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.

Lyme disease remains a growing public health concern in the United States, says FAIR Health study

Lyme disease has experienced notable growth in the United States over the past 15 years and, as a result, has become an illness of increasing national concern. From 2007 to 2021, private insurance claim lines with Lyme disease diagnoses rose 357 percent in rural areas and 65 percent in urban areas. These and other findings on this tick-borne, bacterial illness were captured in an infographic just released by FAIR Health. The national, independent organization used its database of over 36 billion privately billed healthcare claims to conduct its 15-year analysis of Lyme disease; this analysis builds upon a previous FAIR Health infographic that studied 10 years of Lyme disease data.

2 Aug 2022

COVID-19 risks may be heightened by history of Lyme disease

Individuals with a history of Lyme disease, caused by tick bites are at a higher risk of severe COVID-19.

17 Jul 2022

How Pfizer won the pandemic, reaping outsize profit and influence

The grinding two-plus years of the pandemic have yielded outsize benefits for one company — Pfizer — making it both highly influential and hugely profitable as covid-19 continues to infect tens of thousands of people and kill hundreds each day.

5 Jul 2022

It’s hot outside — and that’s bad news for children’s health

Heat waves are getting hotter and becoming more frequent because of rising rates of air pollution, putting children's health at risk, a wide-ranging new report finds.

16 Jun 2022

Detection of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection by T-cell receptor sequencing

A new study describes a novel COVID-19 detection technique based on T-cell receptor sequencing.

24 Apr 2022

Researchers identify a potential new test for early diagnosis of Lyme disease

For scientists and clinicians alike, one of the Holy Grails for successfully treating and curing Lyme disease is developing tests that identify the disease sooner, show when people are cured of infection, and can diagnose reinfection.

15 Mar 2022

Can wearables transform the future of healthcare?

In partnership with SLAS 2022, we spoke to Professor Michael Snyder about his latest research that investigates wearables and their future within healthcare.

From Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) 14 Mar 2022

Climate change is sickening, literally!

A news study highlights the change in disease spread with climate change across the globe.

21 Feb 2022

The emergence of infectious diseases from the "germ’s eye view”

The study highlighted that the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that human societies remain ill-prepared and susceptible to novel infectious diseases.

16 Feb 2022

Experts highlight the neurological effects of SARS-CoV-2 and the need for rigorous research

SARS-CoV-2 was initially identified as a respiratory virus, but it can affect the entire body, including the nervous system.

20 Jan 2022

Strains - not species - of gut bacteria may provide better insights into the microbiome

Every day, the billions of bacteria that inhabit your digestive system change; the food you eat, medications you take, and germs you're exposed to make some bacteria flourish more than others.

24 Dec 2021

Virginia Tech researchers discover potential target for diagnosing and treating Lyme disease

You don't have to go far to find ticks. Just step outside and look for some grass. Look to the top of the shiny, green blade – usually ankle high. A tick might be there, waiting.

30 Nov 2021

Tapping into the wealth of citizen science data to provide better estimate for tick numbers

Apps and websites like eBird and iNaturalist encourage members of the public to report their observations on everything from songbird migration patterns to the presence of new planets.

24 Nov 2021

Novel Lyme disease vaccine may also combat other tick-borne diseases

Yale University researchers have developed a novel vaccine that in guinea pigs offers protection against infection by the bacterium that causes Lyme disease and may also combat other tick-borne diseases, they report Nov. 17 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

22 Nov 2021

HORIBA to showcase novel POCKIT Central PCR analyser at BEVA and Vets North

HORIBA UK Limited will be showcasing its new benchtop POCKIT™ Central* in-house veterinary PCR analyser on Stand C3 at the BEVA Congress.

From HORIBA Medical 17 Aug 2021

Lyme disease linked to increased risk of mental disorders, suicidality

In a new study, U.S. and Danish researchers report that patients who received a hospital diagnosis of Lyme disease—inpatient, outpatient, or at the ER—had a 28 percent higher rate of mental disorders and were twice as likely to have attempted suicide post-infection, compared to individuals without the diagnosis.

17 Aug 2021

Study demonstrates the potency of herbal medicines against Bartonella henselae

Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a leading sponsor of Lyme disease research in the U.S., today announced the publication of new data showing that herbal medicines have potent activity in test tubes compared to pharmaceuticals commonly-prescribed for the treatment of Bartonella henselae, a bacterium believed to be carried by ticks and the cause of cat scratch fever.

5 Aug 2021

Climate change likely to exacerbate human-wildlife conflict

With wildfires spreading across the parched Western U.S., severe floods in Europe and in the coming decade a potential surge in coastal flooding, 2021 could be a pivotal year in how governments, societies and families view the threat of climate change.

29 Jul 2021

Could the European hedgehog be a sentinel for infectious agents and a harbinger of environmental pollution?

A recent review paper by Portuguese and Spanish authors, recently published in the journal Biologics, revealed the current state of knowledge regarding hedgehog health – most notably the presence of infectious agents, diseases and other threats that can affect the health of the population.

21 Jun 2021

Are women more likely to develop long COVID?

Researchers found different groups of symptoms persisting after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with fatigue and higher IL-6 levels common in women. About 75% of the patients they treated were women, indicating a link between sex hormones and immune response.

8 Jun 2021