Archive for the ‘Activism’ Category

Cluster of Lyme Cases Manifesting as Bannwarth Syndrome

https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/01/26/cluster-startling-lyme-disease-cases-upper-midwest-12473

A Cluster Of Startling Lyme Disease Cases In The Upper Midwest

By Julianna LeMieux — January 26, 2018
Deer tick that carries Lyme Disease

There are thought to be approximately 300,000 cases of Lyme disease annually in the United States (although the actual number of cases reported to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is approximately 30,000 per year.)

Most of them consist of fever, headache and fatigue. They are frequently identified by the characteristic skin rash that looks like a bull’s eye called an erythema migrans – a telltale sign of the presence of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. 

Rarely, Lyme disease manifests as a neuroinvasive condition called Garin-Bujadoux-Bannwarth syndrome or, more frequently, just Bannwarth syndrome. This complicated version of Lyme Disease is characterized by a few telltale signs. They are, painful meningoradiculoneuritis (inflammation of one or more roots of the spinal nerve) that leads to motor weakness, facial nerve palsy and neuropathy usually in the hands and feet. The other is lymphocytic pleocytosis (an abnormally large number of lymphocytes) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). 

Never heard of Bannwarth syndrome? Neither had we. So, when a cluster of five cases of Bannwarth syndrome were seen during three weeks of July and August last summer, all in the upper midwest, it raised some red flags. The patients were identified at Mayo Clinic campuses in Minnesota and Wisconsin. (1)

Bannwarth syndrome associated with Lyme Disease is not a reportable disease, so data regarding the numbers of cases is scant. This cluster, however, sparked the medical professionals who treated the cases to share the information about the cluster by publishing a case report in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. This way, if there are other clusters elsewhere, people may start drawing some links and uncovering the mystery.

In the paper, they report on the five cases of Bannwarth syndrome. A small snapshot of each person follows (taken from the paper).

Patient 1: 61-year-old male with daily tick exposure presented with progressive back pain, upper torso and extremity paresthesias, right-sided facial droop, and blurry vision in the right eye. Four weeks prior, the patient observed an erythema migrans (EM) rash, treated with 5 days of twice-daily doxycycline.

Patient 2: 62-year-old female presented with subacute onset of lower extremity weakness, progressing to flaccid paralysis over a 3-week period, alongside radiating low back and abdominal pain with associated numbness. 

Patient 3: 65-year-old female presented with subacute progressive ascending weakness and lower extremity paresthesias. 

Patient 4: 29-year-old male developed fever, myalgias, chills, headache, fatigue, and a transient erythematous rash on his trunk in mid-June 2017. Two weeks thereafter, he developed right foot drop, Trendeleberg gait, lower extremity radiculopathy, and painful L5-S1 paresthesias. 

Patient 5: 69-year-old male presented with low-grade fevers, nausea, vomiting, diffuse arthralgias, headache, loss of smell, and blurry vision in the right eye. These symptoms were accompanied by neck and right upper extremity pain in a radicular pattern. 

Because it is not a reportable disease, it is not well understood how much of the disease is popping up across the country. That said, five cases in the same few weeks seemed strange enough for these authors to report it. Is Bannwarth syndrome more prevalent than previously thought? Or, is there something going on in the midwest that could be leading to more Bannwarth syndrome? Now that it is on people’s radar, perhaps we will find out more answers to this strange occurrence.

Notes: (1) There were actually six patients identified with Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB)

Source: Aditya Shah An Unusual Cluster of Neuroinvasive Lyme Disease Cases Presenting With Bannwarth Syndrome in the Midwest United States. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Volume 5, Issue 1, 1 January 2018  ofx276,https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofx276

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**Comment**

This is a perfect example of the type of journalism that is propagating myths.  Busy doctors will quickly scan this and other articles like it and surmise that Bannwarth Syndrome is rare.  Embedded within the article the journalist even mentions it’s not a reportable illness.  How can they even know numbers?  She even reports it as “complicated form of Lyme Disease.”  

Everyone I deal with has a complicated form of Lyme Disease!  

Dr. Horowitz states Lyme’s been around Europe since the late 1800’s (if not before) and was diagnosed as “acrodermatitis chronic atrophicans” or Bannwarth Syndrome accompanied by painful radiculitis (pain along a nerve), which often had an accompanying skin lesion, Bell’s Palsy, and meningitis.  

 

So, this is not new.

While the symptoms in Europe varied somewhat from the 1970’s outbreak in Lyme, Connecticut, they are in fact the one and same disease.  Steere’s myopic vision only allowed him to see rheumatologic manifestations and we’ve been stuck in that paradigm since.

To see the wild and varied symptoms:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/symptomlist.pdf  When you throw the numerous coinfections in the mix, it’s a smorgasbord of symptoms.

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Inflammation, Lyme

QB’s Wife Has Lyme & POTS

https://heavy.com/news/2018/02/nick-foles-wife-sick-tori-lyme-disease-health/

Nick Foles’ Wife Tori, Sick With Lyme Disease, Cites Faith

nick foles wife, tori folesGetty
Nick and Tori Foles.

Nick Foles’ wife, Tori Foles, is sick with a dual diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Lyme disease. What are these illnesses and what problems do they cause the spouse of the Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback?

Tori Foles wrote a lengthy blog post about the ailments for a site called The Increase Women. Although she described some of the challenges caused by the health problems, she also credited them with reinforcing her family’s faith. Tori, and the couple’s only daughter, Lily, who was born in June 2017, were captured on camera at Super Bowl 2018 cheering Nick Foles on.

Mark McClune

✔@MarkMcClune

Cool to see Nick Foles wife & daughter at the game after their journey https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/NFL/2018/01/30/Eagles-Nick-Foles-tears-up-talking-about-baby-daughter-wife/1131517344147/ …

See Mark McClune’s other Tweets

After the Eagles won, Nick Foles held Lily in his arms as he addressed the crowd.

lily foles, nick foles

“My life was altered in 2013 when I was diagnosed with an unexpected illness. A year after working at Nike Inc. and living an active lifestyle in Portland, OR, everything changed. I suddenly became ill and had no idea why. I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS),” Tori wrote. “Eventually, this would lead to an underlying diagnosis of Lyme Disease.” Tori described the illness as something that brought her and husband, Nick, closer to God. Nick Foles has been very open about his faith, even saying that he hopes to become a pastor after leaving the NFL.

According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, Tori and Nick “were married during a time Tori was undergoing tests at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., which is around the time Foles felt his focus and priorities shift from football. In 2013, Tori was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and later diagnosed with Lyme disease. Her heart rate could raise 30 beats per minute just from sitting and standing.”

nick foles, wife, tori foles, family, kids

The Post quoted Nick Foles as saying of his wife’s illness: “We never had a wedding ceremony. We never had a honeymoon. Just the journey we’ve gone on and gone through this and just to see her strength and to see her determination and to see her health continue to improve. And she still deals with it. It’s amazing. It gives me strength because I know she deals with it every single day.”

