MYSTERIES OF LYME INFECTION

In the quiet wooded towns where the air smells of pine and dew, a microscopic invader lurks—one that has baffled physicians, split families, and upended lives. In Mysteries of Lyme Infection, award-winning medical journalist Bradley Johnson embarks on a deeply researched, emotionally powerful exploration of one of the most controversial and misunderstood illnesses of our time. This groundbreaking book weaves together science, personal stories, and investigative reporting to illuminate the hidden complexities behind Lyme disease—tracing its discovery, dissecting its biology, and challenging what we think we know about infection, immunity, and chronic illness.Johnson takes readers beyond headlines and medical jargon into the frontlines of research labs, clinics, and living rooms across the United States and Europe. We meet patients whose lives have been derailed by debilitating fatigue, neurological dysfunction, and chronic pain; clinicians wrestling with conflicting diagnostic criteria; and scientists chasing elusive pathogens through DNA sequences and field studies. At the heart of Mysteries of Lyme Infection are the questions that have fueled heated debates within scientific and medical communities for decades:What exactly causes chronic symptoms in some patients — and why do others recover quickly?Are our current diagnostic tools adequate, or are countless infections going undetected?How does the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi — carried by tiny ticks hidden in tall grass and forest underbrush — evade the immune system and persist in the body?What unseen forces have shaped public understanding, medical treatment, and health policy?With clarity and compassion, Johnson unravels the science behind bacteria that twist themselves into corkscrews to burrow deeper into tissue, explores how co-infections complicate diagnosis, and brings us into laboratories where breakthroughs are emerging — sometimes against entrenched skepticism.But this is far more than a medical exposé. It is a human story of uncertainty and resilience:• A young mother whose unrelenting symptoms were dismissed as anxiety, until new evidence offered hope.• A veteran clinician who changed his approach after witnessing unexplained recoveries.• Researchers who challenge dogma and risk their careers to pursue truth.• Families fractured and then strengthened by their fight for answers.Johnson balances empathy with rigor, sympathy with scrutiny, and narrative with nuance, challenging readers to question assumptions about chronic illness, science, and care. Whether you are a patient, caregiver, clinician, or simply a curious reader, Mysteries of Lyme Infection invites you into a world that is as perplexing as it is profound. Rich with firsthand accounts, cutting-edge science, and the emotional stakes of real lives in the balance, this is the definitive account of Lyme infection — a story that is still being written. Read more