Author Archive

Are MS and Lyme the Same Thing?

http://

Are MS and Lyme Disease the Same? 

Pam Bartha

10/25

Here’s what you’ll discover: 

  • Research spanning 100+ years linking MS to Lyme-related bacteria
  • Why up to 90% of MS patients test positive for Borrelia burgdorferi with proper testing
  • The 2017 MS Society study (published in NEJM) showing antibiotics reduced MS progression
  • Modern pathology findings of Lyme bacteria inside MS brain tissue
  • Real treatment strategies that target this infection and others commonly found in MS

For more:

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research

Two Tests Outperform Current Tests for Detecting Early Lyme Disease

https://www.bayarealyme.org/blog/journal-of-clinical-microbiology-studies-demonstrate-two-investigational-diagnostics-outperform-current-tests-in-detecting-early-lyme-disease/

Journal of Clinical Microbiology Studies Demonstrate Two Investigational Diagnostics Outperform Current Tests in Detecting Early Lyme Disease

Journal of Clinical Microbiology Studies Demonstrate Two Investigational Diagnostics Outperform Current Tests in Detecting Early Lyme Disease
 | Diagnostics, NewsBy Bay Area Lyme Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Journal of Clinical Microbiology Studies Demonstrate Two Investigational Diagnostics Outperform Current Tests in Detecting Early Lyme Disease

Studies utilize Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s Lyme Disease Biobank samples to point to the promise of single-tier diagnostics to potentially transform early detection

PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif., October 9, 2025 — Bay Area Lyme Foundation, the leading nonprofit funder of Lyme disease research in the US, today announced results from two independent studies published in Journal of Clinical Microbiology, conducted by researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine, and Kephera Diagnostics, respectively, demonstrating the potential of novel investigational single-tier Lyme disease tests to improve accuracy in the earliest stages of infection. Each study uses well-characterized samples from Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s Lyme Disease Biobank and demonstrated unprecedented accuracy, far exceeding the current CDC-recommended Lyme disease two-tier test, which can miss up to 70% of early-stage cases as well as later-stage cases.

“The CDC’s standard two-tier Lyme diagnostic misses the majority of early cases, delaying treatment and increasing the risk of developing persistent, debilitating symptoms for patients. The two novel single-tier assays—while not yet FDA-cleared for clinical use—point to a future where Lyme disease can be diagnosed quickly, accurately, and with a single test,” Liz Horn, PhD, MBI, a coauthor on both studies, and Principal Investigator of Lyme Disease Biobank, a Bay Area Lyme Foundation program that provides much-needed samples to approved researchers working to better understand tick-borne diseases and develop improved diagnostic tests and therapeutics. “These single tier tests, like InBios Lyme Detect™ and Kephera’s Hybrid Lyme ELISA could mark a turning point for Lyme diagnostics, giving physicians and patients more accurate tools that are urgently needed.”

The first study, evaluating the InBios Lyme Detect™ Multiplex ELISA, was conducted by Pete Gwynne, PhD, a 2022 Bay Area Lyme Emerging Leader Award (ELA) winner, and colleagues at Tufts University School of Medicine. Using samples from the Lyme Disease Biobank, this new diagnostic correctly identified all two-tier positive samples evaluated in the study, while also detecting 21 of 79 clinically diagnosed patients who were missed by following the current CDC guidance for testing using FDA-cleared standard two-tier tests (STTT) and had erythema migrans (EM) skin lesions. Importantly, the InBios test maintained >99% specificity, with only one false positive across more than 200 control and lookalike disease samples and was shown to be highly reproducible.

“Improving diagnostics for early Lyme detection is critical to reducing missed cases and enabling patient access to treatment when it is most effective, helping prevent disease progression,” said Pete Gwynne, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine. “The use of Lyme Disease Biobank samples to validate this research highlights the important role biorepositories can play in innovative science.”

InBios’ microarray-based assay is designed to capture reactivity against a set of 10 different Borrelia burgdorferi antigens simultaneously including VlsE and multiple OspC variants, and it uses machine learning to analyze results, identifying complex patterns.

“The Lyme Detect Multiplex ELISA offers a significant improvement in early Lyme detection while simultaneously providing important independent IgG and IgM antibody reactivity against a broad panel of targets,” said James Needham, PhD, Director of New Product Development at InBios International.

Another recent independent study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology in August found Kephera Diagnostics’ Hybrid Lyme ELISA demonstrated 94% sensitivity in patients with EM skin lesions, compared to just 64% for STTT and 76% for modified two-tier testing (MTTT). The Hybrid Lyme ELISA likewise outperformed both two-tier methods in detection of EM patients within the first week after onset of symptoms. This single-tier test achieved equivalent specificity to both STTT and MTTT, based on a unique approach that requires antibodies to bind both the Borrelia C6 peptide and the VlsE protein. The test is now in clinical trials to support an FDA submission.

