Lyme disease should be recognized as a virulent epidemic and we need to establish a “Manhattan project” to approach it.

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness worldwide. The CDC reported an average of 30,000 cases of Lyme disease per year in the USA. However, the true incidence of it may be as high as one million per year in the US. Lyme disease should be recognized as a virulent epidemic at least six times more common than HIV/AIDS. An inclusive panel of clinicians, researchers, patients, and government officials should be established to determine the new approach to Lyme disease and revoke the archaic and ineffective IDSA Lyme guidelines. A uniform standard for Lyme disease testing should be established, with emphasis on a “gold standard” culture and/or PCR test for the spirochete. Finally, further trials of antibiotic therapy should be conducted once the “gold standard” testing is in place.