Practice Management
Emergency department (ED) visits for tick bites are surging nationwide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of April 19, 2026, CDC recorded 85 per 100,000 ED visits were due to tick bites—more than double what is typically expected at this time of year. In Maryland, ExpressCare Urgent Care Centers are seeing an uptick in bites with 160 cases so far that were ultimately treated for Lyme disease, according …
Read MoreDespite knowing about the risks of Lyme disease when engaging in outdoor activities, less than half of families responding to a survey say they take precautionary measures to avoid tick bites, as published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. The large survey of 44,330 American adults and 28,380 caregivers of young children shows that 88-93% of respondents say they are aware of Lyme disease, yet only 34-40% of adults and 40-42% of children’s caregivers take the …
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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 …
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In the United States, 8 common species of ticks exist in different geographies that present risk of transmitting more than 10 different types of diseases. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common ticks associated with human disease transmission in the United States are the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis, or D. similis), also known as a “wood tick,” and the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), commonly referred to as …
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Many states with a high prevalence of Lyme disease are home to non-traditional clinics that often provide unproven treatments, potentially creating significant health and safety risks. Researchers examined treatments offered on the websites of 117 independent clinics across 14 high-prevalence states between February 2024 and April 2024, finding that less than half (53 clinics) had an MD or DO physician on staff, as published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Approximately 20% employed a naturopathic doctor, …
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Download the article PDF: Abstracts in Urgent Care – July/August 2023 Lyme Disease Diagnosis in Children of Different Racial Groups Take-home point: Black children with Lyme disease were more likely to have arthritis rather than cutaneous findings at the time of diagnosis. Citation: Hunt K, Michelson K, Balamuth M, et al. Racial differences in the diagnosis of Lyme disease in children. Clin Infect Dis. 2023;76(6):1129-1131. Relevance: Erythema migrans (EM) is commonly felt to represent the …
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Urgent message: As the incidence of tick bites increases, it is imperative for urgent care physicians to be able to recognize various species of ticks and the symptoms of tick-borne illnesses and to know what to do when a patient presents with a tick bite. TOYIN FAPOHUNDA-ADEKOLA, MD, MBA Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in the United States (Figure 1) and Europe. With a total of 279,509 cases reported between 2003 and …
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