A new, peer-reviewed study presents evidence of mother-to-foetus transmission of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease during pregnancy, and calls for further research
A new paper published in the journal *Frontiers in Medicine* reports on the findings of an international researchers’ meeting held at the Banbury Centre at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
The Bay Area Lyme Foundation, one of the United States’ leading national non-profit organisations supporting research into tick-borne diseases, today announced the publication of a new, peer-reviewed study in the journal *Frontiers in Medicine*, which examines the transmission of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease from mother to foetus during pregnancy.
The publication presents the results of observational studies showing that the bacterium that causes Lyme disease is capable of passing from the mother to her unborn child. The study also highlights that both the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognise the possibility of mother-to-foetus transmission.
As approximately 500,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in the United States, and infection during pregnancy can in some cases be associated with serious adverse pregnancy outcomes – such as miscarriage, stillbirth or congenital infection – the study concludes that the clinical impact of Lyme disease on pregnancy and infant health is an important public health issue that has not yet been investigated in sufficient depth.
“As a paediatric infectious disease specialist, I have seen first-hand the impact Lyme disease can have on children. Based on the medical histories of several of my patients, I had previously suspected that the infection might have been transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy” said Dr Charlotte Mao, a colleague at the Bay Area Lyme Foundation and co-author of the study.
“The first case reports of mother-to-foetus transmission appeared as early as the 1980s. Nevertheless, several decades later, we still lack sufficient research findings and clear, evidence-based guidelines regarding Lyme disease during pregnancy and its adverse pregnancy outcomes. This is a significant public health issue that urgently requires well-designed scientific studies in order to fully understand the risks, and to help patients and healthcare professionals make informed decisions that better protect the health of mothers and infants.”
The authors of the study emphasise that there is a pressing need for real-world research to clarify how the Borrelia bacterium, which causes Lyme disease, behaves during pregnancy, and to quantify the consequences of the infection for mothers and newborns.
The statement considers it particularly important to:
- the launch of large-scale, prospective studies involving pregnant women with Lyme disease;
- long-term, systematic clinical follow-up of their children;
- and the collection of biological samples from mothers, the placenta and newborns in coordinated biobanks, so that they can be used for both current and future research.
“Despite decades of scientific observation suggesting that Borrelia infection, which causes Lyme disease, can lead to illness in the offspring via the mother, there is still a lack of real-world clinical data that could provide appropriate guidance for doctors and families” said Dr Monica Embers, lead author of the study, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Tulane National Centre for Biomedical Research, and a member of the Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board.
“My colleagues and I have long been frustrated that research into Lyme disease during pregnancy receives very little funding and attention. By bringing together researchers from various disciplines, we have been able to review the available evidence and identify the key research priorities needed to better understand the mechanism of mother-to-child transmission, and to protect the health of mothers and their children more effectively.”
The publication was based on a scientific expert meeting held at the Banbury Centre at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. At the meeting, international researchers, clinicians and public health specialists – many of whom are members of the Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s research network – reviewed the existing scientific evidence on Lyme disease in relation to pregnancy and developed a strategic roadmap for future research.
The Banbury Centre meeting was funded by the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.
The participants reviewed several decades of scientific literature, including:
- individual case reports;
- case series;
- animal studies;
- clinical trials;
- epidemiological studies;
- as well as questionnaire-based surveys of pregnant women with and without Lyme disease, and their children.
Based on the totality of the available evidence, they concluded that Lyme disease during pregnancy is associated with the transmission of the Borrelia bacterium from mother to foetus, as well as with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including foetal and neonatal illness and death.
Conference participants emphasised that much more rigorous scientific research is needed to determine
- how frequently mother-to-child transmission occurs,
- what biological mechanisms underlie this,
- and what short- and long-term health consequences this may have for infants and children infected at birth.
Dr Michal Caspi Tal and Dr Edward B. Breitschwerdt (DVM, DACVIM), researchers at the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, also attended the Banbury Centre’s expert meeting and are co-authors of the study.
The Bay Area Lyme Foundation continues to support scientific collaborations in order to accelerate research progress on Lyme disease and other tick-borne infectious diseases.
(C) Lyme Borreliosis Foundation
