create a method for speedy medical tests.

20 Jan 2017

Yale researchers discover how tick-borne bacteria cause infection

Before infecting humans, tick-borne bacteria or viruses first have to get past a tick's defenses to colonize it.

17 Jan 2017

Could pathogen infection really lead to Alzheimer’s?

New concepts of infectious disease are evolving with the realization that pathogens are key players in the development of progressive chronic diseases that originally were not thought to be infectious. Infection is well-known to be associated with numerous neurological diseases for which...

12 Jan 2017

Ecologists reveal reasons for regional differences in Lyme disease prevalence

The ticks that transmit Lyme disease to people die of dehydration when exposed to a combination of high temperature and lowered humidity, a new USGS-led study has found.