 

Postural Orthostatis Tachycardia Syndrome, often called POTS, is “a malfunction of the patient’s autonomic nervous system” that affects patients differently. “Some patients have fairly mild symptoms and can continue with normal work, school, social and recreational activities. For others, symptoms may be so severe that normal life activities, such as bathing, housework, eating, sitting upright, walking or standing can be significantly limited,” reports Dysautonomia International.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans.”

Tori filled the blog post with statements of faith. “For me, this illness has been a journey of faith, hope, and trust in the process that God has set out for me. Through my writing and my blog, I hope to be able to give some perspective on how to view difficult situations and help inspire people to find purpose in what they are going through. Most of all, I hope to lead people closer to the source of my hope and strength, Jesus Christ,” she wrote.

nick foles, wife, family, kids, tori foles

Tori and Nick married in 2014. In June 2017, Tori gave birth to the couple’s first child, Lily James Foles. Nick grew emotional when speaking about his wife and daughter before Super Bowl 2018. “That’s the most important thing,” Foles said. “When I think about this journey and everything, I get home and I, uh … I get to see her. I get to see my wife. I see her and my wife, just in her face and in her mannerisms, that’s what it’s about. I know that every time I step on the field, every single thing I do, there’s going to be some days she looks and wants to know who her daddy was and what he did.”

You can watch the emotional moment here:

Sports Illustrated

✔@SInow

Nick Foles tears up when talking about playing well for his daughter and setting an example

 

In one cute moment, Lily tried to grab the microphone after her dad was speaking following his big victory.

SNF on NBC

✔@SNFonNBC

Your MVP: @NFoles_9

Learn more about Nick Foles’ faith here.

Nick Foles’ Religion: The Eagles’ QB Wants to Be Pastor

Read More

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**Commment**

Dr. Horowitz writes about POTS in his book, Why Can’t I Get Better?  Solving the Mystery of Lyme & Chronic Disease.  He states that it is a common disease process that is often missed and that it can mimic Lyme/MSIDS and if not dealt with can lead to a poor treatment response. He describes numerous Lyme patients he’s treated with POTS.

POTS is in a long line of disorders that can keep folks from getting better.  It is a form of autonomic nervous system dysfunction (ANS) or dysautonomia that causes a malfunction in the nerves controlling blood pressure, heart rate, sweat glands, and bladder and bowel function.  He cites a 2007 Mayo POTS study and the ironic fact that many of the participants also had common Lyme/MSIDS symptoms.  

One of his patients complained of becoming light headed when standing up. Her blood pressure dropped to the low eighties over fifties with an accompanying increase in heart rate.  He explained she was chronically running low blood pressure – which can be a reason for dizziness, fatigue, and concentration problems.

The definitive test for POTS is the head-up tilt-table test (HUT).  It is done in the hospital and the patient lies flat on a special table while the heart rate is monitored and blood pressure checked.  The special table is then put in a 60-80 degree position and the variables are measured again.  If the HR increases more than 30 beats or to more than 120 beats per minute even within 10 minutes of the test, and a significant drop in blood pressure with dizziness and/or fainting, POTS is the cause.

Evidently POTS patients feel better with increased salt and fluids in their diet and another of his patients upon the POTS diagnosis was prescribed Florinef, a high-salt diet, and told to drink 2-3 Liters of fluid a day to increase blood pressure.  Another drug he’s used with success is Catapres. Others in the literature include Diamox, Mestinon, and IV Procrit therapy.

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Treatment

What’s in A Name? When Talking About Lyme Disease, it Matters

https://globallymealliance.org/chronic-lyme-or-ptlds/

What’s In a Name? When talking about Lyme disease, it matters

FEBRUARY 5, 2018

by Jennifer Crystal

Before becoming so debilitated by illness that I could not work, I was a high school English teacher. My ninth grade students read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and I’ll never forget our discussion of the lines: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other word would smell as sweet” (Act 11, scene ii).

Juliet is suggesting that the name we give someone or something is to an extent meaningless. To test this theory, I had my students write down the name of someone they loved. Then I told them to spit on the paper and tear it up. They were horrified.

“But it’s just a name,” I told them.

“No,” they argued. “It has an association. I can’t spit on someone I love.”

Years later, I think of that conversation when I hear people debate the nomenclature of Lyme disease. The Lyme Wars we so frequently hear about-covered in a five-part special on NBC New York and also in a New Yorker article -focuses on whether chronic Lyme actually exists. The name suggests a persistent, ongoing illness, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or lupus. Those are recognized diseases whose injury and severity are not called into question, no matter how long the patient has suffered, how long it took them to get diagnosed, or whether or not the patient is undergoing treatment. Conversely, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn’t recognize the term chronic, stating that “post treatment Lyme disease syndrome” (PTLDS) is the more appropriate term. Here the name we give to something actually matters very much.

Chronic Lyme is not the same as PTLDS. Post treatment Lyme disease syndrome assumes that a patient has undergone treatment and still has symptoms. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the vast majority of Lyme sufferers. Some patients do have persistent symptoms after treatment, but even those people cannot be gathered under one umbrella. For there are mitigating factors such as how long the person was sick before diagnosis, how long they were treated, how they responded to treatment, whether the infection crossed the blood-brain barrier, and whether the patient also has co-infections- these factors impact whether a patient will have persistent symptoms or not. No two cases of tick-borne illness are the same, meaning it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to lump those cases together

Chronic Lyme is at least a more appropriate term because it doesn’t define whether a person has undergone treatment or not. Usually, they haven’t. The reason Lyme often (though not always) becomes chronic is because it was misdiagnosed and left untreated in the first place. Under such conditions, the Lyme bacteria spend months or years replicating and circulating around the afflicted person’s body, sometimes crossing into the central nervous system. That’s what happened to me. Lyme coiled itself into my bones, joints, muscles, cells, and brain for eight years before I was accurately diagnosed. Eventually, treatment got me into a manageable state of remission, but because I had been sick for so long, I cannot be cured. Therefore, my Lyme is chronic-meaning recurring and difficult to eradicate.

My case is very different from someone who was only sick for two years, or who doesn’t have co-infections or has responded to initial treatment differently than I did. The same is true for cancer patients. A stage I breast cancer patient has a very different illness, treatment plan and prognosis than a Stage IV glioblastoma patient. They both have cancer, but when naming their illnesses, we don’t just group them together under the “C” word. Lyme disease should also be spoken of in more specific terms.

In her talk “Lexicon of Lyme” at last year’s International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society conference in Boston, Dr. Mualla McManus of the University of Sydney, Karl McManus Institute said, “Lyme disease is a household name-everyone talks about it, but no one defines it in a precise fashion.” I couldn’t agree more. There are now three recognized stages of Lyme disease, but many people don’t know about this breakdown in levels. Stage 3 is called Late Disseminated Lyme Disease. It would behoove us as patients to use this more precise wording instead of “chronic Lyme”-and certainly instead of the generic “PTLDS”-so that people can better understand the progression and prognosis of our illness.

