JFIFrPhotoshop 3.08BIMV@Flawed Yet Fixable Research Slowed Advances in Infection-Trigger720260514PSCIENMAGUAuthorvFlawed Yet Fixable Research Slowed Advances in Infection-Triggered Chronic Conditions Like Lyme Disease and Long COVID Science@https://scienmag.com/flawed-yet-fixable-research-slowed-advances© 2026 Sciencehttps://scienmag.com/Each year, thousands of Americans grapple with enduring and debilitating symptoms such as profound fatigue, cognitive impairments often dubbed “brain fog,” and a host of other persistent issues following acute infections caused by pathogens including Lyme disease and COVID-19. Despite considerable efforts by the scientific community to elucidate underlying mechanisms and develop effective treatments for […]ScienceMedMedicineMedicine%brain fog in chronic disease patients chronic fatigue after infections+cognitive impairments in chronic infections.improving research on post-infectious diseases&infection-triggered chronic conditions>interdisciplinary collaboration in infectious disease researchLong COVID persistent symptoms Lyme disease research challenges'methodological flaws in medical studies!pathogen confirmation in research*post-infectious chronic illness mechanisms#scientific study design limitationsC    !'"#%%%),($+!$%$C   $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$"7!1AQa"q#2BRb3r0!1A"Qaq#2B ?F4M.Լ&FޤJ3mGm!}ocK'aby?;e@q SA,I*>Z e{|mHy$vD[|_"諵Cؚ8XNOf! m+.(knYYeIY.\kTh8!Y mڮ5yAQ۷CΆ'Zim\Ȍyti9-)HTYޛ-eY 8ݨ{D0]5:"vUX˗;QI# |J5W)WR*Qڂi{T$Zumg)RZKfp=o¶~Ld9({F}o?ʿp\V zZLr%丒]: NF#~u^ko/'k{(^ځ3EX\,GCl\F8T!tYbCe$q) m{ax;y#3{QYK5ouNpx3w6d:wl?Fbi0qԃ\-7j?m~h. W ,*A *>%ȍؔ y2zʋhI;{{799Q%ك|k9JVc7kyb0Nt~Vg6Kq3=ܻs]7I罖u`ӄc!9Wr| eb05I _:?geiylv~/Ty:4r}q] U%uo3*R)s3():Tq^?uJ͜ୈ#iKP\pdxos{+fm?ю>,!Y`G~T/)apWrUѐyMi%%ѱ~>,IG"#%bk_$tYEq1(| }.h6@tE^)]춻0 ۅa,EĘ{!9yJyvY]$JT|+Ϭ ܸ=س̠OJ7ivm.~8Y5[OA([Tlb!(mPkb!V^a˯`7JܔcokQjdNr9tѠ9nHcuxijKۙY6ozlj`{S^f_rvJ=Yq1t&?VHZ[i//5ޤ}0ඏ5* OG}D^ /"lCJts&gex=ys'ZιcUk۪..R]?}=ζrid-V' ~3\Z\<Xߕ ijp%ˆөWRA^iQvKi3K%DZnuX6yR+=Y%p0g1ܞïzU+Ήc%r(c0l#ɜuw&+Н~G}o<,'ZKKasS^r!UYOR@Nw\}IJ[RݻE"o ╚]tF%u|mnGqs! Hg# d_e/xFfefSJ6:og5 F2K.P^G Gl(ZZQ$(I5RY. |[Dcta˘/mt@,jzޫKg9~@vG9e Ih5#Ku1H#yQƶu%_1[FTB|F(~j nB9wLBvQ"}kggD)OJ-fsFPi$N`? Oe(!ɯJv9x QsRgEb>Zz,*r@Yԏ*ieqx-yYT7dtLH-~ ,1'骥.oqПt>-r{P 9>Fì=qŢkqᳫrP _<;92IW!Jt'ץ^[2Q‘~#7 a<Ю᝕~Y!ýĖ[@ ^x24 ɮ^(],S*Vӧ WKXp sq{ʹ _5[pa"GqRrǩ%ck. |oakXLݴ6'`(4ZV3VdEjn2m"?U&g)O[ j԰_|/vJJI}EXV.L˘C-+f@M FЕe;yRN)_/kGu 6qpD>f,|{r4J[ KȲK[xžUT Ж;ZNZβ`cջkV2Pøݬh6WUyn!M>Q~;{iUy bpwb<ֱ$Fs$]5Vxz,V:5m*i ~eد&`,2W)똅_2'M,ŭ$P*-9#c[5BlmYmU9 &r5@[c+#r_֩2K) 7My^I0rQXM6jxmU#$0yVkqJ ` k[hƧ\Oay`TWtI1=Vqga/7oX-Em";?R[!Q6%Kh;Vg#+K9B:kλ^P՝V- _>KQ*(A݉@l~.QVEp8>" :UOrN+Ón8nH5f% %Wug !l7V|1[jzkST++D#u_*'}-[aޡaD brRuJkR.Z\r9f+;*U'o͕ź+IէZ3'rކE!n붎IKF/B*=5ۥM Id\蕎2K[fu|4μlW\IGfYc|67M5qJYS҆bqv:$QZǯKf%]S)mN㛐~֟}}=$hzU SbȢs7jS bg*3fṥrvߕW&ks;de򟢱MfR I^RTrqڽRʳz)JT OJԴ/ GJU^^ J/=i* I!^ҥ]BQB{ҥ] 6*U