Archive for the ‘Babesia’ Category

Babesia Widespread in Canada & it’s High Tolerance to Therapy

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29772759/?i=3&from=/30463941/related

Human Babesiosis Caused by Babesia duncani Has Widespread Distribution across Canada.

Scott JD, et al. Healthcare (Basel). 2018.

Abstract

Human babesiosis caused by Babesia duncani is an emerging infectious disease in Canada. This malaria-like illness is brought about by a protozoan parasite infecting red blood cells. Currently, controversy surrounds which tick species are vectors of B. duncani. Since the availability of a serological or molecular test in Canada for B. duncani has been limited, we conducted a seven-year surveillance study (2011⁻2017) to ascertain the occurrence and geographic distribution of B. duncani infection country-wide. Surveillance case data for human B. duncani infections were collected by contacting physicians and naturopathic physicians in the United States and Canada who specialize in tick-borne diseases. During the seven-year period, 1119 cases were identified. The presence of B. duncani infections was widespread across Canada, with the highest occurrence in the Pacific coast region. Patients with human babesiosis may be asymptomatic, but as this parasitemia progresses, symptoms range from mild to fatal. Donors of blood, plasma, living tissues, and organs may unknowingly be infected with this piroplasm and are contributing to the spread of this zoonosis. Our data show that greater awareness of human babesiosis is needed in Canada, and the imminent threat to the security of the Canadian blood supply warrants further investigation. Based on our epidemiological findings, human babesiosis should be a nationally notifiable disease in Canada. Whenever a patient has a tick bite, health practitioners must watch for B. duncani infections, and include human babesiosis in their differential diagnosis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/30463941/

Establishment of a continuous in vitro culture of Babesia duncani in human erythrocytes reveals unusually high tolerance to recommended therapies.

Abraham A, et al. J Biol Chem. 2018.

Abstract

Human babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by apicomplexan parasites of the genus Babesia. Clinical cases caused by Babesia duncani have been associated with high parasite burden, severe pathology and death. In both mice and hamsters, the parasite causes uncontrolled fulminant infections, which ultimately lead to death. Resolving these infections requires knowledge of B. duncani biology, virulence, and susceptibility to anti-infectives, but little is known and further research is hindered by a lack of relevant model systems. Here, we report the first continuous in vitro culture of B. duncani in human red blood cells. We show that during its asexual cycle within human erythrocytes, B. duncani develops and divides to form four daughter parasites with parasitemia doubling every ~22 h. Using this in vitro culture assay, we found that B. duncani has low susceptibility to the four drugs recommended for treatment of human babesiosis, atovaquone, azithromycin, clindamycin and quinine, with IC50 values ranging between 500 nM and 20 μM. These data suggest that current practices are of limited effect in treating the disease. We anticipate this new disease model will set the stage for a better understanding of the biology of this parasite and will help guide better therapeutic strategies to treat B. duncani-associated babesiosis.

_________________

For more on Babesia:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/16/babesia-treatment/

My husband and I both had Babesia.  Thankfully, that is one we are symptom-free from, but we treated for an entire year.  Dr. Horowitz states it’s one of the most tenacious coinfections he treats.

We used:

  • Mepron (750mg/5ml two times a day)
  • Allergy Research Brand Artemisinin (500mg 2X/day)
  • An intracellular such as one of the following:

*azithromycin (Zithromax) 500mg twice a day
*clarithromycin (Biaxin) 500mg  twice a day
*doxycline 100mg 2 pills twice a day
*minocycline 100mg  twice a day

Wise treatment overlaps.  It works synergistically and it helps prevent tolerance.

Babesia treatment is typically 3 weeks on, 1 week off.  I believe we pulsed the Artemisinin MWF.  This is a particular potent form and will give you a metallic taste in your mouth.  To read about it:  https://www.allergyresearchgroup.com/quality-artemisinin  (I am not affiliated with any products or services).  I was thankful for the pulsing as I had heart-attack type herxes and the breaks from those were welcome!

See Babesia Treatment link above for a symptom check-list you can print and fill out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Babesia, research, Treatment, Uncategorized

Five Genera of Pathogens Found in Ticks On Russian Dogs

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/30428925/

Dog survey in Russian veterinary hospitals: tick identification and molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens.

