Correlation between COVID-19 severity and previous exposure of patients to Borrelia spp.

Szewczyk-Dąbrowska, A., Budziar, W., Harhala, M. et al. Correlation between COVID-19 severity and previous exposure of patients to Borrelia spp.. Sci Rep 12, 15944 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20202-x

Also, read Medical News Today article.

  • In this study, all hospitalized COVID-19 patients tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi-specific IgG, with significantly higher levels in severe cases.
  • Patients with a history of Borrelia exposure showed increased susceptibility to severe COVID-19 upon SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • Severe COVID-19 patients also exhibited higher levels of IgGs specific to Anaplasma antigens, suggesting a potential link between increased COVID-19 risks and tick bites and related infections.
  • Testing for Borrelia-specific IgM revealed higher positivity in hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to mild/asymptomatic patients and those not infected with SARS-CoV-2. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of COVID-19 hospitalization increased with each positive read for a Lyme disease-related antigen for IgG antibodies.
  • Multivariate analysis highlighted specific Borrelia antigens associated with increased odds of hospitalization for both IgG and IgM antibodies. These findings suggest a potential connection between Borrelia exposure and the severity of COVID-19 outcomes.
Roles of Th17 cytokines in microglial and neurovascular responses to recurrent intranasal Streptococcus pyogenes infections

Theses Doctoral. Columbia Academic Commons. https://doi.org/10.7916/62va-6330

Academic Units: Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies
Thesis Advisors: Agalliu, Dritan
Degree: Ph.D., Columbia University
Published:  September 7, 2022

A letter to my 14 year old self
A letter to my 14 year old self

Our friend gave ASPIRE permission to share this letter to her 14-year-old self. Many of us know how it feels to be too affected by PANS/PANDAS/BGE to go to school....

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