Volunteers Needed for Lyme Disease Vaccine Study

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that can cause serious long-term symptoms if left untreated. For people who live in areas where ticks are common, a preventative vaccine would be better than current measures like insect repellants and checking for ticks.  

Currently, there are no approved vaccines available to prevent Lyme disease in exposed populations. Because our region experiences a high positivity rate for Lyme disease, Guthrie has been chosen as 1 of 12 healthcare organizations nationwide to conduct a clinical trial for the vaccine.   

Healthy children (between 5 and 17 years old) and adults (18 years of age and older) who live in places or participate in activities that increase their risk for Lyme disease may be eligible to participate. Risk factors for Lyme disease include: 

• Outdoor occupations such as landscaping, forestry, or wildlife and parks management 
• Frequent outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, or gardening 
• Living in or frequently visiting wooded areas, tree lines, tall grass, open fields, lakesides, or riversides 
• Owning a pet that may return from outdoors with attached ticks 

Interested patients should call 1-800-836-0388 or email clinical.research@guthrie.org. The study team will answer any questions and determine if an individual qualifies. 

The Guthrie Clinic is a non-profit multispecialty health system that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Sayre, Pennsylvania, The Guthrie Clinic is one of the nation’s longest established group practices, founded in 1910 by Dr. Donald Guthrie with a vision of providing patient-centered care through a clinically-integrated network of employed providers. It is an industry leader in the use of technology and electronic medical record to provide high-quality care. Among The Guthrie Clinic’s 6,500 caregivers are more than 700 physicians and advanced practice providers, representing the spectrum of medical specialties and sub-specialties. The Guthrie Clinic is a five-hospital system with a large network of outpatient facilities that spans nearly 9,000 square miles in Pennsylvania and upstate New York. It is dedicated to training the next generation of health care leaders, offering seven residencies and three fellowships.  
 
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