Livanova NN, et al. Parasit Vectors. 2018.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Species of Canidae in Russia can be infested with up to 24 different tick species; however, the frequency of different tick species infesting domestic dogs across Russia is not known. In addition, tick-borne disease risks for domestic dogs in Russia are not well quantified. The goal of this study was to conduct a nationwide survey of ticks collected from infested dogs admitted to veterinary clinics in Russian cities and to identify pathogens found in these ticks.

METHODS: Ticks feeding on dogs admitted to 32 veterinary clinics in 27 major cities across Russia were preserved in ethanol and submitted to a central facility for examination. After identification, each tick was evaluated for infection with known tick-borne pathogens using PCR.

RESULTS: There were 990 individual ticks collected from 636 dogs. All collected ticks belonged to the Ixodidae (hard ticks) and represented 11 species of four genera, Dermacentor, Ixodes, Rhipicephalus and Haemaphysalis. Four most common tick species were D. reticulatus, followed by I. persulcatus, I. ricinus and R. sanguineus. Ixodes persulcatus ticks were found to be infected with 10 different pathogens, and ticks of this species were more frequently infected than either D. reticulatus or I. ricinus. Ixodes persulcatus females were also more frequently co-infected with two or more pathogens than any other tick.

Pathogenic species of five genera were detected in ticks:

  • Anaplasma centrale, A. phagocytophilum & A. marginale (Anaplasma)
  • Babesia canis, B. microti, B. venatorum, B. divergens, B. crassa & B. vogeli (Babesia)
  • Borrelia miyamotoi, B. afzelii and B. garinii (Borrelia)
  • Ehrlichia muris, E. canis and E. ruminantu (Ehrlichia)
  • Theileria cervi (Theileria – a parasitic protozoan)
Anaplasma marginale, E. canis, B. crassa, B. vogeli and T. cervi were detected in I. persulcatus, and Babesia canis in D. marginatum, for the first time in Russia.

CONCLUSIONS: Multiple ticks from four genera and 11 species of the family Ixodidae were collected from domestic dogs across Russia. These ticks commonly carry pathogens and act as disease vectors. Ixodes persulcatus ticks present the greatest risk for transmission of multiple arthropod-borne pathogens.

_________________

**Comment**

It’s getting harder and harder for The Cabal to hide the polymicrobial nature of Lyme/MSIDS.  The data just keeps pouring in:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/

For the first time, Garg et al. show a 85% probability for multiple infections including not only tick-borne pathogens but also opportunistic microbes such as EBV and other viruses.

I’m thankful they included Bartonella as that one is often omitted but definitely a player. I’m also thankful for the mention of viruses as they too are in the mix. The mention of the persister form must be recognized as well as many out there deny its existence.

Key Quote: “Our findings recognize that microbial infections in patients suffering from TBDs do not follow the one microbe, one disease Germ Theory as 65% of the TBD patients produce immune responses to various microbes.”

But there is another important point.

According to this review, 83% of all commercial tests focus only on Lyme (borrelia), despite the fact we are infected with more than one microbe.

And those tests miss half of all cases:  

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/12/lyme-testing-problems-solutions/  ...with the C6 Elisa its around 50% sensitive (in the context of the two tiered testing system on its own it has a sensitivity of 75%) because it misses about half of true positive cases….The Western Blot also has many problems with sensitivity at all stages but especially within the first month and again later on the more chronic it becomes.If you take the terrible sensitivity of both tests in the two tiered system you will start to see how testing positive consecutively on both is very unlikely, mathematically improbable and biologically almost impossible unless you are in the HLA autoimmune group which is comparatively rare.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/01/16/2-tier-lyme-testing-missed-85-7-of-patients-milford-hospital/  Dr. Sin Lee identifying faulty serology tests for Lyme disease in 85.7% of the walk-in patients in the Emergency Room of Milford Hospital.

Please note that all the studies showing the polymicrobial nature of tick borne illness  are foreign.

The Cabal has everyone in the U.S. in a head-lock.

