News screening device shows promise for Lyme disease
Staff Writer |
With summer returning, outdoor activities like camping and hiking will be part of the fun for many Americans. Unfortunately, that also means the risk of Lyme disease, which is most commonly spread through tick bites.
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Ancon Medical is introducing a new technology that can make it easier for doctors to diagnose Lyme disease, for which early treatment can usually result in a rapid and complete recovery, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Ancon Medical’s Nanoparticle Biomarker Tagging (NBT) device can screen for a wide range of diseases by testing an individual’s exhaled breath for biomarkers, which act as a chemical fingerprint for the presence of disease.
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria and can result in fever, fatigue, skin rash, flu-like symptoms, headaches, joint pains, neck stiffness, heart palpitations and numbness in the face. In the U.S., there were more than 25,000 confirmed reported cases in 2013, with another 10,000 probable cases, the CDC reports.
There are limited testing methods for Lyme disease, which usually begins with doctors examining both the symptoms and possible exposure to ticks. In later stages, the disease can be detected through a blood test, which will often produce negative results in the early stage of the disease.
To become an effective screening device for Lyme disease, more research and funding will be needed to discover the chemical biomarker for Lyme disease. Furthermore, more research into the Lyme disease biomarker could expand the value of NBT technology to the veterinary field, as the disease has been diagnosed in dogs, cats, horses, goats, sheep and cattle.
In cattle, horses and other livestock, Lyme disease can result in lameness, chronic weight loss and require euthanization in some cases. Fortunately, Lyme disease can’t be transferred through milk or other contact with livestock, but it can affect an infected cow’s milk production. ■