Archive for the ‘Babesia’ Category

New Comprehensive Testing for Vector-borne Disease – Medical Diagnostic Labs

http://www.genesisbiotechgroup.com/press/VectorBornePR_Final_Branded_3.18.2019.pdf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Medical Diagnostic Laboratories, L.L.C., Fights Tick- and Mosquito-borne Epidemic with New Comprehensive Testing for Vector-borne Disease.

Hamilton, NJ., March 18, 2019 –Medical Diagnostic Laboratories, L.L.C., (MDL), a Genesis Biotechnology Group® (GBG) company and CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory specializing in high-complexity, state-of-the-art, automated DNA-based molecular analyses, has expanded its testing to include a comprehensive program for the detection of vector-borne diseases.

Unfortunately, new tick- and mosquito-borne diseases continue to emerge, increasing in prevalence year after year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that the number of disease cases from mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas has tripled from 2004 to 2016. Ticks and mosquitos that carry bacterial, parasitic, and viral pathogens continue to increase in number, species, and geographic range. Currently, tick-borne diseases are widely distributed throughout the United States, with major concentrations in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and across the middle of the Midwest and Atlantic states.

To combat this growing medical issue, MDL has renewed their efforts to provide the most comprehensive vector-borne disease test menu. Their multi-phase implementation will offer a comprehensive platform blending direct (molecular testing) and indirect (serological) testing methods. This important information helps providers determine their patients’ exposure risk, the pathogen(s) associated with often-overlapping symptomatology, the most effective antimicrobial treatment for active infections, and appropriate prophylactic treatment for exposure. Phase Two, expected to launch in Q2 2019, will feature tick identification. MDL will also offer immune status testing using flow cytometry to evaluate CD3-/CD8-/CD57+ natural killer cells and other immune markers to help assess treatment response for acute and Post-treatment Lyme disease Syndrome patients.

Testing will detect a variety of pathogens associated with tick-borne disease including:

  • Borrelia species (US and European strains of Lyme disease and Relapsing fever)
  • Rickettsia species (Spotted Fever and Typhus Fever)
  • Ehrlichia species (Ehrlichiosis)
  • Francisella tularensis (Tularemia)
  • Babesia species (Babesiosis)
  • Powassan virus and Bourbon virus
  • Mosquito-borne viruses will include Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, Dengue virus, Japanese Encephalitis virus, and Usutu virus.

This is not the first time that MDL has been on cutting-edge of clinical diagnostic testing for vector-borne disease. In 2001 they were the first lab to identify and report, in peer-reviewed scientific journals, co-infections of Ixodes scapularis (deer tick) with Borrelia burgdorferi and Bartonella henselae. According to Dr. Eli Mordechai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO),

“Our laboratory has always poured resources into vector-borne research by developing and enhancing tests in concert with our national and international clinician clients. We’re committed to leading the way in vector-borne diagnostics and partnering with healthcare providers to offer patients the best care possible”.

About MDL

MDL is a CLIA-certified infectious disease laboratory specializing in high-complexity, state-of-the-art, automated, DNA-based molecular analyses. Using unique molecular techniques, MDL provides clinicians from many specialties valuable information to assist in the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of viral, fungal, and bacterial infections. MDL is a member of the Genesis Biotechnology Group located in Hamilton, New Jersey, in “Einstein’s Alley”, the research and technology corridor of New Jersey.

About GBG

GBG is a consortium of vertically-integrated corporate research entities, which facilitates the overall market implementation and delivery of biomedical science products and services related to diagnostics and drug discovery. Through the consolidation of research activities, and the collaboration of diverse groups of scientists with expertise in molecular biology, genetics, high throughput screening (HTS), pharmacology, molecular modeling, and medicinal chemistry, GBG is well-positioned to create and sustain complex research platforms in drug discovery and the design of surrogate biomarkers for chronic diseases.

To find out more, please visit www.mdlab.com.

