Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

With Three Invasive Tick Species Thriving in Connecticut, State Scientist Warns of Major Public Health Hazard

https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-ct-more-ticks-20210816-eafwrhehkbhspacc7r5qrw4m4m-story.html

With three invasive tick species thriving in Connecticut, state scientist warns of major public health hazard

By 
HARTFORD COURANT 
AUG 16, 2021 
Stratford, Ct. - 08/13/2021 - Dr. Goudarz Molaei, with Connecticut's Agricultural Experiment Station, searches for ticks trapped on a canvas dragged through shoreline vegetation. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com
Stratford, Ct. – 08/13/2021 – Dr. Goudarz Molaei, with Connecticut’s Agricultural Experiment Station, searches for ticks trapped on a canvas dragged through shoreline vegetation. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

State scientist Goudarz Molaei pulled a square of cloth through brush and grass on the Stratford coast recently, then stopped and pointed to a crawling smear of larvae on the white fabric.

The tiny arachnids were either Gulf Coast or lone star ticks, two of three invasive species, along with the Asian long-horned tick, that have recently established footholds in Connecticut.

First seen only in pockets near the coast, the blood-sucking, disease-carrying ticks have spread into other parts of the state. Compared with past years, many more worried residents and visitors have submitted ticks to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, mostly deer ticks that may carry Lyme disease, Molaei said. The tally so far in 2021 is 4,700 tick submissions to the testing laboratory, compared with a total annual average of 3,000 submissions.

Milder winters and warmer temperatures overall are helping the ticks survive and thrive in Connecticut.

“This is going to be a major public health concern in the near future, if it is not already,” Molaei said.  (See link for article)

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**Comment**

Important takeaways:

  • Previously only .2% of submitted ticks were lone star ticks which increased to 4.2% this year. They transmit ehrlichiosis, STARI, spotted fever rickettsiosis, tularemia, Alpha-gal allergy, and Heartland and Bourbon Viruses.
  • The researcher states that it’s a matter of time before the entire state of Connecticut will be infested with Asian long-horned tick – the tick that can reproduce by cloning. It is supposedly less attracted to human skin but can spread diseases that make both animals and humans seriously ill.
  • The Gulf Coast tick overwintered successfully in Connecticut but currently is limited to coastal areas.  Thirty percent tested there were infected with rickettsiosis, which is similar to but less serious than Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
  • The deer tick, or blacklegged tick transmits Lyme disease and is active any time temperatures are above freezing.  All life stages bite humans.
  • The following percentages of ticks were sent to the Experiment Station this year:
    • 72.8% deer ticks (32% were positive for Lyme, 10% for Babesia, 4% for Anaplasmosis – and 2% tested positive for at least 2 disease agents concurrently)
    • 23.1% American dog ticks
    • the rest were lone star ticks

Category:

Alpha Gal Meat Allergy, Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, research, Rickettsia, Testing, Ticks, Tularemia, Viruses

Lyme Disease: A Persistent Infection

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-persistent-infection/

LYME DISEASE: A PERSISTENT INFECTION

woman with lyme disease infection holding her head
Chronic manifestations of Lyme disease have been described for more than three decades. In 1970, Logigian and Steere described 27 patients with chronic neurologic Lyme disease, who had been ill for up to 14 years. Some improved, some relapsed and others remained ill. [1]
By 
 

There are multiple studies indicating that Lyme disease can result in a persistent infection, causing chronic symptoms that may require treatment with extended courses of antibiotics. The National Institute of Health (NIH) conducted three Lyme disease trials, which validated the existence and severity of chronic manifestations of Lyme disease.2-4  The study’s patients were ill for years, an average of 9 years in one trial. Three of the four trials confirmed that treatment with antibiotics can fail. These patients reported severe fatigue, impaired cognitive function, pain and poor function despite antibiotic treatment.5

Some doctors have dismissed the possibility that a persistent tick-borne infection might underlie a patient’s illness,6 while other doctors believe that Lyme disease may cause a persistent infection and be an underlying cause of illness.7

Dr. Shor and colleagues summarized potential mechanisms for a persistent infection.