Moreover, it’s important for us not to couch co-infections under the term Lyme disease and right now that’s all too common. These other infections are also transmitted through a tick bite; they are similar but are not the same as Lyme. For instance, it’s possible for a patient to get ehrlichia but not get Lyme disease. In another case, a patient may have Lyme and babesia, while another one might have babesia and Bartonella.

People need to understand that there are many tick-borne diseases out there and that have different symptoms from Lyme and often require different treatment. Though it’s wordy, I try to tell people that I have “chronic tick-borne diseases” rather than “chronic Lyme dis-ease,” because that phrasing is more accurate. In the future, I’ll try to say “chronic late dis-seminated tick-borne illness.” Is that a lot to throw at someone at a cocktail party? Yes. But the person I meet there wouldn’t want me to call him Jack if his name is really James. As my students discovered, there’s a lot in a name, and it’s important that we use the right ones to describe our illnesses with as much precision as we can.

jennifer crystalOpinions expressed by contributors are their own.

Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. She is working on a memoir about her journey with chronic tick-borne illness. Contact her at jennifercrystalwriter@gmail.com

 

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**Comment**

I see a large mistake here and it’s to decide that length of time mandates if a case is chronic or not.  While that is true to a degree, experts have made it known that a patient can actually skip stages and many do not go through the neatly categorized symptoms.

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/sosarafova/assets/bio307/meprasse/page07.html

Some patients with Lyme disease may only go through one of these stages, but others experience all three (Steere, 1989). Most patients do not go through all three stages, and some patients only experience Stage 3 without ever showing symptoms of Stage 1 or 2 (Kraus et. al., 1991).

This is important because just as the little girl who got bit in the morning defied the 24-48 hour “rule” of tick transmission, her case also demonstrates that within hours, borrelia can get into the central nervous system causing tertiary, late stage symptoms: (Within 6-8 hours she could not walk or talk)  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/12/07/igenex-presentation/

My personal experience bears this out as well:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/02/24/pcos-lyme-my-story/  Initial symptoms were all gynecological and in the middle of January in the tundra of Wisconsin.

Accurate info on transmission times:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/04/14/transmission-time-for-lymemsids-infection/

We need to start over.  We need to quit looking at these poorly done, ancient Cabal studies as if they are the rule of the land and realize that there are still many, many pieces of the puzzle that are unknown.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Transmission

Lyme in the Southern Hemisphere & Sexual Transmission

http://geocities.ws/dermagicexpress/year2018/1CQA.html  By Dr. Jose’ Lapenta

ENGLISH EDITORAL:
=================
Hello friends of the network, DERMAGIC EXPRESS brings you today another interesting topic, which perhaps you had never imagined: THE LYME DISEASE SEXUAL TRANSMISSION AND ARRIVAL IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, Disease that since its discovery and description was first attributed to the locality of LYME in Connecticut, US, and today described worldwide in NORTH HEMISPHERE, EUROPE, ASIA, (EURASIA) and the AFRICAN continent. It also raises the possibility that it is a Sexually Transmitted disease

With numerous cases on the rise each year, disease caused by the already mentioned in previous reviews THE BORRELIA BURGORFERI, A ESQPIROCHETE, which is very difficult to treat because of the resistance it offers to the treatment and because of its “ability” to “hide before the tests from laboratory.

As I said in the previous review, THE TICKS are a “BIBLE PEST”, mentioned in the book of the BIBLE, BOOK EXODUS:

“… And the dust of the earth became lice throughout the land of Egypt” … a well-knowledgeable tourist from Egypt observed that the sand seemed to move; observing more closely, he saw that the surface of the earth was a mass of tiny ticks … ”

So here comes the following observation: if it is a “BIBLE PLAGUE” such as LEPROSY AND SYPHILIS, it should be disseminated throughout the world, not just to a certain region, right?

Well, here I am going to show you that the BORRELIA BURGDORFERI, several years ago was described in several countries of South America, making this disease (LYME or ERYTHEMA MIGRANS) a global pathology; and I will mention one by one the countries where it was described with their respective observations:

The complex BORRELIA BURGDROFERI sensu lato (sl) includes agents of Lyme disease / borreliosis in NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE AND ASIA. Such as BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu stricto (st), Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia bavariensis, Borrelia spielmanii, Borrelia bissettiae and Borrelia mayonii. In short: BORRELIA sensu stricto(st): LYME DISEASE in North America, South America? BORRELIA sensu lato (sl): LYME DISEASE in EUROPE AND ASIA, SOUTH AMERICA.

1.) URUGUAY:
============
In the year 2013, a study was made looking for BORRELIA sensu lato (sl) ESPIROCHETES related to species of TICKS belonging to the complex IXODES RICINUS which classically inhabit the NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, in this study the BORRELIAL infection was studied in the TICK IXODES PARARICINUS, unique species that represents the IXODES RICINUS complex in URUGUAY. Were studied 137 ticks obtained from DEER, CATTLE or VEGETATION, in 2 Uruguayan departments. It was detected by means of laboratory studies, PCR, haplotype studies, infection in 9 MALES and a group of nymphs sequences for BORRELIA BISSETTII, a species very close to American borrelia. The authors considered their study the first report of infectious ticks of BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu lato (sl) in South America.

Prior to this study in 2005, another investigation was made where a collection of the IXODES PARARICINUS TICKS were made, in URUGUAY and ARGENTINA, which was first described by Keirans and Cliford in 1.985, of fatted females collected from CATTLE and larvae fed with MICE AND CHICKENS. A taxonomic study was made of IXODES PARARICINUS, which is geographically distributed in: URUGUAY, ARGENTINA, and COLOMBIA, but is probably established in other countries such as BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE and PERU. It has also been found in RODENTS AND WILD BIRDS. It stands out in the study that thisTICKS is part of the IXODES PARARICINUS complex, vector of BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu lato (sl).

Also in Uruguay IXODES PARARICINUS was collected in the birds Turdus albicollis, Turdus rufiventris Vieillot, Syndactyla rufosuperciliata, and Basileuterus leucoblepharus, these birds have their habitat in the forests of: URUGUAY, ARGENTINA CHILE, PARAGUAY, BRAZIL, BOLIVIA, AND PERU.

In the year 2104, the criterion was unified that the IXODES PARARICINUS tick was previously described in the year 1998. Under the name of IXODES ARAGOI FONSECA, a controversy remained for years, until the last studies concluded that phylogenetically the difference between the two is minimal, being then its ORIGINAL name IXODES ARAGOI, with the pseudonym IXODES PARARICINUS.