Scott Gygax, Ph.D. sgygax@mdlab.com609.570.LYMEwww.mdlab.com

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More on testing:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/12/lyme-testing-problems-solutions/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/01/16/2-tier-lyme-testing-missed-85-7-of-patients-milford-hospital/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/12/direct-diagnostic-tests-for-lyme-the-closest-thing-to-an-apology-you-are-ever-going-to-get/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/08/ny-grants-approval-of-igenexs-lyme-immunoblot-tests/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/17/igenex-introduces-3-new-lyme-tests/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/12/paving-the-way-for-better-lyme-diagnostic-tests/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/12/07/igenex-presentation/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/12/13/suppression-of-microscopy-for-lyme-diagnostics-professor-laane/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/27/spirochete-culture-microscopy-videos-see-whats-inside-you/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/29/microscopy-of-spirochaete-biofilm/

 

Category:

Activism, Babesia, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, Rickettsia, Testing, Tularemia, Viruses

Human Tick-Borne Diseases in Australia

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6360175/

Published online 2019 Jan 28. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00003
PMCID: PMC6360175
PMID: 30746341

Human Tick-Borne Diseases in Australia

Mona Dehhaghi,1,2,† Hamed Kazemi Shariat Panahi,1,2,† Edward C. Holmes,3 Bernard J. Hudson,4Richard Schloeffel,5 and Gilles J. Guillemin1,*

Abstract

There are 17 human-biting ticks known in Australia. The bites of Ixodes holocyclus, Ornithodoros capensis, and Ornithodoros gurneyi can cause paralysis, inflammation, and severe local and systemic reactions in humans, respectively. Six ticks, including Amblyomma triguttatum, Bothriocroton hydrosauri, Haemaphysalis novaeguineae, Ixodes cornuatus, Ixodes holocyclus, and Ixodes tasmani may transmit Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia australis, Rickettsia honei, or Rickettsia honei subsp. marmionii. These bacterial pathogens cause Q fever, Queensland tick typhus (QTT), Flinders Island spotted fever (FISF), and Australian spotted fever (ASF). It is also believed that babesiosis can be transmitted by ticks to humans in Australia.

In addition, Argas robertsi, Haemaphysalis bancrofti, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Ixodes hirsti, Rhipicephalus australis, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks may play active roles in transmission of other pathogens that already exist or could potentially be introduced into Australia. These pathogens include Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Burkholderia spp., Francisella spp., Dera Ghazi Khan virus (DGKV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Lake Clarendon virus (LCV), Saumarez Reef virus (SREV), Upolu virus (UPOV), or Vinegar Hill virus (VINHV).

It is important to regularly update clinicians’ knowledge about tick-borne infections because these bacteria and arboviruses are pathogens of humans that may cause fatal illness. An increase in the incidence of tick-borne infections of human may be observed in the future due to changes in demography, climate change, and increase in travel and shipments and even migratory patterns of birds or other animals. Moreover, the geographical conditions of Australia are favorable for many exotic ticks, which may become endemic to Australia given an opportunity. There are some human pathogens, such as Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia rickettsii that are not currently present in Australia, but can be transmitted by some human-biting ticks found in Australia, such as Rhipicephalus sanguineus, if they enter and establish in this country.

Despite these threats, our knowledge of Australian ticks and tick-borne diseases is in its infancy.

**Comment**

I appreciate the way the researchers wrote about the possibility of infection even though there are not recorded cases yet.  This open-mindedness is imperative if we are to move forward. Gone are the days where tick-borne illness is presented as if the information were akin to the 10 commandments.

Tick-borne illness has become a true pandemic and is found virtually everywhere.

While Lyme is not mentioned (please note further down that autopsy results showed Lyme all over a man from Sydney) the following infections are on record:

  • Q fever
  • Queensland tick typhus (QTT)
  • Flinders Island spotted fever (FISF)
  • Australian spotted fever (ASF)
  • Babesiosis
  • Anaplasma spp.
  • Bartonella spp.
  • Burkholderia spp.
  • Francisella spp. (Tularemia)
  • Dera Ghazi Khan virus (DGKV)
  • tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV)
  • Lake Clarendon virus (LCV)
  • Saumarez Reef virus (SREV)
  • Upolu virus (UPOV)
  • Vinegar Hill virus (VINHV)

I would say that is quite enough to make our Aussie friends quite sick.

