Scientists discover unnamed disease carried by deer ticks

Commentary: Borrelia miyamotoi, a relapsing fever spirochete, has been discovered in the spinal fluid of an 80 year old New Jersey woman who was ill. This is the third “official” case of B. miyamotoi reported in the US. Researchers in this article estimate that 12 to 18 percent of coastal New Englanders have been infected with the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, and between 1 and 3 percent of people have likely been infected with its lesser-known cousin, B. miyamotoi. We do not have widely available commercial methods to diagnose this relapsing fever spirochete. Dr Sam Telford is quoted in the article as saying “This latest research suggests that those who have symptoms of Lyme disease, but whose blood doesn’t test positive for Lyme, may actually be infected with B. miyamotoi”. I agree with Dr Telford. This infection could explain the negative blood tests seen among those with a Lyme-like illness who respond to antibiotics, apart from the poor sensitivity of the two tiered testing presently being used to diagnose Lyme disease. Further research is required to determine if B. miyamotoi can cause the same borrelia specific bands on a Western blot that we see with Lyme disease.

Scientists discover unnamed disease carried by deer ticks, by Thomas Leskin, Republicanherald.com