Emerging Perspectives in Lyme Disease: Microbial Interactions, Host Responses, and Therapeutic Innovations

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2025) | Viewed by 561

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Sofiamed Hospital, 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: infectious diseases

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne illness. Its presentation can be highly variable, and misdiagnosis and delayed treatment are common. Co-infections, such as Bartonellosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, and others, frequently occur concurrently with Lyme disease. The treatment of Lyme disease is often prolonged and costly, making it a significant public health concern. This Special Issue addresses the latest research relating to Lyme disease in humans, focusing on the interaction of different microorganisms, as well as its implications for the course of the infectious process. It also examines the host's immune response to these microorganisms and presents an overview of the latest therapeutic options.

Dr. Georgi Todorov Popov
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • lyme disease
  • tick-borne
  • immune response

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 252 KiB  
Article
Epidemiological, Clinical and Analytical Features in Lyme Borreliosis Patients Seropositive for Babesia divergens/venatorum
by María Folgueras, Luis Miguel González, Aitor Gil, Julio Collazos, Mercedes Rodríguez-Pérez, Laura Pérez-Is, Javier Díaz-Arias, María Meana, Belén Revuelta, Jeremy Gray, Estrella Montero and Víctor Asensi
Microorganisms 2025, 13(6), 1383; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061383 - 13 Jun 2025
Viewed by 308
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and babesiosis, caused by Babesia divergens and Babesia venatorum, are both transmitted by the ixodid tick Ixodes ricinus. Although these diseases coexist in Spain and other European regions, no studies have [...] Read more.
Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and babesiosis, caused by Babesia divergens and Babesia venatorum, are both transmitted by the ixodid tick Ixodes ricinus. Although these diseases coexist in Spain and other European regions, no studies have been carried out to assess the impact on the health of patients exposed to both causative pathogens. This retrospective study, conducted in Asturias in northwestern Spain between 2015 and 2017, analyzed the possible complications arising from exposure to these pathogens. To this end, the epidemiological, clinical and analytical features of two groups of a cohort of 120 LB patients exposed to one or two of the pathogens were compared. The cohort comprised 73 patients who had only been infected with Bo. burgdorferi s.l. (Bb group) and 47 patients who were seropositive for Ba. divergens/venatorum in addition to being infected with Bo. burgdorferi s.l. (BbBdv group). The results showed that LB patients who had also been exposed to infection with Babesia spp. (BbBdv group) had significantly more cardiorespiratory symptoms, in particular dyspnea and first- and second-degree atrioventricular (AV) blocks, compared to those who had been infected with Bo. burgdorferi s.l. alone (Bb group). No relevant differences in other symptoms, epidemiological factors or analytical tests were observed between the two groups. Full article
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