CONCLUSION: BORRELIA BURGDOERFERI sensu lato (sl) is circulating at SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, in URUGUAY, COLOMBIA, BOLIVIA, PARAGUAY and other countries that I describe below:

2.) BRAZIL:
=========
The case of BRAZIL is quite interesting, in the year 1992 a disease was described in HUMANS, in two siblings WITH ALL THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LYME DISEASE, after being bitten by ticks. The researchers were Domingos Baggio, entomologist and doctor Natalino Hajime Yoshinari. The disease under study was not recognized as A CLASSIC LYME, because the ticks did not belong to the IXODES RICINUS complex and the laboratory was negative for BORRELIA BURGDORFERI, but under an electron microscope it was detected that the causative organism was from the PHYLUM “ESPIROCHETE”.

It was classified as a new emerging zoonosis in BRAZIL under the name of BAGGIO YOSHINARI SYNDROME (BYS), practically a variant of LYME disease in the American continent, caused by the sting of TICKS, with the same clinical characteristics with the exception of with autoimmunity and recurrence.

In 2013, BORRELIA BURDORGFERI was reported in the tropical Neo region in the PAMPA URUGUAYA, isolated from the TICK IXODES ARAGOI, and between 2011 and 2016, 17 suspected cases of BORRELIOSIS SYNDROME were reported in the South of Brazil, DNA positive for BORRELIA. spp in ticks of the genus IXODES spp, specifically IXODES LONGISCUTATUS, the deepest study of haplotypes approached the species to: Borrelia carolinensis, B. bissettiae and Borrelia californiensis. Becoming the first evidence of the circulation of BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu lato in ticks of the genus IXODES spp IN BRAZIL, in other words the causal agent of the LYME DISEASE.

In the year 2014, a study was conducted in the rural area of ​​the state of Paraná, in BRAZIL, and the presence of BORRELIA GARINII and BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu stricto (st) was detected through PCR studies and DNA sequencing in Brazilian individuals, suggesting circulations these species in BRAZIL.

In that same year 2014 another study was made in that same area of ​​Paraná Brazil, collecting 224 TICKS on traction horses, (75%) of the gender DERMACENTOR NITENS and 25% AMBLYOMMA CAJANENSE, in two cases (Dermacentor nitens ticks) positivity was found for BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu lato, but the most interesting thing is that the DNA sequence by PCR revealed a 99.99% homology with the BORRELIA BURGDORFERI Sensu sricto (st) strain B31, another one of the strains causal agent of LYME DISEASE IN USA

In January of this year 2018 a study was carried out in BRAZIL also in horses: The objective of this study was to detect and measure the frequency of anti-BORRELIA IgG antibodies. burgdorferi American strain G39 / 40 on horses in the municipality of Sinop, MT-Brazil in the state of Mato Grosso, SEEKING EVIDENCE of the presence of the BORRELIA sensu stricto (st) which is the main causative agent of LYME DISEASE in the United States , because it is believed that a SIMILAR ESPIROQUETA is the causal agent of the BAGGIO YOSHINARI SYNDROME that I mentioned at the beginning, and of 367 horses studied 214 were POSITIVE for BORRELIA sensu stricto (78%) and in at least 75 farms there was a positive horse for BORRELIA BRURGDORFERI (92.59%) of the total, a high animal prevalence.

CONCLUSION: BORRELIA BURGORGFERI sensu stricto and sensu lato are circulating in the SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE IN BRAZIL and the BAGGIO YOSHINARI SYNDROME which has been considered a variant of the classic LYME DISEASE in this continent MAYBE IT IS THE SAME LYME DISEASE or ERYTHEMA MIGRANS as such.

3.) CHILE:
========
In the year 2014, a study was made in CHILE, where BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu lato (sl) was reported in endemic IXODES STILESI ticks collected in Chile from environmental vegetation and long-tailed rice rats (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus). The phylogenetic analysis placed this spirochete as a new genospecies within the Lyme borreliosis group; and the appointment of this new South American member of the LYME BORRELIA CHILENSIS VA1 borreliosis group was proposed in honor of the country of origin.

In another more recent study in 2017, it was determined that this IXODES STILESI tick also infects mice, in the South of Chile, the Pudú deer (pudu Puda). Sixty-six deer were examined over a period of two years. A total of 179 ticks of two species, IXODES STILESI and IXODES TAGLEII were collected, and BORRELIA ESPIROCHETES were found in 2 (6.45%) of the ixodes stilensi ticks, being this genetically the same as the BORRELIA CHILENSIS VA1 previously described in Chile, that which can play an important role in the prevalence of BORRELIA in that country and more studies are suggested to understand a possible pathogenicity towards humans.

CONCLUSION: BORRELIA CHILENSI V1A sensu lato (sl) is circulating in CHILE, through the IXODES STILENSI tick, hosts: the mouse Oligoryzomys longicaudatus and the Pudú Puda deer. The habitat of these 2 animals also includes ARGENTINA.

Turdus rufiventrus (rufous-bellied thrush), (Syndactyla rufosuperciliata (buff-browed foliage-gleaner), Basileuterus leucoblepharus ( white-rimmed warbler) and seabird, 4 birds that are carriers of the tick IXODES PARARICINUS, and lives in the forest and sea of : URUGUAY, ARGENTINA CHILE, PARAGUAY, BRAZIL, BOLIVIA, AND PERU.

4.) ARGENTINA:
=============
In the year 2014, a study was made on IXODES PARARICINUS ticks collected from the vegetation of the Province of Jujuy in ARGENTINA, to determine infection by BORRELIA through PCR. A male and a female of I. pararicinus collected in Jujuy were positive for Borrelia infection. Phylogenetically, THE BORRELIA found in I. pararicinus of Jujuy belongs to the complex B. BURGDORFERI sensu lato (sl), and was similar to one of the genospecies detected in IXODES ARAGOI of Uruguay. In addition, this genospecies is closely related to two known genospecies of EE. UU., Borrelia americana and Borrelia sp. Genospecies 1.

In the year 2017, another study was carried out in ARGENTINA, collecting TICKS and NYMPHS from IXODES PARARICINUS, vegetation and birds, in the Provinces of Jujuy, Tucumán and Salta; In total 82 ticks and several nymphs were studied both from the vegetation of Salta and the birds Turdus rufiventris in Tucumán, Syndactyla rufosuperciliata in Jujuy and Turdus nigriceps in Tucumán. Two (2) haplotypes of BORRELIA sp. Belonging to the BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu lato complex. One of them is closely related to the Borrelia genoespecies haplotypes previously reported in IXODES ARAGOI of Uruguay and IXODES. PARARICINUS from the province of Jujuy in Argentina. The authors mention that these IXODES species do not represent pathogenicity for humans. However, others say that further studies are needed to verify this claim.

