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Category: Lyme Disease

Published on Leave a comment on Waiting For A Lyme Disease Vaccine
Deer tick Credit: Wikipedia

Will we soon have vaccines to protect us from Lyme disease? It turns out that there are two possible vaccines being tested right now, including one based on mRNA technologies (same as the Covid vaccines).

The mRNA vaccine has has been successfully tested in mice so far, and yes - it protected the mice from being infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi which causes Lyme disease. The second one is an intranasal protein vaccine (an established vaccine type) and is currently being tested on humans. But both vaccines are a while off yet.

Meanwhile, we're all waiting, waiting, waiting for a Lyme disease vaccine.

Excerpts from The Scientist - Newly Developed mRNA Vaccine Protects Against Lyme Disease

After walking through a forest or field of tall grass, public health agencies in many countries advise people to check their clothes, pets, and bodies for unwanted hitchhikers—ticks. These arthropods feed on the blood of mammals, such as mice, deer, livestock, and humans, as well as lizards and birds.1 Additionally, Ixodes ticks act as vectors, where they transfer disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or protozoa to their host during feeding. ...continue reading "Waiting For A Lyme Disease Vaccine"

Published on Leave a comment on Combination Antibiotic Therapy May Help With Persistent Lyme Disease
Deer tick Credit: Wikipedia

Finally, some good news in the treatment of Lyme disease. A recent study found that treating with 2 or 3 antibiotics at once is more effective in clearing Lyme disease bacteria than just treating with a course of one antibiotic (which is what is done now). In other words, a combination therapy is superior.

A single course of antibiotics treats most Lyme disease infections, but not in about 10 to 20% of patients. Studies find that this is because the Lyme disease bacteria hide in the organs (the sneaky devils!). The Lyme disease bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) is transmitted by tick bites.

The study was done in mice with persistent Lyme disease, but the results also (probably) apply to humans with persistent Lyme disease infections. None of the single antibiotics completely eradicated the bacteria, but the following 4 dual combinations were effective: doxycycline + ceftriaxone, dapsone + rifampicin, dapsone + clofazimine, doxycycline + cefotaxime. Also effective were 3 triple antibiotic combinations: doxycycline + ceftriaxone+ carbomycin, doxycycline + cefotaxime+ loratadine, dapsone+ rifampicin+ clofazimine. The drugs were given for 28 days two months after infection.

Next step is testing this in humans with persistent Lyme disease.

From Medical Xpress: Combined antibiotics more effective against Lyme disease: Study

Researchers at Tulane University have found that a combination of antibiotics is more effective in treating Lyme disease than the commonly prescribed course of one single antibiotic. This finding, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, could pave the way for improved Lyme disease treatments, particularly in persistent cases that have not responded to standard antibiotic treatment. ...continue reading "Combination Antibiotic Therapy May Help With Persistent Lyme Disease"

Published on Leave a comment on Reducing Tick Numbers Is Tough

The long awaited results are finally in from the Tick Project, which tested two different environmentally safe tick treatments in suburban yards to see if they reduced deer tick numbers and the incidence of tick-borne diseases in people and pets. Unfortunately, the results of this multi-year project (2017 to 2020) are not as good as hoped.

What they did: The Tick Project was a four year study in 24 New York neighborhoods with a high incidence of Lyme disease. They tested 2 products - either together or separately, as well as having yards that were not treated (the placebo group).

One treatment was spraying Met52 on low vegetation. This spray is made up of water and the fungi Metarhizium brunneum (formerly Metarhizium anisopliae), which is naturally found in forest soils and is non-toxic to humans and pets. Studies had shown that ticks die within 3 to 7 days after being exposed to Met52.

Tick Control System (TCS) Credit: The Tick Project

Tick bait boxes placed on properties was the second treatment tested. The Tick Control system or TCS is a small bait box that attracts rodents. When an animal enters the box, it receives a small dose of fipronil, the active ingredient in many tick treatments used on dogs and cats. Fipronil kills ticks on animals like chipmunks and mice, which are largely responsible for infecting ticks with the Lyme bacterium.

Results: The researchers found that the numbers of ticks decreased by about half on the properties with the TCS bait boxes, but found no reduction in tick numbers from the Met52 fungal spray. Unfortunately, there were just as many cases of tick borne diseases in the humans living on properties treated with either treatment (when compared to no treatment).

Even though human encounters with ticks was about 20% lower in neighborhoods treated with both treatments, the difference was not statistically significant. But you can say it was trending that way.

