Yale researchers identify extent of new tick-borne infection

Commentary: New research from Yale confirms that Borrelia miyamotoi, the relapsing fever spirochete, has spread throughout New England. Four percent of the patients tested had evidence of this Lyme-like organism. B. miyamotoi does not test positive by standard blood tests for Borrelia burgdorferi and could explain negative testing for patients with clinical symptoms suggestive of Lyme disease who respond to antibiotics. Ten percent of the patients in the study from the New England area also tested positive for Lyme disease, which is significantly higher than the 0,3% rate of infection discussed in the Hook study by the CDC several years ago.

Lyme disease and B. miyamotoi are rapidly spreading, as are associated tick-borne co-infections such as Babesia microti, Babesia WA-1/duncani, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Bartonellosis and rickettsial infections. These infections are responsible for persistent symptoms in my patients with Lyme-MSIDS, and can be fatal in immunocompromised individuals. B. miyamotoi can also be responsible for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and hemmorhage, inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) with arrythymias, a meningoencephalitis, as well as fetal morbidity and mortality. Patients with PTLD who have not improved with standard therapies, immunocompromised patients as well as pregnant women need to be screened for these associated tick-borne infections.

Yale researchers identify extent of new tick-borne infection, by Yale University, ECN Magazine