Anti-RA33 Antibodies Are Present in Patients With Lyme Disease.

Background/objective: To determine if anti-RA33 antibodies, which can be seen in early forms of inflammatory arthritis, are present in patients with Lyme arthritis (LA).

Methods: Anti-RA33 antibodies were tested using a commercially available assay in patients with LA (n = 47) and compared with patients with erythema migrans who returned to health (EM RTH, n = 20) and those with post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD) (n = 50), characterized by noninflammatory arthralgia, as an observational comparative study utilizing Lyme-exposed patients from various original cohorts.

Results: We found that anti-RA33 was present in higher proportions of patients with LA (23.

Identifying the geographic leading edge of Lyme disease in the United States with internet searches: A spatiotemporal analysis of Google Health Trends data.

Background: The geographic footprint of Lyme disease is expanding in the United States, which calls for novel methods to identify emerging endemic areas. The ubiquity of internet use coupled with the dominance of Google's search engine makes Google user search data a compelling data source for epidemiological research.

Objective: We evaluated the potential of Google Health Trends to track spatiotemporal patterns in Lyme disease and identify the leading edge of disease risk in the United States.

A sex-based analysis of complete blood count features during acute, untreated Lyme disease.

Introduction: Although lymphopenia has been described in acute Lyme disease (LD), the complete blood count (CBC) has not been comprehensively examined, nor have sex-based analyses been conducted. We analyzed CBC values and identified sex-based trends among patients with early LD by comparing both to controls without a history of LD and to patients' pre-morbid values.

Methods: We enrolled participants from the Mid-Atlantic US with diagnostic erythema migrans and controls with no history of LD.

Invalidation by medical professionals in post-treatment Lyme disease.

Patients with post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD) report negative perceptions of care and significant invalidation from medical professionals. However, the relationship of invalidation to illness severity has not been examined, nor have risk factors for invalidation been identified. This cross-sectional study enrolled 80 patients who met stringent criteria for PTLD.

Autoantibodies in post-treatment Lyme disease and association with clinical symptoms.

Objectives: Autoantibodies have been described in the post-infectious state, specifically after Lyme disease and COVID-19. We aimed to describe the prevalence and potential clinical utility of several commercially available autoantibodies after these infections.

Methods: Euroimmun panels (myositis, scleroderma and ANA5) were assayed using sera from patients with Lyme disease with return to health (RTH) (n=70), post-treatment Lyme disease (n=58), COVID-19 RTH (n=47) and post-acute symptoms of COVID-19 (n=22).

Annexin A2 antibodies in post-treatment Lyme disease.

Background: Anti-annexin A2 (AA2) antibodies have been described in Lyme arthritis and erythema migrans, although they have not been described in post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD).

Objectives: Determine whether anti-AA2 antibodies are present among patients with PTLD and determine the clinical relevance of these antibodies.

Design And Methods: Anti-AA2 levels were tested serially in a longitudinal cohort of 44 patients with acute Lyme disease, 22 with a return to health (EM RTH), and 22 with PTLD.

Outpatient visits before and after Lyme disease diagnosis in a Maryland employer-based health plan.

Background: Insurance claims data have been used to inform an understanding of Lyme disease epidemiology and cost of care, however few such studies have incorporated post-treatment symptoms following diagnosis. Using longitudinal data from a private, employer-based health plan in an endemic US state, we compared outpatient care utilization pre- and post-Lyme disease diagnosis. We hypothesized that utilization would be higher in the post-diagnosis period, and that temporal trends would differ by age and gender.

Initial Presentation and Time to Treatment in Early Lyme Disease.

The erythema migrans (EM) rash is an important initial diagnostic sign of early Lyme disease. We tested the hypothesis that patients who noticed EM first differed from those who noticed viral-like symptoms first. "EM First" participants (167/271, 61.

Gene set predictor for post-treatment Lyme disease.

Lyme disease (LD) is tick-borne disease whose post-treatment sequelae are not well understood. For this study, we enrolled 152 individuals with symptoms of post-treatment LD (PTLD) to profile their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Combined with RNA-seq data from 72 individuals with acute LD and 44 uninfected controls, we investigated differences in differential gene expression.

Peptidylarginine Deiminase 2 Autoantibodies Are Linked to Less Severe Disease in Multiple Sclerosis and Post-treatment Lyme Disease.

