The Lyme Educator

What are your thoughts on this?

Treated bait pellets for small animals to help reduce Lyme disease may soon be coming to hardware stores near you. The idea is that mice and other small mammals eat the pellets, which contain a tick treatment that kills ticks feeding on them, potentially reducing the number of infected ticks in the environment.

Supporters say it could be a game changer for Lyme prevention. Critics worry about unintended effects on wildlife, ecosystems, and long-term use, even if the product is marketed as "nontoxic."

Good idea or bad idea? Would you use something like this in your yard, or do you have concerns? Let's discuss. 🦌🐭🕷️🌿

Lyme disease breakthrough could soon be sold at hardware stores A novel strategy could help reduce Lyme disease risk—but experts say caution is still needed.

How Toxoplasma parasite damages the human eye One third of the world’s population is infected with the Toxoplasma parasite– which causes a common eye infection called ocular toxoplasmosis. Researchers have now shed light […]

Even after Lyme disease bacteria die, their cell walls enable fragments to stick around in the liver and perturb cell functions, according to research.

The study poses a possible explanation for why some people experience post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.

Read about the work via the link in the comments.

A recent study finds that 46% of people with ME/CFS were unknowingly infected with one of these two pathogens...🧵

Fifty people experiencing chronic fatigue and neurological symptoms similar to those in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) were tested for evidence of:
- Bartonella (a bacterium often spread by fleas or ticks)
- Babesia (a tick-borne parasite)

Here is what they found.

Researchers detected infections with:
- Babesia (a tick-borne parasite) in 10 individuals (20%),
- Bartonella (a bacterium often spread by fleas or ticks) in 11 (22%),
- and both in 2 (4%).

Overall, nearly half (46%) showed evidence of at least one pathogen in their blood.

These infections are known to cause:
- anxiety
- prolonged fatigue
- neurological issues
- and irritability even without classic acute signs

They identified the different species using PCR tests on blood and enriched blood cultures.

However, PCR tests can yield false positives, underscoring the need for a more robust study that screens for pathogen-specific antibodies.

Do a subset of patients with ME/CFS-like symptoms suffer from a Babesia or Bartonella infection?

Let us know what you think about this study.

Read more: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/15/1/2

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