Tick-borne Co-infections: Presentation, Diagnosis and Treatment

The talk discussed the clinical presentation of Lyme Disease and associated co-infections, as well as the various diagnostic and therapeutic options available. Extensive scientific references on the diagnosis and treatment of different tick borne infections was discussed, including bacterial infections such as Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Rocky Mountain Fever (RMSF), Typhus, Tularemia, Q-Fever, Brucellosis, Tick paralysis, and other new borrelia species, such as B. miyamotoi. There was discussion on tick-borne parasitic diseases such as Babesiosis and other piroplasms, and the expanding number of new viral infections being found in ticks, including the Heartland virus, Powassan encephalitis and other viral encephalopathies. Classical medical treatments was discussed for each infection, including side effects, drug interactions, and laboratory follow-up. This session also illustrated how different co-infections may contribute to chronic symptomatology in patients previously treated for Lyme disease.