Children are more than twice as likely to lose their detectable antibodies to Lyme disease bacteria

ByCanLyme Team

Background Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), is the most common tick-borne infection in Germany. Antibodies against Bb are prevalent in the general population but information on temporal changes of prevalence and estimates of seroconversion (seroincidence) and seroreversion are lacking, especially for children and adolescents. Aim We aimed at assessing antibodies against Bb and factors associated with seropositivity…

Female ticks (Ixodes scapularis) infected with Borrelia burgdorferi have increased overwintering survival, with implications for tick population growth

ByCanLyme Team

Abstract The tick, Ixodes scapularis, vectors pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Over the last few decades I. scapularis has expanded its range, introducing a novel health threat into these areas. Warming temperatures appear to be one cause of its range expansion to the north. However, other factors are also involved. We show that…

Complete Remission in Paralytic Late Tick-Borne Neurological Disease Comprising Mixed Involvement of Borrelia, Babesia, Anaplasma, and Bartonella: Use of Long-Term Treatments with Antibiotics and Antiparasitics in a Series of 10 Cases

ByCanLyme Team

Abstract This study aimed to demonstrate that severe neurological motor deficits in the context of late tick-borne disease with mixed microorganism involvement are eligible for long-term combined antibiotic/antiparasitic treatments. The inclusion criteria were: 1. neurological limb paralysis with a disability score >4 according to the EDSS Kurtzke disability scale; 2. serological tests pointing to an…

Complete Remission in Paralytic Late Tick-Borne Neurological Disease Comprising Mixed Involvement of Borrelia, Babesia, Anaplasma, and Bartonella: Use of Long-Term Treatments with Antibiotics and Antiparasitics in a Series of 10 Cases

ByCanLyme Team

Abstract This study aimed to demonstrate that severe neurological motor deficits in the context of late tick-borne disease with mixed microorganism involvement are eligible for long-term combined antibiotic/antiparasitic treatments. The inclusion criteria were: 1. neurological limb paralysis with a disability score >4 according to the EDSS Kurtzke disability scale; 2. serological tests pointing to an…

Lyme borreliosis in pregnancy and associations with parent and offspring health outcomes: An international cross-sectional survey

ByCanLyme Team

Published November 2022 Background: Lyme disease (LD) is a complex tick-borne pathology caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato bacteria. Currently, there are limited data regarding the health outcomes of people infected during pregnancy, the potential for perinatal transmission to their fetus, and the long-term effects on these children. Therefore, the primary objective of this survey study was to…

Long Lyme, long Covid pushes physicians outside of their comfort zone

ByCanLyme Team

An article by Usha Lee McFarling October 10, 2022 “A doctor’s humbling journey treating long Covid: ‘The second we think we know what we are doing, we fall flat on our face’” “Unfortunately way too many people with this are not being believed about their illness. And this has happened before, with long Lyme, and…

The Impact of Telemedicine in the Diagnosis of Erythema Migrans during the COVID Pandemic: A Comparison with In-Person Diagnosis in the Pre-COVID Era

ByCanLyme Team

Abstract Background: Erythema migrans (EM) is the hallmark manifestation of the Lyme borreliosis (LB), and therefore its presence and recognition are sufficient to make a diagnosis and to start proper antibiotic treatment to attempt to eradicate the infection. Methods: In this study we compared the clinical data of 439 patients who presented an EM either…

Anaplasmosis: An emerging tick-borne disease of importance in Canada

ByCanLyme Team

Abstract Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (HGA) is an infection caused by the intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. As a tick-borne disease, the public health impact of HGA continues to increase with range expansion of the disease vector. The clinical presentation of HGA is often a non-specific febrile illness. The presence of leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and mild hepatic injury are frequently noted…

Nitroxoline Drug Combinations Are More Active Than Lyme Antibiotic Combination and Can Eradicate Stationary Phase Borrelia burgdorferi

ByCanLyme Team

Abstract Lyme disease (LD), caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne disease in USA and Europe. Despite the standard 2-4 weeks antibiotic treatment, approximately 10%-20% of patients will develop post-treatment LD syndrome, a condition that is poorly understood. One of the probable causes is thought to be the presence of B. burgdorferi persister forms that are not…

Nitroxoline Drug Combinations Are More Active Than Lyme Antibiotic Combination and Can Eradicate Stationary Phase Borrelia burgdorferi

ByCanLyme Team

July 26, 2022 Abstract Lyme disease (LD), caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne disease in USA and Europe. Despite the standard 2-4 weeks antibiotic treatment, approximately 10%-20% of patients will develop post-treatment LD syndrome, a condition that is poorly understood. One of the probable causes is thought to be the presence of B. burgdorferi persister forms…

Diagnosing young children with Lyme disease, advice from a pediatrician

ByCanLyme Team

“Lyme disease affects children more than any other age group, but the young ones are often difficult to diagnose, especially before they’ve developed the vocabulary to describe how they’re feeling. To help parents recognize symptoms and prevent serious illness, I chatted with Charlotte Mao, MD, a pediatric infectious disease physician who trained at Harvard Medical School…

A review of ticks in Canada and health risks from exposure

ByCanLyme Team

Tick species are undergoing range expansions across Canada due to global warming, animal migration, and land fragmentation. It is estimated that their range is expanding northwards by 35–55km per year. Species posing the greatest risk to humans are the Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged tick) and the Ixodes pacificus (Western blacklegged tick). The risk of human tick-borne infections is increasing. Populations…

Spiroplasma ixodetis Infections in Immunocompetent and Immunosuppressed Patients after Tick Exposure, Sweden

ByCanLyme Team

“Spiroplasma spp. are intracellular organisms that belong to the class Mollicutes, which include Mycoplasma spp. These bacteria have a single-layer cell membrane, cannot be visualized by Gram staining, require special substrates for growth, and can be diagnosed by genetic methods (6). Plants, insects, and ticks are known reservoirs (7). S. ixodetis was initially reported in…