More recently this year 2018 was conducted another study to investigate the presence of TICKS THAT INFECT cattle in the province of Yungaos in ARGENTINA with BORRELIA, ERLICHIOSIS and RICKETTSIA, the study showed once again that ticks of the genus IXODES PARARICINUS positive were found for BORRELIA BURGODRFERI sensu lato (sl), as I said previously phylogenetically related to IXODES ARAGOI of URUGUAY.

CONCLUSION: BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu lato (sl) CIRCULATE in ARGENTINA through THE TICK IXODES PARARICINUS, phylogenetically related to IXODES ARAGOI of URUGUAY.

5.) COLOMBIA:
============
In 1999, the presence of specific IgG antibodies for BORRELIA BURGDORFERI in patients with clinical manifestations of LYME DISEASE was evaluated in COLOMBIA. Were analyzed 20 samples of symptomatic patients, 1 sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a patient with chronic and arthritic neurological manifestations and 12 samples of patients with suspicion of Lyme BORRELIOSIS, being positive in 4 samples of symptomatic patients, 2 with morphea they were positive as well as the patient with neurological manifestations. The work proposes to analyze with “caution” this disease “type lyme” and suggest that a genoespecies BORRELIA different from the sensu stricto (st) is the causal agent, In other words BORRELIA sensu lato (sl) another LYME DISEASE CAUSAL AGENT.

CONCLUSION: BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sensu lato (sl) is probably the causal agent of LYME “type” DISEASE in COLOMBIA.

6.) PERU:
=======
In the year 1999, a study was made in the Andean areas of Peru in search of bacterial infections associated with lice, prevalence of EPIDEMIC OF TIFFUS, TRENCH FEVER AND RECURRENT FEVER. Were included 194 volunteer inhabitants of the province of Calca in the Urbamba valley. Thirty-nine (20%) of the 194 volunteers had antibodies against Rickettsia prowazekii, while 24 (12%) had antibodies against Bartonella quintana and 2 against BORRELIA recurrentis.

CONCLUSION: There are no studies that confirm the PRESENCE OF BORRELIA BURGDORFERI in Peru, but the PRESENCE OF BORRELIA RECURRENTIS causal agent of the RECURRENT FEVER, was found, whose causal agent is also a BORRELIA, ESPIROCHETE, and transmitted by the bite of lice; but remember that there are 4 species of birds that carry the TICK IXODES PARARICINUS (Borrelia sensu lato sl) that circulate in the forests of PERU.

7.) VENEZUELA:
=============
And the plague came to VENEZUELA also, between the year 1992 and 1993, 74 patients were studied in Zulia State: 37 asymptomatic and 37 clinically suspects of LYME DISEASE, ELISA tests were performed and positive cases were found for BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sp: 14 of 74 (18.9%). Positive cases in the symptomatic group (29.7%) were higher than in the asymptomatic group (8.9%). The most frequent clinical diagnosis was Morphea (54.5%). The main serological diagnosis (54.32%) was obtained from chronic patients (more than one year of evolution). 45.5% of the symptomatic patients presented antibodies, despite receiving antibiotic treatment. Most of the cases had a previous visit or stay in forest or rural areas.

The authors affirm the presence of BORRELIA BURGDOFERI and LYME DISEASE in patients from the State of Zulia VENEZUELA and propose more precise studies such as the immunoblot. The relationship between MORPHEA and infection with BORRELIA is well known in the international DERMATOLOGICAL community.

CONCLUSION: BORRELIA BURGDORFERI sp and LYME DISEASE circulate in VENEZUELA also, I also found evidence in MEXICO AND ISLANDS AZORES.

SEXUAL TRANSMISSION OF LYME DISEASE:
====================================
And what do you think if I tell you that there are VARIOUS studies confirming a “probable transmission of LYME DISEASE through sexual intercourse”, vaginal and seminal fluid, I must remind you that BORRELIA is a SPIROCHETE same as SYPHILIS, and the latter is transmitted by seminal and vaginal fluid; why the BORRELIA NOT?

The first study dates from the year 2001, that is 17 years ago, which was presented at an international conference on LYME disease, in which 40% of positivity was demonstrated by PCR in semen samples (14 of 32 patients). and 1 case of vaginal fluid.

“… ALL positive semen / vaginal samples in patients with known sexual partners resulted in positive Lyme / PCR titers in their sexual partners, 3/4 patients with positive semen had unknown or unknown sexual partners to be evaluated. .. “

Another study dates from the year 2014, January 25, the researchers tested samples of semen and vaginal secretions from three groups of patients: control subjects without evidence of Lyme disease, random subjects who tested positive for Lyme disease and married heterosexual couples who had sex unprotected and tested positive for the disease.

As expected, all control subjects were negative for BORRELIA BURGDORFERI in semen samples or vaginal secretions. In contrast, all women with Lyme disease tested positive for BORRELIA BURGDORFERI in vaginal secretions, while approximately half of men with Lyme disease tested positive for Lyme spirochete in semen samples. In addition, one of the heterosexual couples with Lyme disease showed IDENTICAL STRAINS of the Lyme spirochete in their genital secretions.

“There is always some risk of getting Lyme disease from a bite in the forest,” he said. “But there may be an increased risk of getting Lyme disease in the bedroom.”

The other study dates from the year 2015 To investigate this possibility, Middelveen et al. performed the first culture study of BORRELIA in human semen and vaginal secretions.

¨ … Patients with documented LYME DISEASE, including heterosexual couples who have unprotected sex, studied genital cultures in three independent laboratories. Sperm cultures and vaginal secretions were subjected to light and dark field microscopy and were found to contain LIVING MOBILE SPIROCHETES that exhibited a characteristic wave motion and stained positively with silver Dieterlee immunostaining for B. burgdorferi.

In addition, the PCR test and molecular hybridization with highly specific DNA probes showed that living genital spirochetes were strains of BORRELIA and not treponemes. Of particular interest, it was found that a couple had BORRELIA HERMSII and not BORRELIA BURGDORFERI in their genital secretions, further implicating sexual transmission in these cases. Control subjects who tested negative for Lyme disease had no evidence of Borrelia spirochetes in their secretions … “

More studies are probably needed to confirm what these researchers have already claimed: LYME DISEASE can be transmitted sexually. We hope that the science advances without OBSTACLES towards the definitive clarification of this aspect. But the studies I show you show that it is an indisputable reality.

Would this fact help explain why this plague has spread throughout the world? sex between couples with LYME? draw your conclusions.

FINAL CONCLUSION:
=================
1.) THE LYME DISEASE no longer belongs exclusively to the NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, here are the proof that are present in the SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE. Over there I read a comment that DENGUE, ZIKA, EBOLA AND CHIKUNGUNYA WERE NOT THE NEW PEST, the new pest or plague are THE TICKS, I said this for the first time last year and I still affirm it.

