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This week, at an annual scientific meeting of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM), researchers described a blood test developed with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) that they say identifies Lyme disease sooner and more accurately than the 2-tier serology diagnostic tools currently used in medicine. The new test has sensitivity and specificity of 90% or greater, according to a press release from ADLM. Researchers created an algorithm that improved accuracy across all disease stages, correctly identifying infection in over 90% of early cases vs 27% with the standard method. They anticipate the new test will be commercially available by the end of 2026.Â
Upward trends: When caught early, Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics. However, experts believe climate change is leading to new geographic areas where ticks can live and breed, creating increased risk of tick bites and Lyme disease within communities. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dates back to 2023, when 89,468 cases of Lyme disease were officially reported, and those trends show a 132% increase in cases between 2020 and 2023. Even so, the agency says estimates using methods beyond its routine national surveillance suggest that approximately 476,000 people may be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year in the United States. The higher number likely includes patients who were treated based on clinical suspicion. Geographically, urgent cares in the Northeast are seeing the highest rates of Lyme-related diagnoses. Find out more about Lyme disease presentations in urgent care from the JUCM archive: Northeast Leads in Lyme-Related Diagnoses in Urgent Care