For more on TBI’s in Australia:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/21/our-battle-ongoing-lyme-disease-in-australia/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/11/03/ld-not-in-australia-here-we-go-again/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/03/aussie-widow-of-lyme-disease-victim-to-sue-nsw-health/  A SYDNEY woman launches a class action against NSW Health after autopsy results showed her husband was riddled with Lyme in his liver, heart, kidney, and lungs. He was only 44 years old and was bitten by a tick while filming a TV show in Sydney.

 https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/18/study-finds-q-fever-rickettsia-typhus-in-australian-ticks-and-people/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/14/python-covered-with-more-than-500-ticks-rescued-in-australia/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/23/australian-lyme-disease-research-pilot-funded/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/19/tbis-in-australia/

 

 

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Bartonella, research, Rickettsia, Ticks, Transmission, Tularemia, Viruses

Mild Winter Days? Watch Out for Ticks

Winter thaws bring out the ticks. Take precautions when heading outdoors on warm winter days to avoid tick bites. Wearing light-colored clothing and tucking pantlegs into socks can help. Credit: Pavla Zakova | Dreamstime.com

We asked disease ecologist Rick Ostfeld if we need to worry about ticks during the winter. His response is below. (TL; DR = yes)

Blacklegged ticks, which transmit the agents of Lyme disease, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis, disappear in winter, right? Well, not entirely. Although human encounters with these ticks are less likely in winter, there are plenty of ticks out in the environment lurking in a state of (almost) suspended animation.

Larval ticks that hatched the prior summer but failed to find an animal host can become dormant and remain on the forest floor in a quiescent state. The same is true of nymphal ticks, which are normally most active in spring and early summer. These two stages are unlikely to activate until day-length and temperature both increase dramatically. Adult stage ticks, in contrast, most actively seek hosts in the late fall.

The females that were able to engorge on host blood last fall are overwintering in soil pores or under leaf litter, while slowly converting host blood into eggs that they will lay next spring or summer. Some of the adults that did not find a host have died of starvation or other causes, but the unfed survivors will activate any winter or spring day with above-freezing temperatures. In the southern United States, these ticks can be active all year, but even in the northeastern and upper Midwestern regions, ticks can bite during any warmish spell in January, February, and beyond.

As part of The Tick Project, we invite participating households to mail us ticks found embedded in or crawling on people or pets, and we typically receive quite a few even in the coldest months. The riskiest seasons for diseases transmitted by blacklegged ticks are spring and summer, but risk never goes away entirely. And, our 25-years of data from Dutchess County, NY show that, as the climate warms, the ticks come out earlier in the year, advancing the dates of greatest risk.

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For More:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/20/polar-vorticks/   TICK GUY, TOM MATHER, SHOWS HOW TICKS SURVIVE IN 3 DEGREES OVERNIGHT UNDER SNOW COVER.

And regarding all the clamor of “climate change,” independent Canadian tick researcher John Scott has proven it has absolutely nothing to do with tick proliferation and therefore the spread of Lyme/MSIDS:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/ticks-on-the-move-due-to-migrating-birds-and-photoperiod-not-climate-change/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/13/study-shows-lyme-not-propelled-by-climate-change/  Warm winters are lethal to I. scapularis (black-legged) ticks.  In fact, overwinter survival dropped to 33% when the snow melted.

So…..when people push the idea that warmer winters somehow make ticks more abundant you can explain with science on your side that –

Warmer winters actually kill ticks

 

 

Category:

Activism, Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Lyme, Ticks

Could it be Babesia?

https://www.galaxydx.com/could-it-be-babesia/

Could it be Babesia?

Patients and physicians managing chronic illnesses are often unsure of what is causing the mysterious symptoms.

They could be caused by autoimmune diseases or difficult-to-diagnose stealth infections. Flea-and tick-borne pathogens cause a variety of similar non-specific symptoms despite their distinct morphologies and pathogeneses.

Furthermore, more than one pathogen can be transmitted during a single bite from a vector (co-infection). The complex interaction between the environment, animals such as those that harbor these pathogens, and humans is called “one health.”

Galaxy Diagnostics works with a one health framework and offers advanced testing for a spectrum of common tick-borne pathogens. This week, we are introducing an updated Babesia species page to offer more insight into the health significance of these species and how our PCR test can help provide an accurate diagnosis.

Unlike Bartonella and Borrelia bacteria, Babesia species are protozoans that typically remain active in the bloodstream.  Babesia species are primarily transmitted by ticks and selectively attach to and infect the red blood cells of their hosts. Once infected, red blood cells can lyse (burst open), spilling their infectious cargo and resulting in the range of symptoms that are seen in patients struggling with babesiosis (infection with Babesia species or closely related Theileria species).