Will the real researchers please stand up and be counted?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Borrelia Miyamotoi (Relapsing Fever Group), Ehrlichiosis, research, Testing, Ticks

HHS Working Group Calls for Tick-Borne Disease Strategic Plan

https://ohsonline.com/articles/2018/11/15/hhs-working-group-calls-for-strategic-plan.aspx?m=1

HHS Working Group Calls for Tick-Borne Disease Strategic Plan

The Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, a federal advisory committee established by Congress in the 21st Century Cures Act, issued its first report Nov. 14.

  • Nov 15, 2018

The Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, an HHS advisory committee established by Congress in the 21st Century Cures Act, issued its first report Nov. 14. The document recommends that the National Institutes of Health create an NIH tick-borne disease strategic plan to address these diseases, including all stages of Lyme disease; that funding be dedicated within CDC to study babesiosis incidence; that the Department of Defense begin a study of tick-borne disease incidence among active-duty service members and their dependents; and that the Veterans Administration begin a study of tick-borne disease incidence and prevalence among veterans and eligible family members.

The DoD recommendation says the department should compile data on the impact of tick-borne diseases on military readiness and should create education and preparedness programs that address the unique risks service members face during training and on deployment and by their families.

The working group consists of 14 people appointed by the HHS secretary in December 2017. They include scientists, physicians, patients, patient advocates, and representatives of HHS, DoD, and the Office of Management and Budget.

Their report calls Lyme disease a growing public health threat, with about 300,000 new cases reported in the United States every year. A map of U.S. states in the report indicates the hardest-hit states, those reporting more than 12,856 cases each in 2004-2016, include Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maine.

Most Lyme disease patients who are diagnosed and treated early can fully recover, but 10-20 percent of patients suffer from persistent symptoms, which for some are chronic and disabling. The report says while studies indicate Lyme disease costs approximately $1.3 billion annually in direct medical costs in the United States,

“a comprehensive understanding of the full economic and societal cost remains unknown. It is likely orders of magnitude higher and potentially a $50- to $100-billion-dollar problem for the United States, although more research is needed.”

On Nov. 14, CDC reported that new data show tick-borne diseases are again on the rise, and that in 2017, state and local health departments reported a record number of cases of tick-borne disease to CDC. Cases of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis/ehrlichiosis, spotted fever rickettsiosis (including Rocky Mountain spotted fever), babesiosis, tularemia, and Powassan virus disease all increased—from 48,610 cases in 2016 to 59,349 cases in 2017. However, the 2017 data capture only a fraction of the number of people with tick-borne illnesses, according to CDC. According to the agency, between 2004 and 2016, the number of reported cases of tick-borne disease doubled and researchers discovered seven new tick-borne pathogens that infect people. The new data are from the Notifiable Disease Surveillance System.

_________________

**Comment**

Bartonella is never mentioned yet it is a HUGE player in this madness.  There is little to no research showing how concurrent infection is playing into this.  Here’s a few recent studies:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/17/investigating-disease-severity-in-an-animal-model-of-concurrent-babesiosis-lyme-disease/  THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT B. BURGDORFERI COINFECTION ATTENUATES PARASITE GROWTH WHILE B. MICROTI PRESENCE EXACERBATES LYME DISEASE-LIKE SYMPTOMS IN MICE.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/  For the first time, Garg et al. show a 85% probability for multiple infections including not only tick-borne pathogens but also opportunistic microbes such as EBV and other viruses.
I’m thankful they included Bartonella as that one is often omitted but definitely a player. I’m also thankful for the mention of viruses as they too are in the mix. The mention of the persister form must be recognized as well as many out there deny its existence.

Key Quote:

“Our findings recognize that microbial infections in patients suffering from TBDs do not follow the one microbe, one disease Germ Theory as 65% of the TBD patients produce immune responses to various microbes.”

But there is another important point.

According to this review, 83% of all commercial tests focus only on Lyme (borrelia), despite the fact we are infected with more than one microbe. The review also states it takes 11 different visits to 11 different doctors, utilizing 11 different tests to be properly diagnosed. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20181101/Tick-borne-disease-is-multiple-microbial-in-nature.aspx?

