Wormser’s junk science and deliberate avoidance of the horribly disabled
NOV 13, 2019 —
Editorial censorship over the past thirty years has kept the truth from the public as patient testimony all across America (and the globe) is describing a disease that is destroying lives, ending careers while leaving its victim in financial ruin. This petition site is a clearinghouse of evidence to be used in current and future litigation over the deliberate mishandling of Lyme disease by the academics that have controlled the narrative, government health officials who have aligned themselves and financed the deception with US taxpayer dollars and the editors of journals who continue to conceal the truth.
There is no way my letter to the editor below will see the light of day so it is being published here for everyone to see …….
When evidence based medicine has been spun to fit bias agendas and the patient voice has been intentionally ignored who investigates the dishonest science?
-Carl Tuttle
Letter to: Dr. Joerg Heber with copy to The Tick-borne Disease Working Group and Dr. Anthony Fauci who continues to fund Wormser’s “JUNK SCIENCE”
———- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE < runagain@comcast.net>
To: jheber@plos.org, plosone@plos.org
Cc: ipuebla@plos.org, mdohm@plos.org, gvousden@plos.org, mbyrne@plos.org, afauci@niaid.nih.gov
Date: November 12, 2019 at 8:28 AM
Subject: Post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms score: Developing a new tool for research.
PLOS
Post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms score: Developing a new tool for research.
Turk SP, Lumbard K, Liepshutz K, Williams C, Hu L, Dardick K, Wormser GP, Norville J, Scavarda C, McKenna D, Follmann D, Marques A https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0225012
Excerpt:
“Some patients have residual non-specific symptoms after therapy for Lyme disease, referred to as post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms or syndrome, depending on whether there is functional impairment.”
Nov 12, 2019
PLOS
1160 Battery Street
Koshland Building East, Suite 225
San Francisco, CA 94111
Attn: Joerg Heber, Editor-in-Chief (PhD in Semiconductor Physics)
Dear Dr. Heber,
As the Editor-in-Chief of a scientific journal you should be well aware of the following: (Taken from the attached JAMA letter to the editor published Dec 18, 2018) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2718786
“It is well known that untreated streptococcal pharyngitis can progress to rheumatic fever, causing irreversible heart damage. Untreated syphilis leads to progressive disability and dementia, and untreated human immunodeficiency virus infection progresses to AIDS with significant disability and death. What happens to a patient with Lyme disease who goes months, years, or decades before diagnosis because of a false-negative serological test result?”
Wormser et al do not discuss the consequences of untreated Lyme disease in their PLOS published paper. Why do you think that is the case Dr. Heber?
Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome after early treatment and untreated late stage Lyme of months, years or decades are two distinctly different disease states with the later going unrecognized for over three decades. The absence of a bulls-eye rash after tick bite allows patients to progress to severe neurological disease instead of obtaining a prompt diagnosis and early treatment. Purposely avoiding the advanced stage of disease hides the horribly disabled and anyone unable to see this is somewhat naïve. Avoiding the seriously disabled Lyme patient population hides the severity of the disease as exposed in the “Under our Skin” documentary.
Under Our Skin – Extended Trailer (5min, please watch the video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxWgS0XLVqw
For the past three decades, Lyme disease has been portrayed as hard to catch and easily treated [1] while those who control the narrative (Through editorial censorship) refuse to recognize this pathogen as an antibiotic resistant/tolerant superbug by suppressing evidence of persistent infection. [2] This misclassification has all but eliminated government funding that should have been equal to or greater than AIDS or Zika which are also life-altering/life-threatening infections in need of cures.
For example: (in reference to persistent infection)
I would like to point out the following case study from Stony Brook Lyme Clinic. I understand the patient received thirteen spinal taps, multiple courses of IV and oral meds, and relapsed after each one, proven by CSF antigens and/or PCR. The only way this patient (said to be a physician) remained in remission was to keep her on open ended clarithromycin- was on it for 22 months by the time of publication.
Seronegative Chronic Relapsing Neuroborreliosis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7796837
Lawrence C.a · Lipton R.B.b · Lowy F.D.c · Coyle P.K.d aDepartment of Medicine, bDepartment of Neurology, and cDivision of Infectious Diseases, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and dDepartment of Neurology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, NY., USA
Eur Neurol 1995; 35:113–117 (DOI:10.1159/000117104)
Abstract
We report an unusual patient with evidence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection who experienced repeated neurologic relapses despite aggressive antibiotic therapy. Each course of therapy was associated with a Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction. Although the patient never had detectable free antibodies to B. burgdorferi in serum or spinal fluid, the CSF was positive on multiple occasions for complexed anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies, B. burgdorferi nucleic acids and free antigen.
Duke University Oncologist Dr. Neil Spector required a heart transplant after his infection was left untreated for four years while serology was repeatedly negative for Lyme disease.
Gone in a Heartbeat – A Physician’s Search for True Healing
https://www.lymedisease.org/book-review-spector-lyme-disease/
Patient testimony all across America (and the globe) is describing a disease that is destroying lives, ending careers while leaving its victim in financial ruin.
