BIOFILMS EDUCATION
Updated: Oct 18
Biofilms are a big deal when treating, and many practitioners have not treated them adequately. This post explains what they are and what the research shows, so you can talk with your practitioner about them.
Looking for things that may help? My Biofilms Possible Solutions post is here:
A quick-view graphic with the key points is at the bottom of this post.
WHAT A BIOFILM IS
- A biofilm is a group of bacteria that clump together and cover themselves in a protective, slimy layer.
- Lyme bacteria can form biofilm-like clumps. These clumps contain the same markers found in other bacterial biofilms, like alginate, calcium and extracellular DNA, and have tiny channel-like spaces running through them.
- Dr. Marty Ross explains that fibrin, a sticky clotting protein, helps hold the biofilm together.
WHY BIOFILMS MATTER IN LYME
- Bacteria living in a biofilm can handle antibiotics far better than free-floating bacteria.
- In lab studies, common Lyme antibiotics like doxycycline and amoxicillin killed free-swimming Lyme bacteria but did not fully clear biofilms.
- Researchers believe biofilms may play a part in why some people stay sick or relapse after treatment. More research in people is still needed.
THE NEWEST RESEARCH
- 2025: Researchers in Italy and Slovenia grew biofilms from two European types of Lyme bacteria taken from patients' bull's-eye rashes. In the lab, the biofilms needed much higher amounts of antibiotics to stop them, up to about 64 times more for doxycycline and ceftriaxone. The bacteria had no resistance genes, so the biofilm itself was the reason. This was a small lab study.
- 2024: Eva Sapi, PhD, and her team at the University of New Haven found Lyme bacteria biofilms in the heart tissue of infected mice, with signs of inflammation nearby. Bay Area Lyme Foundation lists this as one of the studies it funded.
- 2022: Global Lyme Alliance funded University of Guelph researchers to look for markers that could show Lyme bacteria forming biofilms in patients. Global Lyme Alliance noted that solid proof of biofilms in Lyme patients is still lacking, and the article noted the same is true for biofilm-busting treatments.
- 2020: Dr. Richard Horowitz and Eva Sapi, PhD, found in the lab that certain antibiotics, alone and in combination, greatly reduced Lyme biofilms and their protective layer.
- 2019: A Global Lyme Alliance funded Johns Hopkins study by Ying Zhang, PhD, found that biofilm-like clumps of Lyme bacteria caused worse arthritis in mice. Doxycycline or ceftriaxone alone, or the two together, did not clear the infection. Only a three-drug combination did.
OLDER STUDIES THAT STILL MATTER
- 2018: A review in Frontiers in Neurology explained how Lyme biofilms may play a part in neurological Lyme, including cases that come back after treatment. It noted that biofilm-like clumps were found in skin samples from people with a Lyme skin condition common in Europe.
- 2016: Eva Sapi, PhD, and her University of New Haven team were the first to find Lyme biofilm in infected human skin tissue.
RELATED POSTS
Biofilms - Possible Solutions:
Boluoke:
Hypercoagulation:
Cyst forms of Lyme:
SOURCES
Biofilm-Forming Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii from Patients, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (2025):
University of New Haven, Borrelia burgdorferi Biofilm in Infected Mouse Heart Tissues, Microorganisms (2024):
Bay Area Lyme Foundation, Funded Studies:
University of Guelph, Global Lyme Alliance Funding to Probe Lyme Disease and Biofilm Links (2022):
Dr. Horowitz and Eva Sapi, BMC Research Notes (2020):
Global Lyme Alliance, Johns Hopkins Persister and Biofilm Microcolony Study (2019):
The Emerging Role of Microbial Biofilm in Lyme Neuroborreliosis, Frontiers in Neurology (2018):
University of New Haven, Research Confirms Lyme Disease Bacteria Biofilm in Human Body (2016):
Dr. Marty Ross, Lumbrokinase in tick-borne diseases (updated 2026)
Disclaimer: Rise Above Lyme makes no claims about any possible benefit of using any product mentioned within this site. Always consult with your doctor before adding anything. The information shared is based on personal experience, years of accumulated researched resources from Lyme Literate doctors and polls conducted within Lyme groups from actual patient experience using these solution ideas.
Comments