Is it possible to transmit Lyme disease sexually?
No one can give a definitive answer to this question yet.
We have seen that Borrelia has been identified in semen and vaginal secretions, and that the disease can even be transmitted from male mice to female mice. However, we must not forget that laboratory mice may have a very narrow genetic pool. So this does not necessarily mean that the same would happen with a healthy mouse – or a healthy human.
Ticks are very good vectors.
Why?
Because they actually reduce the immune response – they want to suck blood for a long time, so they have to fight the immune response. This means that during the long period of time that ticks are feeding, the bacteria will multiply and can easily enter the body, enter the bloodstream and infect the host, because the immune response is partially inhibited.
– The longer they feed,
– the more damage is done to the immune system
– and the more bacteria there are, the more likely it is that the host organism will become infected.
This is one of the reasons why mosquitoes are less likely to spread Lyme disease – and because they produce a specific enzyme for digestion that has been shown to destroy Borrelia.
Let’s say there is sexual intercourse and the semen contains some Borrelia.
There is very little chance that the bacteria will enter the woman’s bloodstream.
Why?
- Because there are not many epithelial lesions where significant amounts of bacteria could enter.
- And there is generally no systemic immunosuppression, unless the patient already has a disease such as HIV.
- It is not yet known whether the local immunosuppression caused by the presence of semen affects the survival of Borrelia.
- The highly acidic pH is not favourable for Borrelia, which is generally fragile.
In an immunocompetent person, there is a greater risk of the mother infecting the baby in the womb (which has been confirmed) or of the tick biting and remaining there for more than four to six hours, which is the ideal way for the disease to spread.
(Excerpt: Tick Bootcamp, interview with András Páll Bózsik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3iM4IsrzdM )