We have many problems, Houston, and much work is being left undone.

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Lyme, Rickettsia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia, Viruses

Investigating Disease Severity in an Animal Model of Concurrent Babesiosis & Lyme Disease

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30367867

2018 Oct 24. pii: S0020-7519(18)30240-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.06.006. [Epub ahead of print]

Investigating disease severity in an animal model of concurrent babesiosis and Lyme disease.

Bhanot P1, Parveen N2.

Abstract

The incidence of babesiosis, Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases has increased steadily in Europe and North America during the last five decades. Babesia microti is transmitted by species of Ixodes, the same ticks that transmit the Lyme disease-causing spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. B. microti can also be transmitted through transfusion of blood products and is the most common transfusion-transmitted infection in the U.S.A. Ixodes ticks are commonly infected with both B. microti and B. burgdorferi, and are competent vectors for transmitting them together into hosts. Few studies have examined the effects of coinfections on humans and they had somewhat contradictory results. One study linked coinfection with B. microti to a greater number of symptoms of overall disease in patients, while another report indicated that B. burgdorferi infection either did not affect babesiosis symptoms or decreased its severity. Mouse models of infection that manifest pathological effects similar to those observed in human babesiosis and Lyme disease offer a unique opportunity to thoroughly investigate the effects of coinfection on the host. Lyme disease has been studied using the susceptible C3H mouse infection model, which can also be used to examine B. microti infection to understand pathological mechanisms of human diseases, both during a single infection and during coinfections. We observed that high B. microti parasitaemia leads to low haemoglobin levels in infected mice, reflecting the anaemia observed in human babesiosis. Similar to humans, B. microti coinfection appears to enhance the severity of Lyme disease-like symptoms in mice. Coinfected mice have lower peak B. microti parasitaemia compared to mice infected with B. microti alone, which may reflect attenuation of babesiosis symptoms reported in some human coinfections.

These findings suggest that B. burgdorferi coinfection attenuates parasite growth while B. microti presence exacerbates Lyme disease-like symptoms in mice.

__________________

**Comment**

Now fathom for a moment adding Bartonella, Mycoplasma, and a few viruses into this lovely soup and it becomes evident why patients are so ill.

This is not the first time a published study has shown attenuated parasite growth with concurrent infection.

http://www.wildcondor.com/dr-horowitz-on-babesiosis.html 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/

I honestly can’t believe it’s taken this long for research to catch up with what all of us out here in Lyme-land have known for over 40 years.

Category:

Babesia, Lyme, research, Ticks, Transmission

Thirty Percent Finnish Ticks Carry at Least One Pathogen & Candidas Rickettsia Tarasevichiae Found for the First Time

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30355331

Parasit Vectors. 2018 Oct 24;11(1):556. doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-3131-y.

Tick-borne pathogens in Finland: comparison of Ixodes ricinus and I. persulcatus in sympatric and parapatric areas.

Laaksonen M1, Klemola T2, Feuth E3, Sormunen JJ2, Puisto A2, Mäkelä S2, Penttinen R4, Ruohomäki K2, Hänninen J4, Sääksjärvi IE4, Vuorinen I4, Sprong H5, Hytönen J3, Vesterinen EJ4,6.

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Almost 3500 tick samples, originally collected via a nationwide citizen science campaign in 2015, were screened to reveal the prevalence and distribution of a wide spectrum of established and putative tick-borne pathogens vectored by Ixodes ricinus and I. persulcatus in Finland. The unique geographical distribution of these two tick species in Finland allowed us to compare pathogen occurrence between an I. ricinus-dominated area (southern Finland), an I. persulcatus-dominated area (northern Finland), and a sympatric area (central Finland).
RESULTS:
Of the analysed ticks, almost 30% carried at least one pathogen and 2% carried more than one pathogen. A higher overall prevalence of tick-borne pathogens was observed in I. ricinus than in I. persulcatus: 30.0% (604/2014) versus 24.0% (348/1451), respectively. In addition, I. ricinus were more frequently co-infected than I. persulcatus: 2.4% (49/2014) versus 0.8% (12/1451), respectively. Causative agents of Lyme borreliosis, i.e. bacterial genospecies in Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) group, were the most prevalent pathogens (overall 17%). “Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae” was found for the first time in I. ricinus ticks and in Finnish ticks in general. Moreover, Babesia divergens, B. venatorum and “Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis” were reported for the first time from the Finnish mainland.
CONCLUSIONS:
The present study provides valuable information on the prevalence and geographical distribution of various tick-borne pathogens in I. ricinus and I. persulcatus ticks in Finland. Moreover, this comprehensive subset of ticks revealed the presence of rare and potentially dangerous pathogens. The highest prevalence of infected ticks was in the I. ricinus-dominated area in southern Finland, while the prevalence was essentially equal in sympatric and I. persulcatus-dominated areas. However, the highest infection rates for both species were in areas of their dominance, either in south or north Finland.

