ORLANDO, Fla, (Ivanhoe Newswire) – As we all take advantage of the sunny summer days, be aware that it’s tick season out there and experts warn that this summer will be particularly bad. The CDC reports almost a half a million people are infected with Lyme disease each year. Symptoms include fever, headaches, fatigue and a telltale bullseye rash around the site of the bite. But misdiagnosis is common. In fact, a recent study by Lymedisease.org reported less than a quarter of patients reported being correctly diagnosed within six months of the onset of their symptoms. Now, a new test may help get people the right diagnosis quicker than ever before.
Bee keeper, Adriana Furey, isn’t afraid of much, except for the bug that almost killed her.
“It felt like someone was stabbing my brain,” Adriana painfully recalls. “I never actually saw a tick bite.”
After years of misdiagnosis and dozens of doctors, Adriana was told she had chronic Lyme disease — a difficult disease to diagnosis. Microbiologist and Lyme disease specialist at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Mollie Jewett, PhD says Lyme disease tests today are complicated. That’s why her lab is working to make it easier and quicker to diagnose.
“We want clear and quick because the longer you don’t have a diagnosis, the more likely you are to have ongoing, increasing disease challenges,” Jewett explains.
Jewett and her team are creating a molecular blood test that doesn’t just test for antibodies in the blood specific for Lyme disease, but also uses another device that directly detects the bacteria that causes it. The handheld device would be in doctors’ offices, so there would be no waiting for lab results and no follow up tests.
Jewett says, “Our ultimate target would be within 15 minutes.”
if Lyme disease is caught early and treated with antibiotics, patients typically recover quickly, without long-term effects — something that Adriana wishes would have happened to her — but now feels blessed she finally has the diagnosis she was so desperately looking for.
“It taught me so many lessons of just gratitude and how much we take for granted,” Adriana expresses.
A startling statistic out of the nationwide survey conducted by Lymedisease.org – 61 percent of patients said it took more than two years to receive a correct diagnosis.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer & Editor.
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Source:
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: RAPID LYME DISEASE TEST COMING TO A DOCTOR’S OFFICE NEAR YOU
REPORT: MB #5241
BACKGROUND: Lyme disease, which is a tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium borrelia burgdorferi, usually progresses slowly, and symptoms develop over time. In some cases, though, it can form with a more rapid onset of symptoms. The ticks that hold borrelia bacteria are across the United States but are most common amongst the upper Midwest, Northeast, mid-Atlantic states. Recent estimates show that nearly 476,000 people across America may contract Lyme disease every year.
(Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20374651
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/datasurveillance/index.html)
DIAGNOSING: Diagnosing Lyme disease can be difficult because of the vague symptoms. However, an early and prompt diagnosis is important for initiating timely treatment. The diagnostic process for Lyme disease consists of a combination of clinical evaluation, medical history review, and laboratory testing. Most disease tests that exist are designed to find antibodies created by the body, in response to the infection. The CDC strongly recommends two step testing processes for Lyme disease, both of which can be completed with the same blood sample.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4441761/
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/diagnosistesting/index.html)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Microbiologists from the University of Central Florida are currently working on easier and faster ways to diagnose Lyme disease, as it is extremely difficult to diagnose. Mollie Jewett is working to make a molecular blood test that tests for antibodies for specific Lyme diseases, along with a different device that can find the bacteria that causes it on contact. The device would be hand-held and used in doctors’ offices, allowing for there to be no need of lab results or follow up testing.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Christin Senior
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
