As summer approaches, cases of Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are on the rise. Lyme disease (LD) is the most common TBD and is generally cured with antibiotic treatment. Testing relies on detecting a patient’s immune response to infection. However, diagnosis of LD can be challenging. Optimal diagnostic accuracy of LD can be achieved by combining two separate antibody tests with consideration of a patient’s symptoms and tick exposure.
Lymedisease
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The number of Powassan virus (POWV) reported cases is low compared to other tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease. However, the prevalence of POWV infection is likely underestimated because testing capabilities are limited. There are no FDA-cleared assays and only a few commercially available assays. There is a need to increase the awareness of POWV infection to include this testing in clinical routine labs.