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.

Cary Institute gets $5 million grant to support study on Lyme disease reduction

The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation has awarded a $5 million dollar leadership grant to the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies to support a scientific study, being done in partnership with Bard College, that seeks to reduce Lyme disease in neighborhoods.

13 Apr 2016

Vanderbilt's A.S.A.P sees increase in number of patients treated for alpha-gal syndrome

Vanderbilt's Asthma, Sinus and Allergy Program (A.S.A.P) has seen an increase in the number of patients being treated for alpha-gal syndrome, commonly known as the red meat allergy linked to tick bites.

7 Apr 2016

Researchers explore four potential treatments for Lyme disease

The ticks that transmit Lyme disease have multiplied aggressively over the past 20 years, and now thrive in half of all counties in the U.S., according to a recent study in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

30 Mar 2016

Global Health Frontiers' four-part newsmagazine series premieres on public television’s WORLD Channel

The acclaimed public television documentary series Global Health Frontiers expands to a weekly newsmagazine with four one-hour episodes combining compelling journalism from the leading edges of global health developments with a fast-paced and energetic style.

23 Mar 2016

New experimental method could help detect Lyme disease at the earliest time of infection

When it comes to early diagnosis of Lyme disease, the insidious tick-borne illness that afflicts about 300,000 Americans annually, finding the proverbial needle in the haystack might be a far easier challenge--until now, perhaps. An experimental method developed by federal and university researchers appears capable of detecting the stealthy culprit Lyme bacteria at the earliest time of infection, when currently available tests are often still negative.

15 Feb 2016

Distinctive gene 'signature' may lead to new way to diagnose Lyme disease

Researchers at UC San Francisco and Johns Hopkins may have found a new way to diagnose Lyme disease, based on a distinctive gene "signature" they discovered in white blood cells of patients infected with the tick-borne bacteria.

12 Feb 2016

Tick genome study sheds light on occurrences of Lyme disease

After a decade-long research effort the genome of the deer tick has been sequenced by an international team of scientists, including researchers from the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics.

12 Feb 2016

Researchers sequence genetic blueprint of Lyme-disease-spreading tick

Researchers have sequenced the genetic blueprint of one of the most prolific pathogen-transmitting agents on the planet - the Lyme-disease-spreading tick (Ixodes scapularis) that bites humans. The findings could lead to advances in not only disrupting the tick's capacity to spread diseases but also in eradicating the pest.

10 Feb 2016

Mayo Clinic researchers discover new bacterial species that triggers Lyme disease in people

Mayo Clinic researchers, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health officials from Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin, have discovered a new bacterial species that causes Lyme disease in people. The new species has been provisionally named Borrelia mayonii. Prior to this finding, the only species believed to cause Lyme disease in North America was Borrelia burgdorferi.

9 Feb 2016

NJHF awards 30 grants for NJ researchers working on health-related research

New Jersey Health Foundation has awarded 30 grants totaling more than $1 million for researchers in New Jersey who are working on health-related research that demonstrates exciting potential.

4 Feb 2016

Infections with Lone star ticks appear to be surging but deaths are not, new study reveals

A mild disease spread by the aggressive Lone star tick that is now colonizing large swaths of the United States is being mistaken for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, according to a new study from scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

28 Oct 2015

People who visit South London parks at risk of coming into contact with ticks linked to Lyme disease

Visitors to 2 popular parks in South London are at risk of coming into contact with ticks that can transmit Lyme disease to humans, according to a new study in Medical and Veterinary Entomology.

24 Sep 2015

Tips for preventing ticks, Lyme disease

When a mosquito decides to dine on your blood, you typically know it - there's pain, itch, and annoyance. Ticks, on the other hand, take a stealthier approach, burrowing into hard-to-spot areas and hanging around for hours or days at a time.

14 Aug 2015

ESA supports implementation of national strategy to control tick-borne diseases

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) recently released a statement supporting the creation and implementation of a national strategy using Integrated Tick Management to better control tick populations and reduce the rapidly escalating impact of tick-borne diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, and Lyme disease.

11 Aug 2015

Discovery could put individuals with relapsing UTIs on fast track for new therapeutic regimen

It's one thing to grow bacteria in a test tube, perform a screen in the lab, and find a mutation in the pathogen's genes. It's a whole other thing, and much rarer, to find the exact same mutation in nature--in this case, in E. coli in urine samples from some 500 patients suffering from relapsing urinary tract infections.

30 Jul 2015

TGen, NAU to jointly develop quick, affordable and accurate test to diagnose Lyme disease

Focus On Lyme, an initiative sponsored by the Leadership Children's Foundation of Gilbert, Ariz., has donated $75,000 to the Translational Genomics Research Institute to support research into the development of a quick, affordable and accurate method of diagnosing Lyme disease.

21 Jul 2015

Penn biologists reveal recent migratory history of blacklegged ticks in Northeastern United States

Lyme disease cases are on the rise, with diagnoses occurring in areas that were historically Lyme-free. Scientists attribute the spread to the fact that populations of blacklegged ticks, which carry the bacteria that causes the disease, now flourish in areas once thought to be devoid of ticks.

7 Jul 2015

DGIST researchers set on creating microrobot-assisted procedure for dealing with blocked arteries

Swarms of microscopic, magnetic, robotic beads could be scrubbing in next to the world's top vascular surgeons--all taking aim at blocked arteries.

2 Jul 2015

Bay Area Lyme Foundation announces winners of 2015 Emerging Leader Award

Bay Area Lyme Foundation, the leading national nonprofit funder of innovative Lyme disease research, today announced that the winners of its 2015 Emerging Leader Award, are collaborators Nira Pollock, MD, PhD, and John Branda, MD.

10 Jun 2015

Northeastern University researchers report two approaches to eradicate Lyme disease

Northeastern University researchers have found that the bacterium that causes Lyme disease forms dormant persister cells, which are known to evade antibiotics. This significant finding, they said, could help explain why it's so difficult to treat the infection in some patients.

2 Jun 2015