“Potential survival mechanisms of Lyme disease persistence include:

  • immune evasion
  • immune modulation
  • presence of subpopulations of persister cells
  • physical seclusion—within cells, collagen-rich tissues, and immunologically protected sites (CNS, joints, and eyes), is one method of immune evasion
  • biofilm generation is another recognized form of physical seclusion. Published reports document that Borrelia burgdorferi can produce biofilm in vitro and examination of infected human tissues demonstrated B. afzelii and B. burgdorferi embedded in biofilm.” [7]
Editor’s perspective: Patients are finding it increasingly difficult to locate a doctor who is willing to at least consider the presence of a persistent infection.
Related Articles:

Chronic neurological Lyme disease or co-morbid conditions?

What is chronic Lyme disease?

Long-term problems for some Lyme neuroborreliosis patients

References:
  1. Logigian EL, Kaplan RF, Steere AC. Chronic neurologic manifestations of Lyme disease. N Engl J Med. Nov 22 1990;323(21):1438-44. doi:10.1056/NEJM199011223232102
  2. Klempner MS, Hu LT, Evans J, et al. Two controlled trials of antibiotic treatment in patients with persistent symptoms and a history of Lyme disease. N Engl J Med. Jul 12 2001;345(2):85-92. doi:10.1056/NEJM200107123450202
  3. Krupp LB, Hyman LG, Grimson R, et al. Study and treatment of post Lyme disease (STOP-LD): a randomized double masked clinical trial. Neurology. Jun 24 2003;60(12):1923-30. doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000071227.23769.9e
  4. Fallon BA, Keilp JG, Corbera KM, et al. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of repeated IV antibiotic therapy for Lyme encephalopathy. Neurology. Mar 25 2008;70(13):992-1003. doi:10.1212/01.WNL.0000284604.61160.2d
  5. Rebman AW, Aucott JN, Weinstein ER, Bechtold KT, Smith KC, Leonard L. Living in Limbo: Contested Narratives of Patients With Chronic Symptoms Following Lyme Disease. Qual Health Res. Mar 2017;27(4):534-546. doi:10.1177/1049732315619380
  6. Wormser GP, McKenna D, Karmen CL, et al. Prospective Evaluation of the Frequency and Severity of Symptoms in Lyme Disease Patients With Erythema Migrans Compared With Matched Controls at Baseline, 6 Months, and 12 Months. Clin Infect Dis. Jan 23 2020;doi:10.1093/cid/ciz1215
  7. Shor S, Green C, Szantyr B, et al. Chronic Lyme Disease: An Evidence-Based Definition by the ILADS Working Group. Antibiotics (Basel). Dec 16 2019;8(4)doi:10.3390/antibiotics8040269

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For more:

If you haven’t signed Lyme Advocate Carl Tuttle’s petition, please do:  https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/29506824?  The petition is calling for a congressional investigation of the CDC, IDSA, and ALDF for their mismanagement of Lyme/MSIDS – for their long denial of chronic Lyme and the damage it causes.  This denial has played out in patients not getting diagnosed and treated properly with long-term antimicrobials due to abysmal serology tests which are wrong 86% or more of the time.  It also plays out in the fact doctors who dare to treat outside the unscientific and antiquated CDC Lyme guidelines are hunted down and persecuted, making doctors afraid to treat patients.

The same government funded institutions behind the Lyme debacle are currently also behind the COVID debacle and need to be held accountable.  They have done many of the same things which has resulted in patients not getting the care they need.  These corrupt public health ‘authorities’ are the problem.

Category:

Lyme, research

85% of Turkish MS Patients Have Lyme – Study Shows

https://storage.googleapis.com/journal-uploads/ejbps/article_issue/volume_6_april_issue_4/1553939970.pdf

FREQUENCY OF BORRELIA BURGDORFERI WESTERN BLOT AND LTT POSITIVITY AMONG MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS FROM TURKEY

Barbaros Çetin* Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Izmir, Turkey.

Article Received on 29/01/2019 Article Revised on 19/02/2019 Article Accepted on 12/03/2019

ABSTRACT

In Turkey, Borrelia burgdorferi infections are not well known among physicians and almost completely overlooked. On the other hand, a small number of seropositivity studies (%3.3-%73) show that Borrelia burgdorferi is common in Turkey. There is no diagnostic biological marker in multiple sclerosis (MS). Only several clinical criteria used for diagnosis. These criteria are also compatible with other diseases. Lyme disease is currently among them. In the chronic phase of Lyme, demyelination can form and this can be confused with MS.

