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New hope? A selective antibiotic for Lyme disease

October 2021 Summary Lyme disease is on the rise. Caused by a spirochete Borreliella burgdorferi, it affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States alone. The antibiotics currently used to treat Lyme disease are broad spectrum, damage the microbiome, and select for resistance in non-target bacteria. We therefore sought to identify a compound acting selectively…

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Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia odocoilei, Babesia sp., Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato, and Hepatozoon canis in Ixodes scapularis Ticks Collected in Eastern Canada

Abstract Tick-borne pathogens cause infectious diseases that inflict much societal and financial hardship worldwide. Blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, are primary vectors of several epizootic and zoonotic pathogens. The aim sets forth the pathogens and their prevalence. In Ontario and Quebec, 113 I. scapularis ticks were collected from songbirds, mammals, including humans, and by flagging. PCR and DNA sequencing…

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Raising Awareness for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Outdoor enthusiasts are among the highest risk group for contracting tick borne diseases. Here is an information pamphlet to provide some information all should have. Access pamphlet  

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New podcast: Exploring the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society with Dr. Amy Offutt

Join Sarah in today’s podcast as she explores everything ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) with Dr. Amy Offutt. Dr. Offutt is the medical director and co-owner of Heart & Soul Integrative Medicine in Marble Falls, Texas, and is also an ILADS board member. Listen to podcast

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New Podcast: Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor on the beauty and resilience of the brain – Lyme disease from a cellular perspective

Welcome back to the Looking at Lyme Podcast… here we are in Season 3! In this episode, Sarah explores how the brain functions with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. Dr. Jill was working as a neuroanatomist, teaching and conducting research at the Harvard School of Medicine when she experienced a severe hemorrhagic stroke. After recovering from…

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Open AccessArticle Tick-Borne Surveillance Patterns in Perceived Non-Endemic Geographic Areas: Human Tick Encounters and Disease Outcomes

Quote from Discussion section of paper: “Given that LD is often labeled a “contested illness,” TTS respondents who may be perceived as “faking it” could easily report any random county if their tick bites were indeed a false entry in the TTS survey. In other words, it would be highly unlikely that the totality of…

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The peptidoglycan-associated protein NapA plays an important role in the envelope integrity and in the pathogenesis of the lyme disease spirochete

Abstract The bacterial pathogen responsible for causing Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, is an atypical Gram-negative spirochete that is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected Ixodes tick. In diderms, peptidoglycan (PG) is sandwiched between the inner and outer membrane of the cell envelope. In many other Gram-negative bacteria, PG is bound by protein(s),…

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A novel Borrelia species, intermediate between Lyme disease and relapsing fever groups, in neotropical passerine-associated ticks

Abstract Lyme disease (LD) and relapsing fevers (RF) are vector-borne diseases caused by bacteria of the Borrelia genus. Here, we report on the widespread infection by a non-described Borrelia species in passerine-associated ticks in tropical rainforests of French Guiana, South America. This novel Borrelia species is common in two tick species, Amblyomma longirostre and A….

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Lyme Disease Heightens Risk of Mental Disorders, Suicidality, Study Finds

[CanLyme Note: In Canada the situation is amplified by the complete denial of diagnosis, the over confidence in knowingly poor tests, and the very intentional misinformation campaign waged by members of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada. The individual with chronic Lyme disease is denied access…

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Harvard study identifies symptom clusters in Lyme patients with persistent symptoms

A retrospective study of 270 post-treatment Lyme patients identified the most debilitating neurological symptoms, paving the way for future studies on root causes of disease and better treatments. The largest study to-date characterizing ongoing symptoms [1] of Lyme patients after antibiotic treatment has been published by a group of investigators at Harvard-affiliated hospitals and Invisible International, a non-profit organization….

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Evidence-Based, Patient-Centered Treatment of Erythema Migrans in the United States

Abstract Lyme disease, often characterized as a readily treatable infection, can be a debilitating and expensive illness, especially when patients remain symptomatic following therapy for early disease. Identifying and promoting highly effective therapeutic interventions for US patients with erythema migrans (EM) rashes that return them to their pre-infection health status should be a priority. The…

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Antibiotic Susceptibility of Bartonella Grown in Different Culture Conditions

Abstract Bartonellosis is caused by a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium with a zoonotic transmission. The disease, caused by any of several genospecies of Bartonella can range from a benign, self-limited condition to a highly morbid and life-threatening illness. The current standard of care antibiotics are generally effective in acute infection; these include azithromycin or erythromycin, doxycycline, gentamicin, rifampin,…

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Interagency Cooperation Drives Discovery of Lyme Disease Spirochete in Exotic Tick

“Since inception, the primary goal of the tick program has been to collect and test blacklegged ticks because of the public health risk they pose. However, over time and through targeted collections throughout the Commonwealth, established populations of additional tick species have been discovered. One of those species is the newly invasive Asian longhorned tick…

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New book: “It’s Not Just Ticks It’s Not Just Lyme” by Dr. Ben Boucher

Press Release: Charles Benjamin Boucher, MD is pleased to announce the Amazon publication (e-book and paperback) of his book “It’s Not Just Ticks It’s Not Just Lyme”: pertinent insights into the origin, recognition and treatment of Lyme and related Infections. Dr. Ben Boucher is a retired family physician. He practiced medicine in rural Nova Scotia…

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Detection of Babesia odocoilei in Humans with Babesiosis Symptoms

Abstract Human babesiosis is a life-threatening infectious disease that causes societal and economic impact worldwide. Several species of Babesia cause babesiosis in terrestrial vertebrates, including humans. A one-day clinic was held in Ontario, Canada, to see if a red blood cell parasite, which is present in blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, is present in humans. Based on PCR testing…