02/19/2026
This we’ve know for a long time but, it’s nice to see the studies coming.
EDIT: [More] Groundbreaking Evidence of congenital transmission - Lyme disease can pass from mother to unborn baby.
A powerful new case study documents a finding of live Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes in placental tissue from a Canadian mother’s archived birth sample – imaged by microscopy.
Both mother and child, grew viable spirochetes from body fluids: her vaginal swab, child’s urine. PCR on multiple genes confirmed the exact same strain in both.
Key facts:
• Mother had flu-like symptoms in early pregnancy
• Child had recurrent fevers, pain, sensitivities from infancy – standard tests missed it.
• Serology? Often negative (two-tier fails again!).
• Placenta showed spirochetes via staining + DNA – despite “normal” pathology at birth.
This isn’t theory: cultures, imaging, sequencing from 3 labs spotlights congenital Lyme risks – think neonatal issues, developmental delays – and screams for better pregnancy screening/treatment guidelines.
Read full study:
🔗 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/14/2/406
Here’s Dr Horowitz’s take: https://open.substack.com/pub/medicaldetective/p/maternal-fetal-transmission-of-lyme-disease-and-co-infections-protecting-mothers-and-children
What do you think? Is it time for routine placental PCR?
Share your thoughts below