In this study 126 patients, between ages 17 and 66, with a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was evaluated, and were found according to be found positive Borrelia burgdorferi western blot and LTT test results 108 (%85.72). Only 18 (%14.28) patients have negative test results.

The results show that LYME disease is very common in Turkey and LYME patients with neurological symptoms are misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

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Important excerpts:

Multiple sclerosis affects at least 2.8 million people worldwide.

Worldwide, MS prevalence parallels the distribution of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, and in America and Europe, the birth excesses of those individuals, who later in life develop MS exactly mirror the seasonal distributions of Borrelia transmitting Ixodes ticks.

According to the one of the most effective scientific papers, written by 4 Norwegian scientists, 10 of 10 MS patients were found to have a cyst form of the Borrelia spirochete bacteria. No bacteria were found in a control group. The cysts turned into spirochetal bacteria when cultured. The studies conclude that all ten MS patients have been infected with a spirochete. Concludes that MS could very well be a chronic infection.[8]

Since 1911, more than the past one hundred years, several older but also recent autopsy findings linked to in many articles found that all deceased MS patients’ brains harbored living lyme spirochetes. Even when tests, notorious for their large percentage of false negatives were used on living MS patients, staggeringly many tested positive for active Lyme borreliosis.[9]

“Spirochetes in MS” (Buzzard, E.F.), Published in the famous Lancet magazine in 1911, revealed the presence of Lyme spirochetes in the brains of MS patients. Over a period of more than a century, more than 50 international scientific papers proving the MS-Lyme relationship have been published in prestigious medical journals.[16-111] If you follow the European Medical Literature concerning Multiple Sclerosis from 1911 to 1939, you may find that in France, Germany and England, there were independent researchers all observing similar things and coming to similar conclusions:

  1. Spirochetes are often found in conjunction with the lesions in the brains of patients who have died with MS.
  2. These spirochetes can be isolated and can infect many mammalian animal models; including: mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, and primates.
  3. The spirochetes could be re-isolated from the brains of the infected animals and be inoculated into more un-infected animals and re-isolated from their brains.
  4. Multiple sclerosis may often be associated with Borrelia infection.
  5. Points out that a considerable body of clinical evidence supports the concept that cystic L-forms of Borrelia burgdorferi may cause MS. 

For more:

Category:

Lyme, research

US News & World Report: Lyme Disease Can Wreak Havoc On Mental Health

https://www.lymedisease.org/us-news-world-report-lyme-disease-can-wreak-havoc-on-mental-health/

US News & World Report: Lyme disease can wreak havoc on mental health

US News and World Report, August 17, 2021

by Steven Reinberg

Lyme disease can exact a significant mental toll as well as a physical one on its sufferers, a new study confirms.

Patients hospitalized for Lyme disease had a 28% higher incidence of mental disorders and were twice as likely to attempt suicide than people without Lyme, researchers report.

“These findings highlight the need for greater awareness in the medical community that patients after a serious case of Lyme disease are at increased risk of mental disorders and suicidal behaviors, particularly during the first year after diagnosis,” said study author Dr. Brian Fallon….

“While most people with Lyme disease do not develop subsequent psychiatric problems, some do. Clinicians need to ask about suicidal thoughts and depression in particular, if symptoms persist,” Fallon said. READ MORE

Related Posts:

  1. Dr. Jane Marke discusses connection between Lyme and mental health
  2. NEWS: A ticking time bomb? Untreated Lyme disease can wreak havoc
  3. Groundbreaking study links Lyme disease to psychiatric disorders
  4. ILADS offers one-day course in “tick-borne diseases and mental health”

Category:

Lyme, Psychological Aspects

Learning to Be Supportive When Your Partner Has Lyme Disease

https://www.lymedisease.org/challenges-partner-lyme-disease/

Learning to be supportive when your partner has Lyme disease

By Fred Diamond

The woman I love has been coping with chronic Lyme for many years. For most of the 11 years we’ve been together, I thought I was doing my best to support her.

However, I came to realize recently that her challenges went further than I had imagined.

My mantra was “pay attention and keep her stress-free.” Shortly after I met her, she told me she had Lyme disease. I knew that meant she was easily fatigued, often in pain, and sometimes anxious. But she also had good energy, was very funny and beautiful.

