New Lyme Disease Bacteria Discovered.
Health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report they have identified a new Lyme disease-causing bacteria, and it may cause even worse symptoms than the current known Lyme disease-causing bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. The newly discovered bacteria is called Borrelia mayonii and appears to be closely related to B. burgdorferi. The CDC says that besides the usual symptoms, the new bacteria seems to cause nausea, vomiting, diffuse rashes (rather than the single so-called “bull’s-eye” rash typically associated with Lyme disease), and a higher concentration of bacteria in the blood. CDC microbiologist Dr. Jeannine Petersen notes, “This discovery adds another important piece of information to the complex picture of tick-borne diseases in the United States.”
The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal, February 2016