Published National Findings in Lyme Disease Testing to Be Discussed on July 30 Webinar Hosted by Quidel Corporation

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Elizabeth Lee-Lewandrowski, Ph.D., MPH, a national key opinion leader on tick-borne diseases, will discuss the findings of a national seven-year study on Lyme disease testing on a webinar she will be conducting on Thursday, July 30. The webinar is part of an ongoing series hosted by Quidel, the California-based diagnostic healthcare manufacturer known for successfully developing rapid diagnostic health solutions.

Over the past year, Dr. Lee-Lewandrowski has published two large epidemiological studies documenting changing trends in tick-borne diseases as well as a third paper documenting national trends in non-Lyme disease tick-borne infections. Data from one of these papers was presented to the Health and Human Services Tick-Borne Disease Working Group to assist the group in providing policy guidance to the U.S. government.

On the webinar Dr. Lee-Lewandrowski will share the published results of a “national reference laboratory” study on blood-testing for Lyme disease, which she conducted along with her collaborators (https://academic.oup.com/ajcp/article/152/1/91/5461358).

Among the findings were that: Lyme disease occurs in all age groups and in all regions of the country; males and females are roughly equally at risk; Lyme disease is seasonal, but a significant number of cases are diagnosed in the winter months; and the demographics of Lyme disease is changing with greater rates of infection in traditionally low-risk states. The study also revealed that Lyme disease is about 10 times more frequent than reported cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Lee-Lewandrowski is a member of the faculty of the department of pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where she also serves as a clinical laboratory scientist in chemistry. She is also assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School. A member of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Dr. Lee-Lewandrowski received her Ph.D. in chemistry from Brown University and her master’s in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She brings to her July 30 presentation a deep interest in the clinical applications of point-of-care testing technologies that improve outcomes and the efficiency of clinical operations.

Among those expected to attend the webinar are physicians, other allied health professionals, scientists and healthcare researchers interested in hearing the latest regarding the prevalence of Lyme disease and results of testing. The free July 30 webinar will take place from noon-1 p.m. (EDT). To register, click quidel.com/webinars.

About Quidel Corporation

Quidel Corporation serves to enhance the health and well-being of people around the globe through the development of diagnostic solutions that can lead to improved patient outcomes and provide economic benefits to the healthcare system. Quidel’s products aid in the detection and diagnosis of many critical diseases and conditions including not only Lyme disease but, among others, COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, strep A, herpes, pregnancy, thyroid disease and fecal occult blood. Quidel’s research and development engine is also developing a continuum of diagnostic solutions from advanced immunoassay to molecular diagnostic tests to further improve the quality of healthcare in physicians’ offices and hospital and reference laboratories. For more information about Quidel, visit quidel.com.