“Our Hybrid Lyme ELISA demonstrates that it’s possible to achieve both high sensitivity and high specificity in a single-tier format, even in the earliest stages of Lyme disease,” said Andrew Levin, PhD, Chief Executive and Scientific Officer of Kephera Diagnostics, who led this study using samples from the Lyme Disease Biobank, the CDC, and New York Medical College. “Access to well-characterized samples was essential to validating this approach and moving the field closer to a reliable, first-line diagnostic for Lyme.”

About Lyme disease
The most common vector-borne infectious disease in the US, Lyme disease is a potentially disabling infection caused by bacteria transmitted through the bite of an infected tick to people and pets, and can be potentially passed from a pregnant mother to her unborn baby. If caught early, most cases of Lyme disease can be effectively treated, but it is commonly misdiagnosed due to lack of awareness and inaccurate diagnostic tests. There are more than 620,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year, according to Bay Area Lyme Foundation estimates. As a result of the difficulty in diagnosing and treating Lyme disease, up to two million Americans may be suffering from the impact of its debilitating long-term symptoms and complications, according to Bay Area Lyme Foundation estimates.

About Lyme Disease Biobank
Lyme Disease Biobank (LDB), a program of Bay Area Lyme Foundation, is a non-profit organization working to accelerate research of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. With a collection of biological specimens from more than 1,250 participants, including blood, serum, plasma, urine and tissue, LDB provides much-needed samples to approved researchers working to better understand tick-borne diseases and develop improved diagnostic tests and therapeutics. Blood and urine samples are collected from the Northeast, Upper Midwest and West Coast areas of the US, and tissue samples are collected throughout the country. Researchers interested in obtaining samples should visit www.lymebiobank.org or contact info@lymebiobank.org.

About Bay Area Lyme Foundation
Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a national organization committed to making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure, is the leading public charity sponsor of innovative Lyme disease research in the US. A 501c3 organization based in Silicon Valley, Bay Area Lyme Foundation collaborates with world-class scientists and institutions to accelerate medical breakthroughs for Lyme disease. It is also dedicated to providing reliable, fact-based information so that prevention and the importance of early treatment are common knowledge. Historically, a pivotal donation from the LaureL STEM fund covered all overhead costs through 2024. In 2023, a Bay Area Lyme Endowment was formed, which allows for 100% of all donor contributions to the Bay Area Lyme Foundation to go directly to research and prevention programs in perpetuity. For more information about Lyme disease or to get involved, visit www.bayarealyme.org or call us at 650-530-2439.

About InBios
Since 1996, InBios has been a leader in the development of diagnostic tests for emerging infectious diseases and biothreats. Products are designed for superior performance, efficiency and value. These include several FDA market authorized and CE marked assays for arboviruses, parasitic infections, biothreats, and more. InBios continues to anticipate and serve the growing global public health demand. Products in the pipeline include next generation platforms for Chagas, dengue, tick-borne and respiratory diseases. For more information, visit www.inbios.com.

About Kephera Diagnostics
Kephera Diagnostics is a young and growing company that is addressing the public health challenges of global infectious diseases using new assay technologies.  We also operate a CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited diagnostic laboratory delivering excellence in specialized diagnostics. We focus on diagnostic solutions for diseases where there are significant gaps in addressing patient needs, particularly in underserved areas of healthcare including infectious diseases and women’s health. Our mission is to promote more effective and affordable medical treatment through faster diagnosis. We collaborate with a global community of researchers and clinicians to develop and translate new technologies into accessible products for clinical diagnostics and research applications.

# # #

Media Contact:
Tara DiMilia
Phone: 908-369-7168
Tara.DiMilia@tmstrat.com

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**Comment**

Not sure why Bay Area Foundation is stating that congenital Lyme can potentially happen.  It can happen – period and 33 years of of documentation proves it.

Interesting to note:

“study co-author Gary P. Wormser, MD, New York Medical College said, “This test [Kephera Diagnostics’s Hybrid Lyme ELISA] could potentially change the standard of clinical practice, allowing clinicians to diagnose all manifestations of Lyme disease with a time-saving one-step antibody test.”

Why the Lyme/MSIDS community is still working with Gary Wormser is beyond me.  His track record is clear.

Having a quicker, more accurate test for early Lyme is important, but so is an accurate test for the thousands upon thousands who are chronically infected.

It will be interesting to see what ‘the powers that be’ do with all these new tests coming out. The concerted effort against direct testing or any test that is deemed competition to FDA/CDC testing has been decades in the making.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Uncategorized

Revolving Door Strikes Again

https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-revolving-door-strikes-again?

The Revolving Door Strikes Again

Why did the FDA relentlessly suppress all evidence of vaccine injuries?

