Lyme Disease Month

🌿 May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month 🌿

Lyme disease is one of the most common tick-borne illnesses worldwide—yet many aspects of it remain misunderstood and under-researched.

A recent 2026 study published in Frontiers in Medicine : "Perinatal transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi: advancing scientific and clinical understanding of Lyme disease in pregnancy" by Sue Faber, Charlotte Mao, Elizabeth Darling, Holly Ahern, Catherine Brissette, Tessa D. Gardner, Janis J. Weis, Sven Bergström, Edward B. Breitschwerdt, Carolyn B. Coyne, Brian A. Fallon, Holiday Goodreau, John S. Lambert, Vett Lloyd, Alessandra Luchini, Sarah B. Mulkey, Kate Nagel, Bennett Nemser, Natalie Rudenko, Jinyu Shan, Michal Caspi Tal, and Monica E. Embers highlights an important and often overlooked issue: the potential transmission of Lyme disease from mother to child during pregnancy.

The study reviews decades of research, beginning with early reports in the 1980s suggesting possible transmission during pregnancy. Since then, evidence from animal models and human case reports has indicated that the bacteria can reach the placenta and fetus, potentially contributing to adverse pregnancy or neonatal outcomes. 

During pregnancy, Borrelia burgdorferi may circulate in the bloodstream, and there is biological plausibility that it can cross the placenta—even in cases where the mother has few or no clear symptoms, which creates significant diagnostic challenges. 

Around the time of birth, some reports describe possible effects in newborns. However, findings are inconsistent, and no clear or uniform clinical pattern has been established, making diagnosis and clinical recognition difficult.

Importantly, the study emphasizes that the long-term outcomes for children exposed during pregnancy remain largely unknown, due to a lack of systematic, longitudinal research. Despite decades of concern, the incidence, full clinical spectrum, and long-term impacts of perinatal Lyme disease are still poorly defined. 

Drawing on discussions from the 2022 Banbury Conference, the authors call for urgent action: improved research coordination, standardized data collection, and greater awareness among clinicians and public health systems.

🔬 While knowledge is still evolving, experts agree on one thing: more research, greater awareness, and improved clinical attention are urgently needed.

💚 This May, let’s raise awareness, support research, and stand with those affected.

Together, we can bring greater visibility to a complex disease that impacts countless lives.