Learn About Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. The bacteria are transferred to humans by tick bite, specifically by blacklegged ticks (commonly known as deer ticks). The condition is named for the location in which it was first described, the town of Lyme, Connecticut.
Lyme disease is caused by infection with bacteria rather than by genetic changes. The risk of developing Lyme disease is influenced by a variety of lifestyle and environmental factors that reflect how likely a person is to get bitten by an infected tick, such as where a person lives, how much time is spent outdoors, and the time of year. While there is no evidence that genetic factors play a role in susceptibility to Lyme disease, such factors may affect the severity of the disease, particularly whether antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis develops.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the United States. An estimated 300,000 new cases occur every year. Lyme disease occurs in areas in which blacklegged ticks are found, primarily the northeastern states (from Virginia to Maine), the upper Midwest (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan), and parts of California and Oregon. In these regions of the United States, the incidence of Lyme disease is 10 to 100 cases per 100,000 people each year.
Lyme disease cannot be inherited. The risk of certain complications of the condition may be influenced by inherited genetic factors, but the inheritance pattern is unknown.
Lise Nigrovic is an Emergency Medicine specialist and a Pediatrics provider in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Nigrovic is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Lyme Disease. Her top areas of expertise are Lyme Disease, Pediatric Myocarditis, Osteomyelitis in Children, and Asthma in Children.
Johns Hopkins University
John Aucott is an Infectious Disease specialist and a Rheumatologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Aucott is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Lyme Disease. His top areas of expertise are Lyme Disease, Synovitis, Long Haul COVID, and Reactive Arthritis. Dr. Aucott is currently accepting new patients.
Gary Wormser is an Infectious Disease provider in Hawthorne, New York. Dr. Wormser is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Lyme Disease. His top areas of expertise are Lyme Disease, Babesiosis, Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis, Ehrlichiosis, and Splenectomy.
Summary: This study will determine whether patients who have been infected with the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, and treated with antibiotics still have the bacteria alive inside them and whether it is causing their symptoms. The information from this study may serve as a basis for developing stringent diagnostic criteria for Lyme disease and the establishment of future treatment trials. Individual...
Summary: Lyme disease is a public health crisis in the US. It is estimated that over 400,000 cases occur every year with 10-20% of those infected going on to develop Post-Treatment Lyme disease Syndrome (PTLDS). The goal of this study is to investigate if giving Ceftriaxone every 5 days for about 6 weeks kills the organism that produces persistent Lyme infection. Enrolled participants will be randomized 1:...
Published Date: June 01, 2018
Published By: National Institutes of Health