The truth about this devastating disease has been kept from the public for 43 years and there are no Public Service Announcements informing the public that you could become horribly disabled [3] [4] or die [5] from Lyme disease.
A worldwide community of physicians has been influenced by the ongoing disinformation campaign aimed at promoting the idea that Lyme is little more than a nuisance disease as health agencies across the globe are blindly following what has been deceitfully established here in the U.S. The academics that controlled the narrative for the past three decades have been named as defendants in a Texas District Court racketeering lawsuit and that fact is missing from the conflicts of interest statement in the Wormser published PLOS article. Why is that Dr. Heber?
Court Document:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/18uyrli878ug51m/LymeDisease%20RICO%20Lawsuit.pdf?dl=0
We are dealing with a life-altering/life-threatening infection with faulty/misleading antibody tests, inadequate treatment, no medical training and absolutely no disease control; a public health disaster.
And once again we see Wormser fixated on the acute stage of disease after early treatment as he continues to believe that he has pulled the wool over the eyes of the reader and medical community.
When evidence based medicine has been spun to fit bias agendas and the patient voice has been intentionally ignored who investigates the dishonest science?
A response to this inquiry is required.
Respectfully submitted,
Carl Tuttle
Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH
Cc: Iratxe Puebla, Senior Managing Editor
Michelle Dohm, Managing Editor, Editorial Board Services
George Vousden, Senior Editor
Meghan Byrne, Senior Editor, Team Manager
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID Director
References: (Please read them!)
1. Lyme Disease Is Hard to Catch And Easy to Halt, Study FindsNew York Times By GINA KOLATA Published: June 13, 2001
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/13/us/lyme-disease-is-hard-to-catch-and-easy-to-halt-study-finds.html
Excerpt: But some who have treated hundreds of patients with long-term antibiotics, like Dr. Sam L. Donta of Boston University Medical Center, were not convinced. The antibiotics in the studies were not given for a long enough time, Dr. Donta said, and he would have chosen different ones. Perhaps all that the studies show, he said, is ”that this particular treatment doesn’t work.”
2. Peer Reviewed Evidence of Persistence of Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and Tick-Borne Diseases after the mandated one-size-fits-all IDSA treatment approach:(700 articles)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/n09sk90eo6xz7ua/700%20articles%20LYME%20EvidenceofPersistence-V2.pdf?dl=0
3. Latent Lyme Disease Resulting in Chronic Arthritis and Early Career Termination in a United States Army Officer(Published: 06 March 2019)
https://academic.oup.com/milmed/advance-article/doi/10.1093/milmed/usz026/5370051?searchresult=1
4. Nicole Malachowski: Unfit for Duty from Debilitating Tick-Borne Disease
http://cdmrp.army.mil/cwg/stories/2018/nicole_malachowski_profile
5. Deaths From Lyme Disease Compiled by: John D. Scott, Research Scientist 17 April 2018
https://www.dropbox.com/s/eo794dx7zspc1ln/Ld%20deaths.doc?dl=0
Today’s letter to Dr. Gary Wormser of New York Medical College
NOV 14, 2019 —
There has never been a response to any of my inquiries addressed to Dr. Wormser….I wonder why? A copy of this letter was sent to the lead attorney of the current Texas RICO lawsuit.
———- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: gary wormser <gary_wormser@nymc.edu>, jheber@plos.org
Cc: ipuebla@plos.org, mdohm@plos.org, gvousden@plos.org, mbyrne@plos.org, afauci@niaid.nih.gov, amarques@niaid.nih.gov, gwormser@nymc.edu, donna_mckenna@nymc.edu, dean.follmann@nih.gov, gary_wormser@nymc.edu, joshua.norville@tufts.edu, lymestudy@mfpstorrs.com, linden.hu@tufts.edu, plosone@plos.org
Date: November 14, 2019 at 8:48 AM
Subject: Re: Post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms score: Developing a new tool for research.
Nov 14, 2019
Division of Infectious Diseases,
New York Medical College,
Valhalla, NY 10595
Attn: Gary P. Wormser, MD
Dr. Wormser,
As an Infectious Disease Specialist I would like to ask you a few questions that I hope you could take the time to answer:
1. Does untreated strep throat lead to rheumatic fever causing irreversible heart damage?
2. Does untreated human immunodeficiency virus infection progresses to AIDS with significant disability and death?
3. Does untreated syphilis lead to progressive disability and dementia?
4. Does untreated Lyme disease produce sudden death with no warning signs; [1,2,3,] heart damage requiring transplant, [4] paralysis with seizures, [5] lymphoma [6] and persistent infection after antibiotic treatment [7, 8,9,10,11] along with congenital transmission [12] and ability to create wheelchair bound patients [13]?
Your thirty year fixation on the acute stage of disease (with bulls-eye rash) after early treatment gives the impression that you have disregarded the consequences of untreated Lyme disease which leaves the patient horribly disabled similar to the other examples I have presented.
