New Paper ROCKS Lyme Disease World And May Help Millions!

New paper ROCKS Lyme disease world and may help millions!

A new study strongly implicates lone star ticks in the transmission of Lyme disease to humans. Incredibly, the research team, headed up by Dr. Kerry Clark, also identified three different Lyme bacterial species (two for the first time in humans!) – Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia andersonii, and Borrelia americana – in symptomatic patients living in the South. Some had no travel history. Georgia Lyme Disease Association is proud to have contributed case data and funding through our generous donors in support of this research.

Why this matters so much: Lone star ticks are very aggressive and are the ticks most commonly found biting humans in the South. Years ago, Dr. Ed Masters documented lone star tick vectored Lyme-like disease in patients but his research was shot down as “not Lyme disease.” Although Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) have been documented in the lone star tick, outdated and limited studies surmised that this tick species can’t transmit the bacteria.

Dr. Clark’s incredible new findings may explain why people in the Southeastern USA have come forward for decades claiming they’ve contracted Lyme disease despite the low Bb infection rate documented in “deer ticks” in the region. Using the more advanced testing methods available today, this new paper may remove several roadblocks to diagnosis and treatment including assumptions such as “only black-legged “deer ticks” transmit Lyme disease” and “Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness or “STARI” is not Lyme disease.” We can “kiss bye-bye” the myth that Lyme disease in the South occurs only in those who’ve traveled to other regions.

Significantly, the paper also squashes the currently held notion that only one species of Borrelia burgdorferi causes Lyme disease in North America. In Europe, 3-4 Bb species are known to cause Lyme disease and specific tests were designed to detect them. If tests are designed to detect various Lyme bacterial species found in North America, imagine how many people may be helped!

(Now…if we can just convince officials to remove the reporting practice restrictions assigned to the South so that our human Lyme disease cases will finally show up on the books, too!)

GALDA’s sincere thanks and congratulations go to Dr. Clark and his colleagues for their tremendous, groundbreaking work! You can read their new paper here: http://www.medsci.org/v10p0915.htm