However, the incidence of tick-borne disease in pets went down significantly, lower by about half - on properties treated with either treatment or both treatments. ...continue reading "Reducing Tick Numbers Is Tough"

Published on Leave a comment on Lyme Disease Is Common Throughout Parts of the World
Deer tick Credit: Wikipedia

Summer is here, people are spending outdoors, and so there is concern about ticks and the diseases that they carry. New research (an analysis of existing data and studies) determined that more than 14% of the world's population now has or had Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis)! They can tell from antibodies in the blood. Yikes!

Here in the United States people tend to think of Lyme disease as an increasingly common disease spreading from the northeast US to other parts of the country. But in reality the incidence of the tick-borne disease is highest in central and western Europe, as well as eastern Asia. In fact, Lyme disease or Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) infection is the most frequent tick transmitted disease world wide.

The researchers found that some factors associated with higher incidence of Lyme disease is being male, 50 years and older, living in a rural area, and having had tick bites. In the northeast US infected deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are responsible for most cases of Lyme disease. [Other Lyme disease and tick articles, including treatments and controls.]

From Medical Xpress: More than 14% of world's population likely has (had) tick-borne Lyme disease

More than 14% of the world's population probably has, or has had, tick-borne Lyme disease, as indicated by the presence of antibodies in the blood, reveals a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.  ...continue reading "Lyme Disease Is Common Throughout Parts of the World"

Published on Leave a comment on New Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Dashboard
Deer tick Credit:Wikipedia

Lyme disease and other tick borne diseases are on the rise in the United States. Not only are the number of cases rising year after year, but where the diseases are occurring is spreading (geographic spread). Thus the establishment of a Lyme and tick-borne disease dashboard by a team of researchers at John Hopkins is welcome news.

The site has a map where people can finally see what the risks are in their area (at the state and county level) and take precautions as needed. The site (which gets updated) also has lots of information and links. Note that diseases are spread by different types of ticks, and that the number of diseases spread by ticks has been increasing.

To give you a sense of how serious tick borne diseases are, the site states: "Using health insurance claims data, CDC has estimated that around 476,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year – a figure that is more than ten times the number of reported cases! The disease is estimated to cost the US health care system between $712 million and $1.3 billion each year, but this cost burden could be even higher if cases are underestimated." [Technical journal article explaining background, methods.]

One current problem not discussed is that a course of antibiotics taken soon after being diagnosed with Lyme disease may fully treat most cases, but not the remaining 10 to 20%. Yikes! Tulane University researchers found that live bacteria (B. burgdorferi spirochetes) can still be there in different organs of the body even after 28 days of antibiotic treatment. [See all Lyme disease, tick posts]

From Medical Xpress: Johns Hopkins team creates Lyme and tick-borne disease dashboard

A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has created and posted online a free Lyme and tick-borne disease dashboard. The group has published a paper describing the information available on the dashboard and how to use it on the open-access site PLOS ONE. 

As the researchers note, tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the U.S., likely due to a warming climate.  ...continue reading "New Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Dashboard"

Published on Leave a comment on New Treatment For Lyme Disease Soon?

Lyme disease is a huge problem in many parts of the United States, with thousands infected each year. Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, and is transmitted to humans and animals during the bite of a deer tick.

While about 80% of people with Lyme disease can be treated easily with a course of antibiotics within weeks of the tick bite, up to 20% will still have problems. While there is much controversy over why this is happening, there growing evidence that it it might be due to the existence of drug-tolerant Borrelia  burgdorferi "persisters".

A recent study found that azlocillin (an acylated form of ampicillin which is similar to the antibiotics mezlocillin and piperacillin) successfully kills the persister bacteria. Just keep in mind that the study was done in the lab and mice, and not yet on people.

But the researchers are so excited with the results that they are patenting the compound. So it's early days, yet there seems to be potential. Stay tuned...

From Medical Xpress: Potential treatment for Lyme disease kills bacteria that may cause lingering symptoms, study finds   ...continue reading "New Treatment For Lyme Disease Soon?"

Published on Leave a comment on Be On the Lookout For This Tick

Recent research is finding scary amounts of a new tick in Staten Island (a borough of New York City). The Asian longhorned tick (or Haemaphysalis longicornis) was only discovered in NJ in 2017, and now it appears that it is spreading rapidly (Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, NY, Conn, Maryland, Pennsylvania). This tick is a native of east Asia (Japan, New Zealand, Australia, etc.), and transmits a number of diseases and infests livestock in eastern Asia.