2.) I invite the medical authorities of ALL the countries of the HEMISPHERE SUR, to acquire the most specific tests to diagnose the LYME DISEASE. Because it could be that you or a family member or child, has a diagnosis of JUVENILE ARTHRITIS, PAIN ON A KNEE, OR NEUROLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS, MORPHEA, OTHERS and you may have thousands of ESPIROCHETES, BORRELIOSIS in your blood that is killing you without realizing it.

3.) And I can bet you that many doctors worldwide DO NOT EVEN KNOW what I’m talking about, because they were sold the idea that LYME’S DISEASE is only from Connecticut USA, and not a health problem that extended to all the globe; as I once said: THE NEW LEPROSY OF THE 21ST CENTURY.

4.) If it were a reality, the sexual transmission of LYME DISEASE would change the whole panorama with respect to it and maybe the “LYME WAR” that exists between ILADS International Society of Lyme Diseases and IDSA, Society of Infectious Diseases of America ARRIVES AT ITS END because the disease would be seen in another context, beyond the simple sting of a TICK in a forest, you can also acquire it in a bedroom having sex, patients would have greater access to treatment and all policies would change, that simple, end of story.

“… And God said to Moses: tell Pharaoh and his entourage, that I AM the only creator and giver of life, I will send you 10 plagues to understand … Pharaoh ignored … The plagues came , among them TICKS …. and finished with all those who did not believe him … everyone who has ulcers and their contaminated fluids will be unclean … until he heals ….. ”

BOOK OF EXODUS and GENESIS.

They were included here in addition to SYPHILIS, GONORRHEA AND LEPROSY LYME’S DISEASE?

Greetings to all

Dr. José Lapenta.

=========================================================
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES / REFERENCIAS BIBLIOGRAFICAS
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3.) The Confounding Debate Over Lyme Disease in the South The debilitating tick-borne disease is well-documented north of the Mason-Dixon line, but does it exist beyond that?
By Wendy Orent|Wednesday, December 11, 2013. http://discovermagazine.com/2013/dec/14-southern-gothic

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10.) Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes cf. neuquenensis and Ixodes sigelos ticks from the Patagonian region of Argentina. Acta Trop. 2016 Oct;162:218-21. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.06.030. Epub 2016 Jun 29. [PUBMED] Sebastian PS1, Bottero MN2, Carvalho L3, Mackenstedt U4, Lareschi M5, Venzal JM3, Nava S2.

11.) Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infecting ticks of the Ixodes ricinus complex in Uruguay: first report for the Southern Hemisphere. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2013 Mar;13(3):147-53. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2012.1102. Epub 2013 Feb 12. [PUBMED] Barbieri AM1, Venzal JM, Marcili A, Almeida AP, González EM, Labruna MB.

12.) Ixodes (Ixodes) pararicinus Keirans & Clifford, 1985 (Acari: Ixodidae): description of the immature stages, distribution, hosts and medical/veterinary importance. Syst Parasitol. 2005 Mar;60(3):225-34. [PUBMED] Venzal JM1, Estrada-Peña A, Barros-Battesti DM, Onofrio VC, Beldoménico PM.

13.) A collection of ticks (Ixodidae) from wild birds in Uruguay. Exp Appl Acarol. 2005;36(4):325-31. [PUBMED] Venzal JM1, Félix ML, Olmos A, Mangold AJ, Guglielmone AA.

14.) Infection with Borrelia chilensis in Ixodes stilesi ticks collected from Pudu puda deer. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2017 Aug;8(5):733-740. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.05.007. Epub 2017 May 18. [PUBMED] Verdugo C1, Jiménez O2, Hernández C2, Álvarez P2, Espinoza A3, González-Acuña D4.

15.) Borrelia chilensis, a new member of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex that extends the range of this genospecies in the Southern Hemisphere. Environ Microbiol. 2014 Apr;16(4):1069-80. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.12310. Epub 2013 Nov 27. [PUBMED] Ivanova LB1, Tomova A, González-Acuña D, Murúa R, Moreno CX, Hernández C, Cabello J, Cabello C, Daniels TJ, Godfrey HP, Cabello FC.

16.) Genetic heterogeneity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the southern United States based on restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analysis. J Clin Microbiol. 2001 Jul;39(7):2500-7. [PUBMED} Lin T1, Oliver JH Jr, Gao L, Kollars TM Jr, Clark KL.

17.) Antibody profile to Borrelia burgdorferi in veterinarians from Nuevo León, Mexico, a non-endemic area of this zoonosis. Reumatologia. 2016;54(3):97-102. doi: 10.5114/reum.2016.61208. Epub 2016 Jul 18. [PUBMED] Skinner-Taylor CM1, Flores MS1, Salinas JA2, Arevalo-Niño K1, Galán-Wong LJ1, Maldonado G1, Garza-Elizondo MA3.

18.) Genome Sequence of Borrelia chilensis VA1, a South American Member of the Lyme Borreliosis Group. Genome Announc. 2015 Feb 12;3(1). pii: e01535-14. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01535-14. [PUBBMED] Huang W1, Ojaimi C1, Fallon JT1, Travisany D2, Maass A2, Ivanova L3, Tomova A, González-Acuña D4, Godfrey HP5, Cabello FC3.

19.) Isolation of live Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochaetes from patients with undefined disorders and symptoms not typical for Lyme borreliosis. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2016 Mar;22(3):267.e9-15. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.11.009. Epub 2015 Dec 8. [PUBMED] Rudenko N1, Golovchenko M2, Vancova M3, Clark K4, Grubhoffer L5, Oliver JH Jr6.

20.) A divergent spirochete strain isolated from a resident of the southeastern United States was identified by multilocus sequence typing as Borrelia bissettii. Parasit Vectors. 2016 Feb 4;9:68. doi: 10.1186/s13071-016-1353-4. [PUBMED] Golovchenko M1,2, Vancová M3, Clark K4, Oliver JH Jr5, Grubhoffer L6,7, Rudenko N8,9.

21.) [Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in a population sample of the state of Zulia]. Article in Spanish] Invest Clin. 1994 Jun;35(2):91-104. [PUBMED] Arocha-Sandoval F1, Amesty-Valbuena A, Urbina M, Durango AI, Vargas-Montiel H.

22.) Survey of three bacterial louse-associated diseases among rural Andean communities in Peru: prevalence of epidemic typhus, trench fever, and relapsing fever. Clin Infect Dis. 1999 Aug;29(2):434-6. [PUBMED] Raoult D1, Birtles RJ, Montoya M, Perez E, Tissot-Dupont H, Roux V, Guerra H.

23.) Epidemiological investigation of Borrelia burgdorferi in horses in the municipality of Sinop-MT, Brazil. Trop Anim Health Prod. 2018 Jan 31. doi: 10.1007/s11250-017-1504-4. [Epub ahead of print] [PUBMED]. Socoloski SNG1, de Castro BG2, Cordeiro MD3, da Fonseca AH3, Cepeda MB3, Nicolino RR4, Lopes LB5.