Background: Peptidylarginine deiminase 2 (PAD2) mediates the post-translational conversion of arginine residues in proteins to citrullines and is highly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). Dysregulated PAD2 activity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we sought to define the cellular and regional expression of the gene encoding for PAD2 (i.

Disseminated Lyme disease and dilated cardiomyopathy: A systematic review.

Lyme carditis is a well-established manifestation of early disseminated Lyme infection, yet the relationship between late disseminated Lyme disease and the development of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains unclear. The present systematic review aims to summarize existing literature on the association between late disseminated Lyme disease and DCM. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, and MEDLINE databases, after which a total of 11 observational studies (n = 771) were ultimately included for final data extraction.

Risk of post-treatment Lyme disease in patients with ideally-treated early Lyme disease: A prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD) is characterized by patient-reported symptoms after treatment for Borrelia burgdorferi infection. The primary aim of this study was to assess whether participants with a history of Lyme disease (LD) would be more likely to meet criteria for PTLD than those without a history of LD.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal, prospective study among 234 participants with and 49 participants without prior LD.

The Lyme and Tickborne Disease Dashboard: A map-based resource to promote public health awareness and research collaboration.

With the incidence of Lyme and other tickborne diseases on the rise in the US and globally, there is a critical need for data-driven tools that communicate the magnitude of this problem and help guide public health responses. We present the Johns Hopkins Lyme and Tickborne Disease Dashboard (https://www.hopkinslymetracker.

Recent Progress in Lyme Disease and Remaining Challenges.

Lyme disease (also known as Lyme borreliosis) is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States with an estimated 476,000 cases per year. While historically, the long-term impact of Lyme disease on patients has been controversial, mounting evidence supports the idea that a substantial number of patients experience persistent symptoms following treatment. The research community has largely lacked the necessary funding to properly advance the scientific and clinical understanding of the disease, or to develop and evaluate innovative approaches for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Contrast Sensitivity Loss in Patients With Posttreatment Lyme Disease.

Purpose: Posttreatment Lyme disease (PTLD) is marked by neurologic symptoms, cognitive impairment, and significant symptom burden, including fatigue and ocular complaints. The purpose of this study was to determine whether contrast sensitivity (CS) is altered in patients with PTLD compared with healthy controls and, second, whether CS is associated with cognitive and/or neurologic deficits.

Methods: CS was measured using a Pelli-Robson chart with forced-choice procedures, and the total number of letters read was recorded for each eye.

Predicting Lyme Disease From Patients' Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Profiled With RNA-Sequencing.

Although widely prevalent, Lyme disease is still under-diagnosed and misunderstood. Here we followed 73 acute Lyme disease patients and uninfected controls over a period of a year. At each visit, RNA-sequencing was applied to profile patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells in addition to extensive clinical phenotyping.

The presenting characteristics of erythema migrans vary by age, sex, duration, and body location.

Purpose: The erythema migrans (EM) skin lesion is often the first clinical sign of Lyme disease. Significant variability in EM presenting characteristics such as shape, color, pattern, and homogeneity, has been reported. We studied associations between these presenting characteristics, as well as whether they were associated with age, sex, EM duration, body location, and initiation of antibiotics.

Symptom heterogeneity and patient subgroup classification among US patients with post-treatment Lyme disease: an observational study.

Objectives: To identify underlying subgroups with distinct symptom profiles, and to characterise and compare these subgroups across a range of demographic, clinical and psychosocial factors, within a heterogeneous group of patients with well-defined post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD).

Design: A clinical case series of patents.

Setting: Participants were recruited from a single-site, Lyme disease referral clinic patient population and were evaluated by physical exam, clinical laboratory testing and standardised questionnaires.

Risk Factors and Outcomes of Treatment Delays in Lyme Disease: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Longer time between symptom onset and treatment of Lyme disease has been associated with poor outcomes. Reducing time-to-treatment requires knowledge of risks for treatment delays. We conducted a population-based study to evaluate factors associated with delayed treatment of Lyme disease and the relation between delayed treatment and post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS).

Molecular Microbiological and Immune Characterization of a Cohort of Patients Diagnosed with Early Lyme Disease.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection caused by the bacteria Current diagnosis of early Lyme disease relies heavily on clinical criteria, including the presence of an erythema migrans rash. The sensitivity of current gold-standard diagnostic tests relies upon antibody formation, which is typically delayed and thus of limited utility in early infection. We conducted a study of blood and skin biopsy specimens from 57 patients with a clinical diagnosis of erythema migrans.