New Borrelia Species In the Midwest?

I've heard some rumblings about this in the recent past.....

Meanwhile, a lot of people in our area (Wisconsin) are getting the classical Tick Bites,
Rashes & associated sicknesses but are not getting the diagnostic test confirmations to back it.
Even the better-quality Tick Tests are coming back negative, or marginal at best.

Is there perhaps a new species of borrelia at play in the Midwest?

Rob

by new species - i guess you mean new to science - as in one they have found and managed to put a name to

but as above - would be very hard to untangle from the available anecdotal evidence

here are already something like 15 or 20 species that cause lyme disease - another 17 or so that cause TBRF that may present the same as lyme - then another group of borrelia that cause lyme-like illnesses -

the majority are associated with the deer tick - but Borrelia lonestari is one of these that has been on the radar for some years now, is associated with a different tick prevalent in the Midwest. Amblyomma americanum,

these ticks are not thought to transmit Borrelia Burgdorferi - but people bitten by them do sometimes develop
southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI). which may include a circular rash similar to a bulls eye rash along with fatigue, headache, fever, and muscle pains.

there are the usual confused signals from the CDC about whether this borrelia species causes a chronic illness
but i would be surprised if it didn't at least in some people - much like Borrelia Burgdorferi.