Babesiosis is primarily caused by Babesia microti in the United States, while Babesia divergens infection is more common in Europe. Infections caused by Babesia duncani have also been reported along the Pacific coast of the United States.

Red blood cells infected with Babesia (Source: CDC Website)

The most common method of diagnosing babesiosis is a combination of clinical symptoms and laboratory evidence. As seen to the right, it is possible to see Babesia species infection under the microscope using a staining technique. However, this can look similar to other protozoal infections.

Another form of testing called antibody testing or serology looks for an immune response to specific antigens, but it can be difficult to interpret whether serology test results indicate a past or current infection.

Galaxy Diagnostics offers PCR testing of blood to locate Babesia species DNA and confirm active infection. With genus-level DNA primers, our Babesia/Theileria species PCR test can detect a variety of pathogenic species. Please see the updated page on our website to learn more about Babesia species and how we test for them.

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**Comment**

Babesia alone is a formidable foe.  Couple it with Lyme and you are one sick dog.  Dr. Krause published in the New England Journal of Medicine that when a patient has Lyme and Babesia, Lyme is found three-times more frequently in the blood, proving Babesia suppresses the immune system.  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/28/concurrent-babesiosis-and-lyme-in-patient/

THE NUMBER OF SYMPTOMS AND DURATION OF ILLNESS IN PATIENTS WITH CONCURRENT LYME DISEASE AND BABESIOSIS ARE GREATER THAN IN PATIENTS WITH EITHER INFECTION ALONE.

The challenge with diagnosis, as always, is the testing which is poor as these organisms are not often found in high enough numbers in the blood, as well as people present subclinically. In other words, their Lyme case is more severe and they have malarial-type symptoms, but they can’t find Babesia in the blood in a Giemsa stain.  this is why it’s imperative to see a LLMD trained in recognizing symptoms.  

Regarding the article’s statement that certain strains are found in certain places, remember, ticks are migrating everywhere and taking their crud with them.  Migrating birds haven’t been told they can’t cross an imaginary line on a map.  All three of the strains listed are in the U.S.

For symptoms, checklist, and possible treatments, read:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/16/babesia-treatment/

More on Babesia:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/22/what-is-air-hunger-anyway/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/11/22-with-babesia-8-develop-acute-respiratory-distress-syndrome-3-die/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/02/splenic-rupture-from-babesiosis-an-emerging-concern-a-systematic-review-of-current-literature/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/12/11/babesia-widespread-in-canada-its-high-tolerance-to-therapy/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/06/case-of-recurrent-fever-multiple-splenic-infarcts-why-short-treatment-duration-often-doesnt-work-for-babesia/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/11/transfusion-transmitted-babesiosis-one-states-experience/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/05/variable-clinical-presentations-of-babesiosis/

 

 

 

 

Category:

Babesia, Testing, Transmission, Treatment

What’s in the TBDWG Report For Morgellons Patients?

https://www.morgellonssurvey.org/whats-in-the-tbdwg-report-for-morgellons-patients/What’s in the TBDWG Report for Morgellons Patients?

What’s in the TBDWG Report for Morgellons Patients?

by

 

In December of 2018, the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group released its first report to Congress regarding the epidemic of emerging disease. This article gives a basic rundown of relevant statements contained in the first of three TBDWG reports to Congress.

What is the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group?

The TBDWG is a fourteen-member panel of infectious disease professionals called together in light of the 21st Century Cures Act and organized by the Department of Health and Human Services. This group is tasked with reviewing the current science and treatment progress of the various tick-borne diseases and reporting their findings to Congress every two years in December. December 2018 saw the first report, there will be a second report in December 2020 followed by final recommendations at the end of 2022.

So what does this first report detail regarding Morgellons disease? Let’s dive in and find out!
Chronic Lyme Disease

At the start of the first TBDWG report it is stated,

“While most Lyme disease patients who are diagnosed and treated early can fully recover, 10 to 20% of patients suffer from persistent symptoms, which for some are chronic and disabling. Studies indicate that Lyme disease costs approximately $1.3 billion each year in direct medical costs alone in the United States.”

Sounds promising, but what about the insensitive testing methods? What does the report say about early diagnosis and why there are so many false negatives? Amazingly the report addresses these concerns directly, “Today, available diagnostic tests can be inaccurate and complex to interpret, especially during the earliest stage of infection when treatment is most effective. Unlike in other infectious disease settings, tests to directly measure the presence of the infecting organism, such as cultures or tissue biopsies, are not available for some tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease. This leaves physicians without the tools needed to diagnose; and without an accurate diagnosis, it is challenging for physicians to provide early treatment.”