I believe you have coined the phrase “aches and pains of daily living” when patients experience a return of symptoms after the one-size-fits-all IDSA treatment mandate.
“Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome” after early treatment and untreated late stage Lyme of months, years or decades are two distinctly different disease states with the later going unrecognized for over three decades. Patients who have had a prolonged exposure to the pathogen are almost always incapacitated.
5. So what is your motivation for disregarding the consequences of untreated Lyme disease? Is it because the outcome of untreated Lyme doesn’t match the well-established dogma that Lyme is a simple nuisance disease; hard to catch and easily treated, which you helped to establish?
We have a disease that is wreaking havoc all across America (and the world) while you remain focused on the early stage of disease as indicated in your latest PLOS publication; shameful indeed.
Misclassification has pigeonholed Lyme disease into a low-risk and non-urgent health issue which has all but eliminated adequate government funding for a disease capable of long term disability and death.
A response to this inquiry is requested.
Carl Tuttle
Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH
References: (Tip of the iceberg)
1. Cardiac Tropism of Borrelia burgdorferi: An Autopsy Study of Sudden
Cardiac Death Associated with Lyme Carditis. (March 2016)
http://ajp.amjpathol.org/article/S0002-9440(16)00099-7/abstract
Excerpt:
“Fatal Lyme carditis caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi rarely is identified. Here, we describe the pathologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular findings of five case patients.”
2. CDC Case Study #1: Three Sudden Cardiac Deaths Associated with Lyme Carditis:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6249a1.htm?s_cid=mm6249a1_w
3. CDC Case Study #2: A case report of a 17-year old male with fatal Lyme carditis
http://www.cardiovascularpathology.com/article/S1054-8807(15)00025-3/abstract?rss=yes
4. Professor Neil Spector: Duke physician uses near-death experience to encourage patient self-advocacy
http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2015/05/28/duke-physician-uses-near-death-experience-encourage-patient-self-advocacy#.VYlYnxtViko
Dr Neil Spector from Duke University required a heart transplant after his Lyme disease went undiagnosed for four years.
5. Nashua Mom in the ‘Lyme Light’ on Katie Couric Show
http://patch.com/new-hampshire/nashua/nashua-mom-talks-chronic-lyme-on-katie-couric-show
Fifth-grade teacher Kelly Downing was paralyzed from the neck down and interviewed by Katie Couric.
6. Infection by Borrelia burgdorferi and cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (Cancer)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9331890
Specific DNA sequences of Borrelia burgdorferi were identified in cutaneous lesions from 9 patients (follicle center lymphoma: 3/20; immunocytoma: 3/4; marginal zone B-cell lymphoma: 2/20; diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: 1/6).
7. Application of Nanotrap technology for high sensitivity measurement of urinary outer surface protein A carboxyl-terminus domain in early stage Lyme borreliosis.
http://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-015-0701-z
41 of 100 patients under surveillance for persistent LB in an endemic area were positive for urinary OspA protein after antibiotic treatment.
8. Culture evidence of Lyme disease in antibiotic treated patients living in the Southeast.
http://danielcameronmd.com/culture-evidence-of-lyme-disease-in-antibiotic-treated-patients-living-in-the-southeast/
Rudenko and colleagues reported culture confirmation of chronic Lyme disease in 24 patients in North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. All had undergone previous antibiotic treatment.
9. DNA sequencing diagnosis of off-season spirochetemia with low bacterial density in Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi infections.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24968274
Faulty/misleading antibody tests landed a sixteen year old male in a psychiatric ward when his lab results did not meet the CDC’s strict criteria for positive results. His Western blot had only four of the required five IgG bands. Subsequent DNA sequencing identified a spirochetemia in this patient’s blood so his psychiatric issues were a result of neurologic Lyme disease misdiagnosed by antiquated/misleading serology. This patient was previously treated with antibiotics.
10. Granulomatous hepatitis associated with chronic Borrelia burgdorferi infection: a case report
http://www.labome.org/research/Granulomatous-hepatitis-associated-with-chronic-Borrelia-burgdorferi-infection-a-case-report.html
The patient had active, systemic Borrelia burgdorferi infection and consequent Lyme hepatitis, despite antibiotic therapy.
11. Scotty Shelton and Persistent Infection in Saginaw MN
https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/11685820
“Scotty’s brain (cerebral cortex) was positive for Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia myamotoi, his testicle is positive for Bb. We are now testing other tissues. Seven years of antibiotics and 3.5 years of natural treatments (along with antibiotics) and he was highly highly positive.”
12. Congenital Transmission of Lyme/TBD
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z10em0szgpm8bll/Congenital%20Transmission%20of%20Lyme%202015.doc?dl=0
13. Wheelchair-Bound Girl Calls Blessing By Pope Francis ‘Most Precious Moment Of My Life’
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/09/24/pope-francis-blesses-girl-in-wheelchair/
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A 12-year-old girl who has been confined to a wheelchair since being diagnosed with Lyme disease said meeting Pope Francis as he arrived in New York Thursday was “the most precious moment of my life.”