24.) [Brazilian lyme-like disease or Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome: exotic and emerging Brazilian tick-borne zoonosis]. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2010 May-Jun;56(3):363-9. [PUBMED] [Article in English, Portuguese]. Yoshinari NH1, Mantovani E, Bonoldi VL, Marangoni RG, Gauditano G.

25.) Profile of patients with Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome admitted at “Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas”. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. 2010 Nov-Dec;52(6):297-303. [PUBMED]. Gouveia EA1, Alves MF, Mantovani E, Oyafuso LK, Bonoldi VL, Yoshinari NH.

26.) Chronic lymphomonocytic meningoencephalitis, oligoarthritis and erythema nodosum: report of Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome of long and relapsing evolution. Rev Bras Reumatol. 2014 Mar-Apr;54(2):148-51. [PUBMED][Article in English, Portuguese].Rosa Neto NS1, Gauditano G2, Yoshinari NH1.

27.) Brazilian borreliosis with special emphasis on humans and horses. Braz J Microbiol. 2017 Jan – Mar;48(1):167-172. doi: 10.1016/j.bjm.2016.09.005. Epub 2016 Oct 4. [PUBMED] Basile RC1, Yoshinari NH2, Mantovani E2, Bonoldi VN2, Macoris DD3, Queiroz-Neto A3.

28.) Lyme borreliosis. An Bras Dermatol. 2010 Nov-Dec;85(6):930-8.[Article in English, Portuguese] [PUBMED] Santos M1, Haddad Júnior V, Ribeiro-Rodrigues R, Talhari S.

29. Borrelia burgdorferi infection and cutaneous Lyme disease, México. Emerg Infec Dis. 2007;13:1556-8. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Oct;13(10):1556-8. doi: 10.3201/eid1310.060630. [PUBMED] Gordillo-Pérez G1, Torres J, Solórzano-Santos F, de Martino S, Lipsker D, Velázquez E, Ramon G, Onofre M, Jaulhac B.

30.) Positive IgG Western blot for Borrelia burgdorferi in Colombia. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 1999 Jul-Aug;94(4):499-503. [PBMED]. Palacios R1, Osorio LE, Giraldo LE, Torres AJ, Philipp MT, Ochoa MT.

31.) Talhari S, Talhari AC, Ferreira LCL. Eritema cronicum migrans, eritema crônico migratório, doença de Lyme ou Borreliose de Lyme. An Bras Dermatol. 1992;65:205-9. [ Links ]

32.) Eritema crônico migrans/ Doença de Lyme – Estudo de três casos. XLII Congresso Brasileiro de Dermatologia, Goiânia, 1987. Talhari S, Schettini APM, Parreira VJ, Cruz RG, Melo IS, Talhari, AC.

33.) Doença de Lyme. Rio Dermatol 1988;2:4-5. Filgueira AL, Trope BM, Gontijo PP Filho.

34.) Lyme Disease May Be Sexually Transmitted, Study Suggests
source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/01/prweb11506441.htm Carmel, CA (PRWEB) January 25, 2014

35.) Sexual transmission of Lyme disease: challenging the tickborne disease paradigm. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2015;13(11):1303-6. doi: 10.1586/14787210.2015.1081056. Epub 2015 Aug 26. [PUBMED] Stricker RB1, Middelveen MJ1.

36.) Culture and identification of Borrelia spirochetes in human vaginal and seminal secretions. Version 3. F1000Res. 2014 Dec 18 [revised 2015 Apr 27];3:309. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.5778.3. eCollection 2014. [PUBMED] Middelveen MJ1, Burke J2, Sapi E3, Bandoski C3, Filush KR3, Wang Y2, Franco A2, Timmaraju A3, Schlinger HA1, Mayne PJ1, Stricker RB1.

37.) Transhemispheric exchange of Lyme disease spirochetes by seabirds. J Clin Microbiol. 1995 Dec;33(12):3270-4. [PUBMED]. Olsen B1, Duffy DC, Jaenson TG, Gylfe A, Bonnedahl J, Bergström S.

38.) BirdLife International (2012). “Basileuterus leucoblepharus”. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 16 July 2012.Taxon identifiers. Wd: Q27075948 Avibase: D65E2A9D16D052AE eBird: whbwar2 ITIS: 950065 IUCN: 22722031

39.) BirdLife International (2012). “Syndactyla rufosuperciliata”. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.

40.) BirdLife International (2012). “Turdus albicollis”. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.

41.) Ticks infesting cattle and humans in the Yungas Biogeographic Province of Argentina, with notes on the presence of tick-borne bacteria. Exp Appl Acarol. 2018 Jan 27. doi: 10.1007/s10493-018-0208-4. [Epub ahead of print] [PUBMED] Saracho-Bottero MN1, Tarragona EL1, Sebastian PS1, Venzal JM2, Mangold AJ1, Guglielmone AA1, Nava S3.

42.) Validation of the taxon Ixodes aragaoi Fonseca (Acari: Ixodidae) based on morphological and molecular data. .) Zootaxa. 2014 Sep 8;3860(4):361-70. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3860.4.4. [PUBMED]. Onofrio VC1, Ramirez DG2, Giovanni DN3, Marcili A4, Mangold AJ5, Venzal JM6, Mendonça RZ7, Labruna MB4, Barros-Battesti DM8.

43.) Exchange of Borrelia burgdorferi between Ixodes persulcatus (Ixodidae: Acarina) sexual partners. J Med Entomol 1996;33:351-4[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®], [Google Scholar] Alekseev AN, Dubinina HV.

44.) Recovery of Lyme spirochetes by PCR in semen samples of previously diagnosed Lyme disease patients. International Scientific Conference on Lyme Disease. 2001. Available from: http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/bach.html [Last accessed 18 April 2015] [Google Scholar] Bach G.

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/02/24/pcos-lyme-my-story/

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Ticks, Transmission

Members Named to TBD Working Group

https://www.lymedisease.org/members-named-tbd-subcommittees/

51 members named to TBD Working Group subcommittees

From the website of the Department of Health and Human Services:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the names of 51 individuals who have been selected to serve on one of six subcommittees of the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (Working Group). After reviewing the nominations, selections were made by the co-chairs overseeing each of the subcommittees. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Working Group provided input and approved the final selections. All of the individuals were notified today, but they have not yet confirmed their availability to serve on the subcommittee that they were chosen to join. The final list of subcommittee members will be updated if any of them are no longer able to join a subcommittee.

These subcommittees were established by the Working Group members during the December 12, 2017 meeting to assist them in identifying and reviewing information that provides the background, context, and evidence needed to develop the report to Congress and the HHS Secretary as required by the 21st Century Cures Act. The subcommittees will be led by members of the Working Group. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Working Group will work in collaboration with the subcommittee Co-Chairs and the Designated Federal Officer to ensure that the work of the subcommittees is consistent with the needs of the Working Group and committee management laws and regulations. The roles of the subcommittees, the work they will be doing, and the reports that they will provide to the Working Group will discussed at the February 12, 2018 meeting.