It is especially worrisome because females can clone themselves. This is because the tick is a parthenogenetic species, meaning that the females can lay and hatch eggs without needing to mate with a male. Each offspring is essentially a clone of the mother tick.  This means that they can be found on animals in really large numbers in varying stages - thousands of ticks on one animal. (The photos are horrifying.) The ticks feed on a wide range of mammals and birds, so it is expected to spread rapidly.

The authors of the study say that the ticks can tolerate a wide range of environmental temperatures ( 28°F to 104°F or −2°C to 40°C ), although they are most successful in moist, warm-temperate conditions. But note that the NYC metro area (which includes Staten Island) always, always has temperatures lower than that every winter! So... it can handle lower temperatures just fine. Unlike deer ticks, this tick can be found in the grass.

According to the CDC, as of March 25, 2019, no harmful germs have been found in the ticks collected in the United States. But researchers are worried about the possibility that soon they will carry the diseases commonly carried by ticks (Lyme, etc.) in the United States. If you find this tick on a person or pet - remove the tick as quickly as possible (the usual tick advice).

Excerpts from Science Daily: New Yorkers brace for self-cloning Asian longhorned tick

Staten Island residents have another reason to apply insect repellent and obsessively check for ticks this spring and summer: the population of a new, potentially dangerous invasive pest known as the Asian longhorned tick has grown dramatically across the borough, according to Columbia University researchers. And the tick -- which unlike other local species can clone itself in large numbers -- is likely to continue its conquest in the months ahead.  ...continue reading "Be On the Lookout For This Tick"

Published on Leave a comment on What to Do About All the Ticks?

All the seasons are beautiful here in the northeast US, but there is a dark side to  nature - ticks. Tick numbers, types of ticks, and diseases (including Lyme disease) that people are getting from tick bites are all increasing. Nothing seems to stop their spread and their increasing numbers.

While deer ticks have been a huge problem for years, now two new tick species are concerning us here in the northeast: the longhorned tick and the lone star tick.

The scary species of longhorned tick (or Haemaphysalis longicornis) was discovered in NJ in 2017, and now it appears that it is spreading rapidly (Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, NY). This tick is a native of east Asia (japan, New Zealand, Australia, etc.), and transmits a number of diseases and infests livestock in eastern Asia. It is especially worrisome because females can clone themselves - so they can appear on animals in really large numbers in varying stages. (The photos are horrifying.)

The lone star tick is an aggressive tick that can march across the lawn and up onto the deck to get to humans. And its bite is linked to red meat allergies!

How are ticks spreading so rapidly in the US? Many researchers say that with a warming climate ticks are more active for longer periods of the year and can now live in places long thought that they couldn't live (e.g. at higher elevations).

But there's more to it. Yes, tick species and tick-borne diseases are now spreading across the US due to warmer winters (climate change!), but research also shows that they spread  due to migratory birds carrying (and depositing) ticks along migratory paths. The huge, huge increase of deer populations in suburban areas is also spreading ticks. As well as small mammals (especially mice!). And on and on.

What to do? There are many pesticides available that can reduce tick populations (spray or apply to lawns and vegetation), but it is questionable whether it really helps. One good 2 year study found that pesticide treatments reduced the number of ticks, but not the number of human-tick encounters and it didn't reduce the number of tick-borne diseases (e.g. Lyme disease). Also, ticks like to live in "leaf litter" at the edges of the lawn and under bushes, in woods - all places hard to treat. Plus, animals and birds visiting the yard are constantly bringing more ticks to the property.

Basically the advice has generally been that it is up to the individual to prevent tick bites by applying an insecticide, or wearing clothes that have the insecticide permethrin on them, checking yourself after going outside and removing any ticks, showering after going outside (even if it's at the end of the day), changing and washing clothes (and put into the dryer to kill the little suckers) after going outside. But there is some concern about some insect repellents (e.g. DEET), especially if used frequently, and many people don't want to apply pesticides such as DEET daily on their children or themselves.

The one question that I hear the most is - are there nontoxic insecticides that are safe to use daily, especially for children?

The answer is YES - a good one is Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE). My absolute favorite non-toxic insect repellent that I think is fabulous and also highly recommended by Consumer Reports as being effective against ticks (and mosquitoes) for at least 6 hours is: Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Insect Repellent (comes in a pump spray). We found that it also repels other biting insects such as black flies, and washes well out of clothes, so a total win! My understanding is that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) does not recommend it for children under the age of 3 at this time because studies on this age group have not been done.

