Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota have identified a new type of bacteria as a cause of Lyme disease.
For decades, Lyme disease has been associated with infection with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease was originally discovered in the town of Lyme, Connecticut, in the 1970s. A number of children were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and researchers looking for the cause eventually focused on deer ticks in the kids’ back yards.
The Spread of Lyme Disease:
Since then, Lyme disease has spread from New England to nearly half the counties in the US and 300,000 people are infected every year. That number is an increase of 1000% over the CDC’s estimates prior to 2013.
Now, the Minnesota researchers in collaboration with the CDC have found that not all cases of Lyme disease in the region surrounding the Mayo Clinic are caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Relatively few cases (just six out of 100,545) did not carry the characteristic genetic markers of this bacterial species.
The New Species as a Cause of Lyme Disease:
The new species they identified has been provisionally named Borrelia mayonii. It is transmitted by the same species of ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and treatment is the same, but symptoms are slightly different. B. mayonii is more likely to cause nausea, vomiting and generalized rashes rather than the so-called bulls’ eye rash considered typical of classic Lyme disease.
Now that we know there is a new version of Lyme disease, doctors will need to be alert as it begins spreading across the country.
The Lancet Infectious Diseases, online Feb. 5, 2016
Lyme Disease Treatment:
Lyme disease is best treated early with an antibiotic such as doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime. Even after completing the treatment, symptoms sometimes linger, a condition the CDC terms post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.
When treatment is delayed, the infection can cause damage to the joints or even the heart. For a story about a delayed diagnosis of Lyme disease resulting in a need for heart transplant, you may wish to listen to our hour-long interview with Dr. Neil Spector, author of Gone in a Heartbeat.