Wow! With that kind of admission about standard Lyme testing, you would expect similar honesty regarding other controversial aspects of Lyme disease. What about congenital transmission then, what does this report state about Lyme infecting unborn children?

Lyme Congenital Transmission

From the report, the sole instance of recognition appears on page 53 in the chapter titled “Treatment”. It states,

“Pregnancy: Transplacental infection of the human fetus has been recognized for relapsing fever borreliosis, as well as Lyme disease, babesiosis, and certain arthropodborne flaviviruses. Pregnancy poses particular challenges for treatment because few antimicrobials have been approved and are safe to use during pregnancy. Additional research into appropriate treatment options are needed.”

It’s right there in black and white and from the red, white and blue state of American Freedom and Democracy! Why then would the World Health Organization remove such an apparent consideration from its medical coding system?

But what about Morgellons specifically? What does this report elicit about those afflicted with this particular skin manifestation that’s been thoroughly associated with tick-borne disease?

What’s in the report for Morgellons?

Keyword analysis of the report reveals seventeen instances of the term “skin” speckled throughout. The first instance is regarding frequent skin lesions that occur early in the infectious process. It continues to state that with early treatment the better prognosis can be achieved. While that’s great and everything, what else does it say about skin lesions that may be particularly relevant?

Morgellons Disease

The next two instances of “skin” in the report occur regarding utilizing skin agents to deter ticks from attaching to the skin. The following six instances regard the characteristic erythema migrans bullseye rash and that relates to early diagnosis. This section is interesting in that it elaborates on the many kinds of erythema migrans that can occur and gives a visual presentation of each. Still, none of these erythema migrans look anything at all like Morgellons ulcerations.

The tenth and eleventh occurrence of the term “skin” in the first of three TBDWG reports to Congress are of interest as they describe Figure 10 in the report, “Skin Rashes of Tick-Borne Diseases”. Figure 10.a depicts Tularemia which is a Tick-Borne Infection (TBI) that produces lesions in the skin. The difference between Tularemia and Morgellons, however, is Tularemia does not produce collagenous fibers, which are the defining characteristic of Morgellons disease.

Tularemia Lesion

Occurrence twelve describes how skin rashes present early in dissemination and appears alongside a figure that demonstrates how the IgM response falls off over time, leaving a patient with primarily elevated IgG antibodies.

“Skin” appears for the thirteenth and fourteenth time in the report regarding the challenges of diagnosing skin rashes in individuals with darker skin tone. This section stresses the importance of TBI education in areas where Lyme is not considered endemic, as a lapse in diagnosis can result in severe patient complications.

The fifteenth and sixteenth use of the term “skin” appear alongside information regarding how the disease disseminates from the skin to other organs of the body in the sixth chapter which details treatment. This section is completely fascinating, eliciting how infected patients are more susceptible to re-infection and how mice vaccinated against influenza produced a suppressed immune response to the flu in light of their infection with Borrelia burgdorferi.

If Lyme disease can suppress the immune response for diseases other than itself, what else can it accomplish?

The final instance of the term “skin” in the TBDWG report to Congress is alongside recognition of NIAMS, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. We went to the NIAMS website and was not at all surprised to produce a lack of search results for the term “Morgellons“.

Is the TBDWG Report Good?
Canines Ticks Diseases https://www.maxpixel.net/Canines-Ticks-Diseases-185885

The first TBDWG Report is surprising. It’s not at all littered with propaganda and falsehoods that plague our esteemed medical establishments. Besides not directly addressing Morgellons the report does reveal several controversial facts about Lyme disease that many in official health agencies currently disagree about. This is a refreshing move in what could be considered a positive direction.

This report did not try to appease the establishment, but at the same time, it doesn’t explore the full extent of the Lyme pandemic. The fact is the fourteen members of the TBDWG have two more reports to produce, and we know for certain many of them are aware of the significance Morgellons has relating to their efforts.

If a grade was to be applied to the first report it feels like this initial effort deserves a solid B+.

https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/index.html

 

Category:

Activism, Babesia, Lyme, Morgellons, Tickborne Relapsing Fever, Tularemia, Viruses