________________

**Comment**

Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae:

Causes human disease and is a new species of rickettsiae of the spotted fever group.  https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1303004

Symptoms:

  • hospitalized with fever
  • asthenia (weakness)
  • anorexia
  • nausea
  • headache
  • eschar (dead tissue that falls off healthy skin)
  • lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes)
  • meningitis-like manifestations: vomiting, neck stiffness, and Kernig’s sign.
  • Coma, renal dysfunction, respiratory acidosis then developed, and the patient died 4 days after admission to the hospital.
  • Laboratory tests showed a slight increase in the leukocyte count
  • elevated level of aspartate aminotransferase
  • proteinuria
  • increase in the level of cerebrospinal fluid protein and leukocyte count
  • Since none of the patients presented with rash, which is considered to be a typical sign of infections with species of rickettsiae of the spotted fever group their conditions were initially misdiagnosed, and they received penicillin G, leading to a prolonged hospitalization for approximately 20 days.
Babesia venatorum

Causes human disease: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/20/5/pdfs/12-1034.pdf  B. venatorum was first known as Babesia sp. EU1 and was named after the Latin word for hunter because the first reported infected patients were 2 occupational hunters from Austria and Italy.

Symptoms:

  • irregular fever (38.6°C–41.0°C) for 12 days
  • anemi
  • malaise
  • myalgia
  • fatigue
  • progressive weakness
  • shortness of breath
Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis:

Causes human disease:  https://jcm.asm.org/content/48/5/1956.full, and is an uncultured emerging bacterium that is in the family of Anaplasmosis. It’s close relatives Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum selectively infect the professional phagocytes monocytes/macrophages and neutrophilic granulocytes, which suggests that “Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis” may display tropism for leukocytes also.  Until now, no one has been able to grow “Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis”, which explains why  blood cultures remain negative. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2052297518300027

Symptoms:

  • immunosuppressive conditions
  • haematologic neoplasia
  • fever
  • myalgia (muscle pain)
  • arthralgia (joint pain)
  • Vascular events such as deep vein thrombosis, thromboembolic events, aneurysm and transitory ischemic accidents
  • skin manifestations, such as erythema nodosum or erysipelas-like rashes
  • elevated C-reactive protein levels
  • leukocytosis (neutrophilia) 
  • anemia

Ixodes ricinus tick, a.k.a castor bean tick, or sheep tick info:  http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/ixodes_ricinus.pdf  I. ricinus can also transmit a number of pathogens including Babesia divergens (babesiosis), louping ill virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) and Anaplasma phagocytophila (tick-borne fever of ruminants, human granulocytic anaplasmosis).  Add to this growing list “Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae,” a new species of rickettsiae of the spotted fever group.

Ioxodes persulcatus tick, a.k.a. Taiga tick info:  http://www.bristoluniversitytickid.uk/page/Ixodes+persulcatus/25/#.W-mzZREeteI  Transmits Russian Spring-Summer encephalitis and Lyme disease.

Babesia divergens, B. venatorum and “Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis” were reported for the first time from the Finnish mainland.

This article demonstrates why many in “Lyme land” remain ill.

You can’t diagnose what you can’t see, grow, and test for.

Authorities have absolutely no idea what is infecting everyone, and Lyme is only the tip of the ice-berg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Babesia, Lyme, research, Rickettsia, Testing, Ticks