Same Lyme strain is found in North America and Europe

Dr. Ben Luft and colleagues at Stony Brook University Medical Center have isolated a strain of Borrelia burgdorferi — the bacterium that causes Lyme — and declared it prevalent not only in the United States, but also Europe. The finding, considered unusual, is reported in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“We studied a large number of strains from throughout the United States and Europe, well over 100 strains,” Luft said Tuesday. “But there was only one that was identical. And when you consider that we are a world apart separated by an ocean where there is no common interaction ... it is surprising to find that (the American and European strains) were the same.”

He believes migratory birds may have transported the strain across continents. Luft said the strain is responsible for 30 to 40 percent of all cases of Lyme.

Lyme is the most common tick-transmitted disorder in the United States. It may start as a rash but an invasive form, caused by a bacterium like the one identified by Luft and his colleagues, can enter the bloodstream and attack major organs. Invasive Lyme has become more prevalent over the last 20 years.

Last year, federal investigators reported cases of Lyme had more than doubled since 1991, with 93 percent of all cases concentrated in New York and nine other states.

Advocates for patients applauded the finding, saying the discovery helps explain cases of long-term Lyme disease.

Eva Haughie, president of the Empire State Lyme Disease Association, said 15 members of her immediate and extended family developed Lyme disease.

Even her dog got Lyme and died of the disorder. “We’ve known this all along that there is a difference in virulence,” said Haughie, of Manorville, referring to the differing strains of Lyme bacteria.

Some patients say their bout with Lyme was short-lived; others have suffered a variety of symptoms for years. In Haughie’s case, she suffered a form of memory impairment comparable to Alzheimer’s. Her daughters have what many patients refer to as persistent Lyme.

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