The members of the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group subcommittees are:

Disease Vectors, Surveillance, and Prevention
Co-Chairs: Pat Smith and Ben Beard, MS, PhD

Members

  • Jill Auerbach Founder, Tick Research to Eliminate Diseases
    Founder, Stop Ticks On People (S.T.O.P.)
  • Neeta Connally, PhD, MSPH Associate Professor, Tick-borne Disease Prevention Laboratory, Western Connecticut State
  • Katherine Feldman, DVM, MPH Senior Epidemiologist, MITRE
  • Thomas N. Mather, PhD Professor, Center for Vector-Borne Disease
    Director, TickEncounter Resource Center
  • Phyllis Mervine President, LymeDisease.org
  • Colonel Robin Nadolny, PhD COL, Medical Service Team Lead, Tick-Borne Disease Laboratory, Army Public Health Center
  • Adalberto Perez de Leon, DVM, PhD, MS Director, Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service
  • Daniel E. Sonenshine, PhD Eminent Professor of Biological Science, Old Dominion University
  • Jean I. Tsao, PhD Associate Professor, Departments of Fisheries and Wildlife and of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University
  • Monica M. White President and Co-founder, Colorado Tick-Borne Disease Awareness Association
    LymeDisease.org, Lyme Disease Association, Inc., Public Tick IPM working group, Chaffee County Health Coalition
  • Stephen Wikel, PhD Professor and Chair Emeritus of Medical Sciences, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Quinnipiac University

Pathogenesis, Transmission and Treatment
Co-Chairs: Wendy Adams, MBA and Captain Estella Jones, DVM

Members

  • Nicole Baumgarth, DVM, PhD Professor, Center for Comparative Medicine and Dept. of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, UC Davis
  • Patricia K. Coyle, MD Neurology Professor and Vice Chair, Dept. of Neurology
    Director, MS Comprehensive Care Center, Stony Brook University Medical Center
  • Sam Donta, MD Fellow Infectious Diseases, Infectious Disease Society of America
    Consultant, Infectious Diseases
  • Brian Fallon, MD, MPH Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, and Director, Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center, Columbia University
  • Lorraine Johnson, JD, MBA CEO, LymeDisease.org
  • Elizabeth Maloney, MD President, Partnership for Tick-Borne Diseases Education
  • Jon Skare, PhD Professor and Associate Head, Dept. of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A & M University
  • Brian Stevenson, PhD Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Testing and Diagnostics
Co-Chairs: Lise E. Nigrovic, MD, MPH and Co-chair to be determined

Members

  • Charles Y. Chiu, MD, PhD Director, Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center, UCSF
  • Roberta DeBiasi, MD, MS Chief, CNMC Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
    Director, Fetal Infectious Diseases Program, Co-Director, Congenital Zika Program at Children’s National
  • Noel Gerald, PhD Biologist and Senior Scientific Reviewer, Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health, FDA
  • Deborah Hoadley, MD, MPH Director, New England Institute for Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Illnesses
  • Maliha Ilias, PhD Program Officer, Lyme Disease Research Bacteriology and Mycology Branch, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, NIH
  • Bobbi Pritt, MD, MSc Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, and Co-Director, Vector-Borne Diseases Laboratory Services,  Mayo Clinic
  • David Roth, JD Retired senior managing director of a private equity firm (Blackstone)
  • Steven Schutzer, MD Professor of Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Access to Care Services and Support to Patients
Co-Chairs: Karen Vanderhoof-Forschner, JD, MBA and Commander Scott Cooper, MMSc, PA-C

Members

  • Ana Frost, PhD The Institute for Functional Medicine
  • Holiday Goodreau President and Executive Director, The LiveLyme Foundation
  • Susan Green, JD Legislative Counsel, NatCapLyme
  • Enid Haller, LCSW, PhD Executive Director, Lyme Center of Martha’s Vineyard
    Martha’s Vineyard Lyme Support Group
  • Paula Jones Jackson President & Co-Founder, Midcoast Lyme Disease Support & Education (MLDSE)
  • Colonel Nicole Malachowski Retired, US Air Force
  • Leonard Schuchman, DO, MPH, FAAFP Osteopathic Physician
  • Sheila M. Statlender, PhD Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice
  • Kathleen Steele, LCSW Psychotherapist

Vaccine and Therapeutics
Co-Chairs: Robert Smith, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA and Dennis Dixon, PhD

Members

  • Monica E. Embers, PhD Assistant Professor, and Director, TNPRC Vector-borne Diseases Core, Division of Bacteriology and Parasitology, Tulane National Primate Research Center
  • Maria Gomes-Solecki, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
  • Utpal Pal, PhD Professor, University of Maryland
  • Stanley A. Plotkin, MD Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania
  • Juan Salazar, MD, MPH, FAAP Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut Medical School, and Physician in Chief and Executive VP, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
  • Leigh Ann Soltysiak, MS Self-employed, Owner, Principal Commercialization & Strategy Consultant, Silverleaf Consulting, LLC
  • David H. Walker, MD The Carmage and Martha Walls Distinguished University Chair in Tropical Diseases, and Professor, Department of Pathology, and Executive Director, Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch

Other Tick-Borne Diseases and Co-Infections
Co-Chairs: Richard Horowitz, MD and Allen Richards, PhD

Members

  • Megan Dulaney, MS Senior Interagency Liaison, DOD Center for Health Engagement, Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
  • Marna Ericson, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, and Director, Dermatology Imaging Center, University of Minnesota
  • Christine Green, MD Physician, Green Oaks Medical Center, PC, and Director, LymeDisease.org
  • Charles Lubelczyk, MPH Vector Ecologist, Maine Medical Center Research Institute
  • Ulrike G. Munderloh, DVM, PhD Professor, University of Minnesota, Department of Entomology
  • Christopher D. Paddock, MD, MPHTM Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, CDC
  • Samuel S. Perdue, PhD Section Chief, Basic Sciences, Bacteriology and Mycology Branch, DMID/NIAID/NIH
  • Sam R. Telford III, ScD Professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health
    Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University

_________________

For more on what the Working Group does:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/11/30/latest-on-21st-cca/

Some downsides of the 21st CCA:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/12/14/21st-cca-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing/  The 21st Century Cures Act introduced in 2015 and expanded in 2016 weakens informed consent protections for people participating in experimental vaccine clinical trials. It allows drug companies to use surrogate endpoints to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines and permits the FDA to accept novel statistical analyses and clinical experience related to a new vaccine’s reactivity, instead of requiring drug companies to conduct large randomized clinical trials to demonstrate safety. It prevents vaccine manufacturers from being sued in civil court if an FDA licensed vaccine given to a pregnant woman causes the injury or death of her unborn child in the womb.

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme