New in vitro study on dapsone (diaminodiphenyl sulfone), and dapsone combination therapy (DDS CT) was just published by Dr. Richard Horowitz et al. and provides hope of effective treatment for patients with persistent Lyme disease. The study is suggestive that dapsone combination therapy may well characterize both a novel and successful option to treat Borrelia […]
In a recent Rutgers University-led study, researchers identified Carios kelleyi, a “soft” tick species associated with bats, for the first time in New Jersey. This parasite, of almost exclusively bats, is thought widespread in the US (as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Cuba), with known occurrences in 29 of the 48 […]
In a recent study conducted in central Pennsylvania, evidence of emerging pathogens, some also common to ticks, have been found in fleas. Various pathogens can be spread by ectoparasites among animal host populations in nature. Along with ticks, fleas are found to commonly infest small mammals. The role of pathogen transmission cycles for these vectors is unknown. Only the white footed mouse tested positive for the blood‐borne pathogens examined, with 47 (18.1%) positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and ten (4.8%) positive for Babesia microti. Other pathogens included Bartonella vinsonii, B. microti, and a Rickettsia felis‐like bacterium.
These pictures of the Haemaphysalis longicornis (Asian longhorned) were taken recently by LDA’s Scientific & Professional Advisory Board member James L. Occi, Rutgers, in Bergen County NJ. The invasive tick was first discovered on a NJ farm on a sheep in 2017. The tick probably came from Asia, where it is able to transmit diseases […]
Fair Health, is “an independent non-profit that collects data for and manages the nation’s largest database of privately billed health insurance claims,” including Medicare Parts A & B. In December 2019, it published a white paper “Trends and Patterns in Lyme Disease, An Analysis of Private Claims Data. The Paper analyzed 30 billion privately billed […]
The picture in New Jersey of spotted fever group rickettsiosis (SFGR), which includes Rocky Mountain Spotted fever (RMSF), is complex. In this latest study from the Am. Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (James Occi, Rutgers University, et al, ), the researchers tested American dog ticks and lone star ticks in NJ to determine which […]
Elizabeth L. Maloney, MD, President of the Partnership for Tick-Borne Diseases Education and Family Medicine Physician in Wyoming, MN published a paper titled “Reducing the Burden of Lyme Disease” in Minnesota Family Physician. It includes discussion of tick bite management, early treatment, and shared decision-making.
John Aucott, Director, Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center and Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, published a piece in The Conversation providing his insight on the highly controversial topic of chronic Lyme disease.
Daniel Cameron, MD, reported in his Lyme Science blog on a study that uncovers new information about deer tick questing. The study, from the SUNY Broome Community College’s Tracy R. Curtis, et al., was published in Medical and Veterinary Entomology and looked at how adult blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) move on public trails with “increasing levels of terrain complexity with a potential host nearby.”
Elizabeth Maloney, MD, explains current Lyme disease testing issues, including the ELISA and Western Blot, sensitivity and specificity of the testing, and the problems associated with the two-tier testing recommended by the CDC. It begins with the general characteristics of diagnostic testing The Summary states: “Serologic testing for Lyme is inaccurate. While the inadequate sensitivity […]