A Midwestern Doctor
Oct 08, 2025

Many individuals I’ve spoken to believe Peter Marks is the government official most directly responsible for the entire COVID catastrophe, and those I know who directly interacted with him despise him. For that reason, six months ago, I published a detailed exposé of his conduct throughout the pandemic, both to highlight the systemic issues within our healthcare bureaucracy that must be fixed and to disincentivize other health officials from following in his footsteps. Since that time:

•Despite immense industry pushback, he was replaced with MAHA appointee Vinay Prasad

•Marks has made statements on the national media which display either a profound degree of ignorance of vaccines or a cult-like devotion to them, such as telling CBS the MMR vaccine absolutely does not cause encephalitis—despite this specific injury being one of the only vaccine injuries the Federal Government acknowledged as real and eligible for compensation when it created the the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.

Note: the primary reason DMSO (a safe and affordable substance with remarkable therapeutic applications against a wide range of “incurable” ailments) never entered mainstream medical practice was because the FDA, feeling DMSO’s broad therapeutic potential threatened their control of American medicine, waged a multi-decade war against it despite widespread opposition from the public, Congressmen, scientists and physicians across the country. One journalist who interviewed the successive FDA commissioners throughout this saga was struck by how “lacking [they were] in solid information about the most spectacular and controversial drug of our time” and how often they simply quoted nonsensical misinformation the FDA had previously put out about the drug without a basic understanding of it—something I would argue also applies to Peter Marks.

•Yesterday, it was announced that Peter Marks had started working with Eli Lilly, where he will oversee molecule discovery and infectious diseases at Lilly. While his salary has not been publicly announced, the AI systems I queried said given the existing precedent, he would likely get 2-6 million this year (a big upgrade from his roughly $200,000.00 FDA salary)—and possibly much more (e.g. 10-15 million).

This understandably enraged the vaccine injured parties who directly interacted with Marks over the last four years, so I felt it was important to revisit exactly what Marks did and discuss the broader revolving door in regulatory medicine.

Note: last year, the FDA approved Eli Lilly’s anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (granting the application Fast Track, Priority Review, and Breakthrough Therapy designations). I showed in last weekend’s article, that these costly drugs do close to nothing (they may slightly slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease) while simultaneously creating a variety of severe symptoms including giving over a quarter of recipients brain bleeds and brain swelling—yet remarkably, safer and much more effective Alzhemier’s therapies have languished in obscurity. (See link for article)

______________

**Comment**

I’m with Rodney Dangerfield on TOBAL,

“There Oughta be a law!”

For more:

Category:

Activism, Treatment, vaccines

Inside IGeneX’s New Lyme Test

http://  Approx. 55 Min

Inside IGeneX’s Game-Changing Lyme Test

Dr. Jyotsna Shah

Oct 7, 2025
 
Dr. Jyotsna Shah is an immunologist and molecular biologist with over 40 years of experience in diagnostic tools for tick-borne diseases. She holds a Ph.D. in diagnostic immunology from the University of Nairobi and conducted postdoctoral work at Harvard University.
 
Shah joined IGeneX in 1997, becoming Laboratory Director in 2003 and now serving as President and CEO.
_____________
 
**Comment**

Like so many other pioneers who expose inconvenient truths about Lyme, the Michigan State Attorney’s Office told Dr. Lida Mattman to stop testing for Lyme using her gold standard direct culture technique.  She also successfully duplicated the results of the Bowen Q-RiBb test, which provided a preliminary report of the findings within 24 hours of receiving the specimen. The final report included digital photographs of the finding, which was useful in evaluating treatment by comparing pre and post serial dilution results.

Direct testing for Lyme has been attacked for over 20 years.  The CDC has persecuted any test they don’t have control over and get kick backs from.

Mattman was subsequently threatened with time in jail or a fine of 5,000 dollars a day.  State police arrived at her lab with handcuffs and tried to find evidence that she was still testing but they didn’t find what they were looking for. She was forced to stop her valuable work and leave her lab.

The continued adherence to worthless 2-tier CDC testing is on purpose.  They don’t want an accurate test – they’ve had two already and buried them!

I question the use of PCR for diagnosing anything.  Just look at the COVID fiasco due to faulty testing.  Time will tell on this new IGeneX test.

For more:

Despite having nearly every symptom and being ER bound, neither my husband nor I managed to test positively on the CDC’s 2-tiered testing which sets arbitrary limits and omits the most specific band that is sometimes the only marker for those with late-stage Lyme due to decision made in Dearborn, Michigan decades ago.

