Florida Lyme Disease Association

09/02/2026

NIH researchers have discovered rare antibodies that could aid the development of an intervention for alpha-gal syndrome, an emerging tick-bite-associated condition that can cause allergic reactions to red meat and other animal products.

NEWS: NIH researchers have discovered rare antibodies that could aid the development of an intervention for alpha-gal syndrome, an emerging tick-bite-associated condition that can cause allergic reactions to red meat and other animal products.

These antibodies acted as a biological shield, successfully blocking human allergic antibodies from binding to red meat allergens.

Approximately 110,000 suspected cases of alpha-gal syndrome have been identified in the U.S. since 2010. Symptoms can vary in severity, ranging from gastrointestinal problems to life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Read the full story▶️ https://bit.ly/4cnX4Z5

08/31/2026

These Patients Couldn't Beat Lyme Disease, So Scientists Tried Giving Them Psilocybin

A small pilot study of 20 people has now shown that two doses of psilocybin, administered under clinical supervision, were associated with significant improvements in post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD).

The experiments were led by Albert Garcia-Romeu at the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, and the results are published in Scientific Reports.

Two weeks after the second and final dose of psilocybin, participants reported a 52 percent reduction in their overall symptom burden compared with baseline.

Six months after the final dose, symptoms remained roughly 40 to 50 percent below baseline.

Link in comments ⬇️⬇️⬇️

08/25/2026

CBS News: The explosion of ticks and Alpha-gal syndrome

Ticks have been giving us diseases for centuries, including Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

But this year is remarkable. Emergency room visits for tick bites are the highest they've been in nearly a decade, as ticks spread into new parts of the country -- and to top it off, a new horror has hit the headlines: Alpha-gal syndrome. One tick bite can make you violently allergic to meat: beef, pork, veal, lamb, venison, rabbit, everything but seafood and poultry.

Link to story in comments ⬇️⬇️⬇️

08/25/2026

LYMESCI: Borrelia burgdorferi disrupts gut barrier functions and microbiota–antibody interactions

The study tests the hypothesis that infection-driven gut barrier dysfunction, dysbiosis, and endotoxemia drive prolonged immune impairment, potentially affecting control of Bb itself and overall immune health. This positions gut barrier integrity as a possible therapeutic target in Lyme disease pathogenesis.

Key Takeaways:

✅ Bb infection induces “leaky gut” (increased intestinal permeability), endotoxemia (translocation of bacterial products such as LPS into the bloodstream), alterations in the gut microbiome, and changes in f***l short-chain fatty acids.

✅ These changes contribute to broader immune dysregulation, including hypergammaglobulinemia with elevated autoreactive IgG antibodies and impaired T-dependent antibody responses.

✅ Bb establishes persistent, non-resolving infections in mice, consistent with prior observations of immune suppression that prevent full bacterial clearance.

Link to study in comments ⬇️⬇️⬇️

08/24/2026

New York Post asks what we've all been wondering - Why can’t we just kill all the ticks?

Do these blood-sucking disease syringes serve a real purpose, or are scientists just nervous with the idea of eliminating an entire species?

Link to story in comments ⬇️⬇️⬇️

08/18/2026

Listen as Daniel Vitalis and Kris Newby discuss her battle with disease and how this led her down a rabbit hole of hidden documents, Cold War experiments, and controversial research into weaponized. ticks.

Listen as Daniel Vitalis and I discuss my battle with disease and how this led me down a rabbit hole of hidden documents, Cold War experiments, and controversial research into weaponized ticks. https://www.danielvitalis.com/podcast/009

08/17/2026

New from HHS Secretary Kennedy:

"At HHS, we are taking bold new actions against Lyme disease, alpha-gal syndrome, and other tick-borne diseases—accelerating research, improving care, and driving new treatments.

Millions of Americans need faster diagnoses, better care, and real answers.

Thank you Dennis Quaid for lending your voice to this important cause and joining me in this video."

FLDA Note: New Application CURE ID to report treatment successes and failures mentioned in video(link in comments below)
Provider Database on HHS.gov/Lyme links to ILADS

08/14/2026

“No Lyme in the South”? Latest CDC report says otherwise

Between November 2024 and August 2025, researchers partnered with residents in Western North Carolina to collect ticks from their own yards. The results were eye‑opening:

Blacklegged ticks made up nearly 80% of all ticks collected
About 40% of adult blacklegged ticks carried Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease
Some also carried Borrelia miyamotoi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, both capable of causing serious illness
Gee, this sounds pretty similar to infection rates in the Northeast and Upper Midwest —not the line we’ve traditionally been fed.

This isn’t just a North Carolina story. It’s part of a nationwide shift.

Link to blog by Lymedisease.org in comments ⬇️⬇️⬇️

08/11/2026

We too are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of Dr. Brandon Jutras at the age of 44. Dr. Jutras was an extraordinary scientist and deeply respected member of the Lyme and tick-borne disease research community.