I also knew that she had dietary restrictions, which meant we had to find the best gluten-free pizza in town. I knew she was concerned about heavy metals which meant she did not eat fish which might have mercury. It meant she had beef and rice when I had sushi.

I knew she was concerned about going into the basement when we realized there was mold there.

But I had no idea about the challenges she faced with Lyme and the stress she was under until I decided to really understand what her life was like battling this insidious disease.

You see, I pictured her as beautiful, funny, warm, and kind. My family loved her. My friends were happy for me knowing that I had such an amazing, loving, and supportive partner.

But I would always wonder why she seemed guilty whenever I did something for her and why she would often say I was working too hard for her when I had so many other things to worry about.

So, recently I decided to go deep into her world to understand the Lyme life she was living.

And I recommend that all partners of people with Lyme do the same. It changed my life in ways I never could have imagined.

Seeking to understand her illness

First off, I went online and purchased a few dozen books on Lyme, chronic illness, and anxiety. It was eye-opening! I joined a half-dozen Facebook groups and signed up for mailing lists at LymeDisease.org and other care organizations. I also called everyone I knew who ever uttered the word “Lyme.”

And I was shocked at what I discovered.

I thought I knew everything she dealt with, but I learned it was a constant battle for her to stay on top of treatments, supplements, and relief tools. Many days, all she could do was try to eliminate the pain, remove the anxiety, and find relief.

Even though I thought I was on top of things, I did not have a clue why certain things were so important.

Here are some things I discovered.

She felt a lot worse than I ever imagined

In a loving relationship, the balance of care shifts. When one partner is struggling at work, the other steps in and maybe takes a second job. When one partner is fatigued, the other does the housework and cooks the meals. I came to learn that she often felt the balance was uneven. Since she was sometimes unable to do some of the chores, she felt that since I was devoting more time and energy to her it was not fair. It never once occurred to me that this was an issue.

I had never thought of her as a Lyme sufferer.  I knew she had Lyme, but I never thought that was her identity. I always saw her as beautiful, caring, and funny, while she often saw herself as sick and was often in more pain than I ever knew.

I saw the anxiety and depression but never appreciated it. I always thought some rest and time would help. The supplements and herbals? I always saw them as merely vitamins, not part of a protocol. I had no idea that it took everything she had just to make it through the day, plagued by pain in her legs, or her neck, or her head.

Mold

We had mold in the basement after a leak. I didn’t realize how devastating mold can be for someone with Lyme. There are hundreds of thousands of people suffering from mold allergies. I now understand what mold can do and how someone who is susceptible can suffer from even a brief exposure.

Genes and heavy metals

We liked watching the “Finding Your Roots” show together but I was always watching for the aha moment or when they disclose the family member who was a slave owner. She was watching to see how the genetic matching might have affected the guest.

I would hear her talk about how genetic makeup may impact your body’s ability to detoxify. Who must spend a second of their life knowing about these enzymes and how they may or may not impair the detox? And that’s why she was always so concerned about copper, iron, zinc and the other heavy metals and how they can get in the way of your healing.

Letting healing take its course

I’ve come to realize that healing from Lyme is a personal, private, and sensitive process that only the person going through it can figure out. Hopefully there’s a good Lyme literate doctor who can help. For many, there are not. I’m amazed at how many doctors still do not understand Lyme.

I had often said that her health was one of my two top priorities, since I know it was her main priority. With my business background, I might have treated it like a business process. What are all the steps we need to do to get to healing? But it does not work that way.

As you let the healing take its course, you need to let the person going through it lead the way. They know their body; you do not.

No one has ever said they wanted to get Lyme. No one in their right mind would be thankful they have it. No one really wants to be a “Lyme Warrior,” But until acceptance comes in, healing is near impossible. I have come to realize that her recovery must be on her own terms and all I can do is educate myself and be as sensitive and available as needed.

Recovering from Lyme is a very personal process. It’s different for everyone.

How to be a better source of support

I didn’t know what healing meant until recently. As a spouse, all you can do is get educated, be considerate, and supportive where needed.

You can’t do it alone. It’s too overwhelming. Life’s overwhelming. Getting through the day even when everything is going your way is hard enough.

As a partner, you need to make the extra effort to understand your partner’s world and what they must do to make it through the day with chronic Lyme.

When I realized this, our lives changed for the better.

Fred Diamond lives in Fairfax, Virginia.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Psychological Aspects