The most divisive part of the two-step diagnostic standard – now called the Dearborn criteria – was elimination from the Western blot of two Bb proteins, outer surface protein A (OspA), from which LYMErix was made, and outer surface protein B (OspB), the intended component of next-generation vaccines.  Source

 

 

 
 

Category:

Lyme, research, Testing, Uncategorized

Why Millions Are Suffering in Silence: A Global Health Crisis

https://lymecare.org/posts/globalhealthcrisis/

Why Millions Are Suffering in Silence: A Global Health Crisis

The Silent Pandemic: Misdiagnosis and Urgent Lyme Disease Awareness
The Silent Pandemic: Misdiagnosis and Urgent Lyme Disease Awareness

Imagine waking up every morning feeling slightly off—just a bit out of sorts. Sometimes there’s a headache, other times an overwhelming sense of tiredness that even a strong cup of coffee can’t shake. You chalk it up to stress, the inevitable wear and tear of a busy life. But as the months pass, your symptoms worsen. By mid-morning, your energy is drained, and strange, fleeting moments of dizziness and confusion disrupt your routine. You tell yourself it’s nothing serious, probably just burnout. Until, one day, the fog in your mind becomes so dense that you can’t recall simple tasks or details you’ve known your entire life.

Doctors Tell You: It’s All in Your Head

When you finally turn to doctors for help, they dismiss your concerns. They tell you it’s all in your head—that you’re stressed, depressed, or simply overworked. You’re prescribed herbal supplements like valerian and ginkgo biloba, and receive a laundry list of vague diagnoses: fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, or worse, psychiatric disorders. The medications don’t help, the tests come back inconclusive, and years pass as you’re left searching for answers. Bit by bit, you start to lose touch with your loved ones, as friends and family struggle to understand the invisible illness consuming your life.

The Inadequate Excuse of Covid

Maybe you had Covid a few months or a year ago, and now doctors insist your lingering symptoms are due to Long Covid. But you know plenty of people who had the virus and are perfectly healthy today, long past their infection. The Covid pandemic, while devastating, has also become a convenient excuse to mask a deeper, more sinister truth.

The Real Cause: A Hidden Infection

All the while, the real culprit—a stealthy bacterial infection called Borrelia—is quietly ravaging your body, undetected by the very healthcare system that should be safeguarding you. And you’re not alone. Millions of people worldwide are suffering in silence, unaware that Borrelia is behind their mysterious ailments.

Despite the severity of the infection, few around you have even heard of Borrelia or understand the damage it can cause. Even the most expensive doctors fail to recognize its effects. (See link for article)

_______________

**Comment**

Part of the reason I don’t write more articles is because I spend a great deal of time correcting articles written by others.  It amazes me to no end how the accepted narrative of Lyme/MSIDS can still remain so pervasive after 40 years.

That said, this well written article only needs an update on some new research.  Since no date is included about when the article was written, but mentioned COVID, we can assume it was written sometime in the past 5 years.

Just this year (2025), a study showed that there is no evidence mosquitoes can transmit Bb, as the bacteria can not survive in their guts long enough to reach their salivary glands to be able to transmit the disease.  A few findings:

  • Mosquitoes exhibited low efficiency in acquiring Borrelia from infected hosts.
  • Spirochetes artificially introduced through ex vivo blood meals were rapidly eliminated during digestion, primarily due to trypsin activity.
  • Inhibition of trypsin prolonged spirochete persistence and infectivity in the mosquito gut. (Which begs the question if this is true for the human gut as well).  Interestingly, in arthropods trypsin increases significantly after blood feeding and plays an important role in early protein degradation.
  • Mechanical transmission experiments revealed no evidence of Borrelia transmission from infected to naive hosts.
  • The study makes the fatal flaw of assuming Ixodes ticks are the SOLE vectors capable of transmitting Lyme disease. There are many other bugs out there that have not been tested for transmission. We also know that human congenital transmission occurs (mother to fetus) and there is much to indicate it can be transmitted sexually as a STD.  It’s important to understand that no studies have ruled out sexual transmission but ‘the powers that be’ continue to proclaim it as fact.

For more:

Others have found various ways Bb is transmitted as well:

Like so many other pioneers who expose inconvenient truths about Lyme, the Michigan State Attorney’s Office told Dr. Mattman to stop testing for Lyme using her gold standard direct culture technique.  She also successfully duplicated the results of the Bowen Q-RiBb test, which provided a preliminary report of the findings within 24 hours of receiving the specimen. The final report included digital photographs of the finding, which was useful in evaluating treatment by comparing pre and post serial dilution results.

Mattman was subsequently threatened with time in jail or a fine of 5,000 dollars a day.  State police arrived at her lab with handcuffs and tried to find evidence that she was still testing but they didn’t find what they were looking for. She was forced to stop her valuable work and leave her lab.

The continued adherence to worthless 2-tier CDC testing is on purpose.  They don’t want an accurate test – they’ve had two already and buried them!

Category:

Lyme, Testing, Ticks, Transmission