“It’s getting harder and harder to say that only fringe groups believe that Lyme can be a chronic disease,” said Tim Lynagh, deputy chief of staff to Congressman Christopher Smith (R-NJ), who last week chaired a Congressional subcommittee hearing on global challenges of Lyme disease. “Mainstream researchers all over the globe have been and continue to investigate mechanisms by which the Lyme bacteria are able to persist after treatment. There’s a strong and growing interest in Lyme disease on Capitol Hill.'