Nearly 1 in 3 Patients with Suspected Lyme Disease are Co-Positive for Other Tick-Borne Pathogens, Finds Study by Quest Diagnostics

[Mij]

SECAUCUS, N.J., Sept. 21, 2026

Additional Key Findings:

• Among the entire cohort, 5% of individuals were seropositive for B. burgdorferi; 3.4% for Babesia microti (a malaria-like parasite); 3.1% for Anaplasma phagocytophilum; and 1.0% for Ehrlichia species.
• Patients in the Northeastern U.S. were roughly twice as likely to have antibodies co-detected against non-Lyme disease pathogens (31.1% of patients who were seropositive for B. burgdorferi) than other parts of the U.S. [Midwest (16.6%); South (16.0%); West (13.6%)]
• Babesia antibodies were most commonly co-detected among patients who were seropositive for B. burgdorferi, reaching 18.5% in the Northeast.

More than 40% of all the diagnostic panel testing occurred during the summer months of June through August and nearly 26% in the fall months of September through November, reflecting the seasonal nature of tick activity. Additionally, the cohort was primarily represented by the Northeast (70.6% of all patients tested) but also included other regions, reflecting the known habitat of ticks that transmit these diseases.

 

[MeSci]

Do antibodies not persist? I was wondering about the relevance of the times of year being when ticks are active.