Tick-borne infections such as Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), Bartonella, Babesia and mycoplasma are increasingly recognized as significant triggers for Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) in children, causing autoimmune encephalitis that inflames the brain and leads to sudden or severe neuropsychiatric symptoms including OCD, anxiety, depression, irritability, aggression, tics, restricted food intake (as in anorexia), behavioral regression, and cognitive issues. In contrast to PANS, PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) is narrowly defined as the same abrupt-onset syndrome but specifically triggered by Streptococcus infections.
According to experts like Dr. Daniel Kinderlehrer, Bartonella in particular is highly suspicious in children with prominent neuropsychiatric manifestations, alongside Babesia and Lyme. These infections provoke immune cross-reactivity and antineuronal antibodies, as evidenced by positive Cunningham Panels in affected patients and case studies where adolescents in psychiatric residential treatment tested positive for multiple tick-borne pathogens.
Clinical cases illustrate dramatic recovery when these tick-borne causes are addressed with targeted antibiotics, antiparasitics, and/or herbals, dietary changes to reduce inflammation, and mast cell stabilizers when appropriate, rather than psychiatric interventions alone. For instance, children with presumed primary psychiatric disorders or eating disorders improved markedly once Lyme, Bartonella, and Babesia were treated, highlighting how these infections can be misdiagnosed as purely mental illness.
