Facts You Should Know About Lyme Disease
1. Lyme disease results from the bite of a black-legged tick and to a lesser degree any blood sucking organism infected with Borrelia burgdorferi the spirochete or corkscrew-shaped bacterium responsible. This bacterium unlike other easy to treat bacterial infections, has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier into the brain where can persist for years wrecking havoc on the human host.

16. Persistent infections, compromised immune systems, genetics, and resistant bacteria can all result in chronic Lyme disease which must be treated with aggressive treatment. Antibiotics can bring the disease into remission if treated early in certain individuals. However, in most cases, Lyme disease has gone either undiagnosed or was not properly treated early. When this occurs the spirochetes multiply and bore into various organs, while some will change forms into persister cells (cysts) with a thick coat of biofilm which prevents antibiotics from killing the cells, while others will hide in different parts of the body. Weeks, months, or years later the spirochetes can be reactivated when the body becomes stressed. When this occurs the disease has spread throughout the body creating severe and often irreversible damage. New research has found pulsing of antibiotics in test tubes can kill persister cells.“This gives you an idea that you could, in principle, establish a similar regiment for treating patients for this and other chronic diseases,” said Dr. Kim Lewis of Northeastern University.
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