Challenges in Differential Diagnosis: Distinguishing Lyme from Look-Alike Tick-Borne Pathogens
A significant hurdle in Lyme diagnostics is the presence of co-infections. Ticks that carry Borrelia often simultaneously carry other pathogens like Babesia (a parasite) or Anaplasma (a bacterium).
Symptoms like high fever, chills, and severe fatigue overlap significantly across these diseases. If a patient is diagnosed with Lyme but does not respond to standard antibiotics, clinicians must use specialized assays to check for co-infections. Standard Lyme tests will not detect Babesia or Anaplasma, requiring a separate diagnostic pathway involving blood smears or specific PCR panels.
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