Researchers at the Mayo clinic have discovered a second bacterium, related to Borrelia burgdorferi that can cause Lyme disease in humans. Borrelia mayonii infections do not act quite the same as B. burgdorferi which is associated with a bulls-eye rash.
Source: NPR, February 10, 2016.
The new species hadn’t appeared during routine tests on thousands of other samples over the course of a decade. Then, over the span of two years, it appeared in six (human) patients out of about 9,000 tested for Lyme disease. They were all residents of Minnesota, Wisconsin or North Dakota. Because the species had not been identified in the thousands of samples that were routinely tested before 2013, Pritt says, it’s likely that it either recently emerged as a new organism through mutations of an existing bacterium, or it recently came into contact with people.
INSIGHTS – This new bug is just one more reason to work with clients and customers on preventives for ticks. Information for DVMs and pet owners is available from the AVMA and more can be found on the CDC website.