Find reignites Lyme debate
6th July 2015
By Kristen Ochs
THE discovery of relapsing fever Borrelia bacteria in a tick from NSW has reignited debate about the existence of Lyme-like illness in Australia.
Scientists who tested 196 Australian ticks found a Borrelia species which is linked to relapsing fever, but not Lyme disease, in one tick removed from an echidna and a potentially novel Candidatus Neoehrlichia pathogen in multiple ticks.
“The aetiological agent of Australian ‘Lyme-like’ illness has been a source of unresolved debate for many years, and the discovery of these organisms