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INTESTINAL BACTERIA COULD GIVE DOCTORS AN OBJECTIVE TEST FOR CHRONIC LYME DISEASE

In a study that compared fecal matter from healthy people, intensive care unit patients, and PTLDS patients, Lewis and his team determined that people with PTLDS have two distinct differences in microbial levels compared to the other groups—an abundance of a type of bacteria called Blautia and a suppression of a type of bacteria called Bacteroides.

Interview met John Crombez, SPa partij voorzitter, door Marleen Deglin Lyme-int.

A Distinct Microbiome Signature in Posttreatment Lyme Disease Patients

IMPORTANCE Most patients with acute Lyme disease are cured with antibiotic intervention, but 10 to 20% endure debilitating symptoms such as fatigue, neurological complications, and myalgias after treatment, a condition known as posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). The etiology of PTLDS is not understood, and objective diagnostic tools are lacking. PTLDS symptoms overlap several diseases in which patients exhibit alterations in their microbiome. We found that patients with PTLDS have a distinct microbiome signature, allowing for an accurate classification of over 80% of analyzed cases. The signature is characterized by an increase in Blautia, a decrease in Bacteroides, and other changes. Importantly, this signature supports the validity of PTLDS and is the first potential biological diagnostic tool for the disease.