Others also suggest some non-toxic possibilities for the yard: raise free range chickens (they eat ticks!) or guinea fowl (eat ticks, but very noisy), encourage the presence of foxes (they eat the mice, and a study found they really reduce tick populations), can throw tick tubes such as Damminix (contain cotton balls with permethrin that mice carry back to nests) into the bushes or woods around your property.

A large study in NY state is investigating a new possibility for non-toxic tick control (as described in the last post) - whether tick bait boxes (The Tick Control System) and/or applying a non-toxic tick killing fungus (the product Met52) will lower tick numbers and tick diseases. The researchers are hoping tick reductions of at least 90%! Finally some encouraging news.

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Published on 3 Comments on Is A Tick Killing Fungus The Answer to Tick Control?

Summer is a wonderful season here in the northeast US, but there is a dark side - ticks. Tick numbers, types of ticks, and diseases (including Lyme disease) that people are getting from tick bites are all increasing. Nothing seems to stop their spread and their increasing numbers. But what if a fungus that kills ticks is the answer? The fungus is Metarhizium anisopliae, which occurs naturally in forest soils. It is sold as Met52 - a non-toxic to humans and pets product that anyone can now purchase.

The product is now being tested in a multiyear study (led by R. Ostfeld & F. Keesing) in 24 neighborhoods with a high incidence of Lyme disease in New York state. Studies show that ticks die within 3 to 7 days after being exposed to Met52 (a spray made up of the fungal spores and water). Personally, I am very excited by this natural product and hope that it works well. The researchers are hoping for a 90% reduction of ticks (or more!) in areas and yards where it is applied! That is better control than the insecticides typically used. The researchers feel that if this works well, then municipalities or neighborhoods could do it on a large scale for tick control.

I first read about the study in this July 2018 article by M. Molteni in Wired: WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW BAD THE US TICK PROBLEM IS

Together, these efforts are helping to change the way people and government agencies think about ticks as a public health threat. ...The trouble is that scientists also know very little about which interventions actually reduce those risks. “There’s no shortage of products to control ticks,” says Ostfeld. “But it’s never been demonstrated that they do a good enough job, deployed in the right places, to prevent any cases of tick-borne disease.” In a double-blind trial published in 2016, CDC researchers treated some yards with insecticides and others with a placebo. The treated yards knocked back tick numbers by 63 percent, but families living in the treated homes were still just as likely to be diagnosed with Lyme.

Ostfeld and his wife and research partner Felicia Keesing are in the middle of a four-year study to evaluate the efficacy of two tick-control methods in their home territory of Dutchess County, an area with one of the country’s highest rates of Lyme disease. It’s a private-public partnership between their academic institutions, the CDC, and the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation, which provided a $5 million grant.  ...continue reading "Is A Tick Killing Fungus The Answer to Tick Control?"

Published on Leave a comment on Lyme Disease Bacteria Can Survive After Treatment

A new study provides evidence for what so many people complain about - that after being treated for Lyme disease with several weeks of antibiotics - they feel that they are not cured, but instead still suffer from Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted to a person during a tick bite. 

However, many medical professionals deny that a person can still have Lyme disease after antibiotic treatment, and instead call the lingering symptoms post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). It is thought that between 10 to 20% of persons treated with antibiotics for Lyme disease have symptoms of PTLDS.

Hah! The Tulane University researchers found that yes, the live bacteria (B. burgdorferi spirochetes) can still be there in different organs of the body even after 28 days of antibiotic treatment. They studied late Lyme disease in both treated (with antibiotics) and untreated rhesus macaques - primates in which Lyme disease has effects similar to humans. Other studies have also found that the Lyme disease bacteria can evade treatment (here and here). From Medical Xpress:

Lyme bacteria survive 28-day course of antibiotics months after infection

Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a leading sponsor of Lyme disease research in the US, today announced results of two papers published in the peer-reviewed journals PLOS ONE and American Journal of Pathology, that seem to support claims of lingering symptoms reported by many patients who have already received antibiotic treatment for the disease. Based on a single, extensive study of Lyme disease designed by Tulane University researchers, the study employed multiple methods to evaluate the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, before and after antibiotic treatment in primates.  ...continue reading "Lyme Disease Bacteria Can Survive After Treatment"