Lyme Coinfection Comparison Infographics: What Your Symptoms Could Be Telling You

Recovering from Lyme disease can be a challenging journey. One significant obstacle to full recovery is the appearance of new or different symptoms that may occur. Some researchers believe that intracellular microbes have a natural affinity for different types of cells in the body. The result can be coinfections at a time when your body is struggling to reclaim its health.

For instance, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in the U.S., Borrelia burgdorferi, prefer to congregate in the collagenous tissues in your body. It makes sense that the symptoms resulting from a borrelia infection affect areas with high concentrations of collage: the muscles, joints, brain, etc.

However, some patients have other symptoms that occur due to a Lyme coinfection (simultaneous infection). Pinpointing the offending microbe can be very difficult primarily because testing for Lyme disease and coinfections lacks a high degree of accuracy.

An Overview of Lyme Disease Coinfections

Borrelia is the common bacteria that causes Lyme disease; however, most patients with chronic symptoms have multiple microbes producing symptoms. In addition to Lyme, the primary coinfections typically found in patients include Bartonella, babesia, and mycoplasma.