For comprehensive information about Lyme disease prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, please visit our dedicated educational pages. The questions below address specific topics not covered elsewhere.
For patient-specific medical advice, please consult with a healthcare provider.
Can Lyme disease affect pregnancy?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognize the potential for mother-to-child transmission of Lyme disease. A peer-reviewed article in Frontiers in Medicine evaluates the accumulated evidence indicating Lyme disease in pregnancy may be associated with mother-to-child transmission of the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi. More research is urgently needed to better understand maternal transmission and its potential risks.
What other infections can ticks transmit?
Deer ticks can transmit multiple pathogens in a single bite beyond Borrelia burgdorferi, including:
- Anaplasma (anaplasmosis)
- Babesia (babesiosis – a malaria-like protozoan infection)
- Powassan virus
- Other Borrelia species (B. mayonii, B. miyamotoi)
Other tick species transmit:
- Ehrlichiosis
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and other rickettsial diseases
- Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI)
Some of these infections can be severe or even fatal (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasmosis, Powassan virus). Babesia can be particularly challenging for those with compromised immunity, previous splenectomy, or those taking immunosuppressive medications. Babesia can also be transmitted through blood transfusions.
Signs of co-infection may include:
- Rapid elevated fever
- Elevated liver function tests
- Low platelet counts
- Anemia
- Signs of hemolysis
- Elevated LDH
Co-infections are spreading geographically along with Lyme disease and can complicate diagnosis and treatment.
Can other tick bites cause problems besides Lyme disease?
Yes:
- Local allergic reactions to tick bites can be confused with Lyme disease, but these are smaller reactions that do not expand over time
- Alpha-gal syndrome: Lone Star tick bites can trigger an allergy to mammalian meat (beef, pork, lamb), causing allergic reactions after consuming these foods
How does the Lyme bacteria evade the immune system?
Borrelia burgdorferi uses several sophisticated mechanisms to evade immune detection:
- Blocks the complement system, allowing it to survive longer in the body
- Evades the adaptive immune response where antibodies are produced
- Changes its surface proteins to avoid detection—when the immune system generates antibodies against one set of proteins, the bacteria switches to different surface proteins
Can you get Lyme disease more than once?
Yes, reinfection is possible. Lyme disease spirochetes may interfere with immunologic memory, limiting protective immunity. While reinfection with the exact same strain may provide some resistance, there is limited data on how protective immunity develops after initial infection.
Is there a Lyme disease vaccine?
A human Lyme disease vaccine called LYMErix was available in the late 1990s but was withdrawn from the market in 2002 due to safety concerns. Currently:
- Valneva and Pfizer are developing an improved vaccine in late-stage human clinical trials
- Other novel vaccines are in animal testing
- Mouse vaccination strategies are being explored to interrupt the tick-wildlife transmission cycle
