Umbilical Cords- "Williams and colleagues conducted a study in a Lyme-endemic area in New York of umbilical cord blood. Of 255 infants tested, 10.2% had detectable antibody to the Lyme spirochete. Of 166 infants born in a non-endemic area, 2.4% had detectable antibodies. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 1995 Jul;9(3):320-30.Maternal Lyme disease and congenital malformations: a cord blood serosurvey in endemic and control areas. Williams CL1, Strobino B, Weinstein A, Spierling P, Medici F. 1Child Health Center, American Health Foundation, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=williams+cord+blood+spirochete
Dr. Harvey Comment- "The CDC defines “Lyme disease” exclusively as a zoonotic illness. Congenital and gestational transfer cases have been disregarded for reasons not evident to us."
Dr. Donta Comment- Late & Chronic Lyme Disease- "Rarely as well are congenital and intrautero infection; when this occurs, it appears to be similar to toxoplasmosis and rubella, i.e. a primary infection during the first trimester."
Dr. John Bleiweiss Comment- "Flawed studies have created the impression that pregnancy outcomes are not influenced by LD. There is substantial documentation to suggest a causal relationship between LD and stillbirths, congenital abnormalities, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight babies, prematurity and intrauterine fetal infection acquired from the mother. An outcome of untreated LD arising from Mg++ deficiency could be pre-eclampsia (hypertension) or eclampsia (hypertension with seizures). Magnesium is often relied on to treat these problems. Women with LD in pregnancy can experience severe morning sickness, gestational diabetes mellitus and prominent flares of Lyme related symptoms. As both LD and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are attended by sleep apnea, this should impel further research to determine if some babies with SIDS are actually suffering from LD. Bb can appear in the breast milk." https://sites.google.com/site/marylandlyme/patient-stories/dr-john-d-bleiweiss--when-to-suspect-lyme
The Deniers Comments
Ed Shapiro- Yale- Comment- "Misinformation about chronic Lyme disease on the Internet and in popular media has led to publicity and anxiety about Lyme disease that is out of proportion to the actual morbidity that it causes. I would reassure her that the outcomes of treatment are excellent and that congenital Lyme disease has never been documented. I would advise her to beware of misinformation on the Internet. There is no evidence that chronic Lyme disease exists. On the basis of strong evidence from research, patients treated for Lyme disease who have persistent, nonspecific symptoms (eg, arthralgia and fatigue) do not have persistent infection…"
Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease). Shapiro ED. Pediatr Rev. 2014 Dec;35(12):500-9. doi: 10.1542/pir.35-12-500. Review. No abstract available.
Ed Shapiro- Yale- Another Comment- "Careful prospective studies have found that nearly 90% of children with Lyme disease have erythema migrans. Although there has been great concern about congenital Lyme disease, no data suggest that it is a significant problem, nor has transmission of Lyme disease through breast milk been documented. Virtually all children will respond well to treatment for any stage of Lyme disease. Misdiagnosis is the most common reason for treatment failure. "
May 2018
Lucy Barnes