Science Corner | Coppe Laboratories

Why is Powassan Virus Infection Still Described as “Rare” and “Mysterious”?

Coppe Laboratories March 22, 2018

For the last two years, Coppe Laboratories has dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to dispelling the myth that infection with Powassan virus, a virus transmitted by tick bite, is rare.

Categorized: Science Corner

Questions and Answers about Tick-Borne Illness Testing

Coppe Laboratories December 13, 2017

Question: What benefit is it to patients to test for multiple genospecies of borrelia? Dr. Knox: While B burgdorferi is the dominant borrelia species found in US patients, infections with other genospecies of borrelia have been seen (B. afzelii, B. garinii) and other strains of the bacteria have been identified in ticks in the US (B. miyamotoi). Standard FDA approved Lyme testing will not detect these infections and patients will remain undiagnosed and untreated. We recently had a case where…

Categorized: Science Corner

Tagged: Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia burgdorferi

Brain Teaser

Coppe Laboratories November 29, 2017

A 57-year-old woman from Minnesota was admitted to the hospital after having a fever of 102 degrees for four days. Her family said she hadn’t been feeling well for a week. In addition to the fever, she presented with fatigue, confusion, and difficulty walking and speaking.

Categorized: Science Corner

Tagged: Borrelia burgdorferi, Powassan virus