Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

Grace Period For Ticks – Nope

https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-sci-tick-attachment-time/

LYME SCI: There’s no grace period for tick bites. Let’s quit implying that there is.

No Safe Tick attachment time

I delivered these comments to the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group on March 4.

My name is Lonnie Marcum. I am a Physical Therapist and health and science writer for the non-profit LymeDisease.org. I’m also a member of the Tick Biology, Ecology and Control Subcommittee.

One of the biggest problems we face today is misinformation—Lyme and tick-borne diseases are no exception.

One piece of misinformation I’d like to talk about today is tick attachment time.

Currently, the CDC’s website states: “In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted.”

False message

Unfortunately, this sends the false message that there is NO risk if any tick is removed within 36 to 48 hours of attachment.

This simply IS NOT TRUE!

In fact, there is ample evidence showing the risk for transmission with adult ticks begins at 24 hours in mice. But there are no studies showing the minimum attachment time for transmission of Lyme to humans—especially from nymphal ticks.

One European study documented six cases of culture-confirmed Lyme disease where tick attachment was less than six hours, and another nine cases where transmission occurred in under 24 hours.

While Lyme disease may be the most prevalent tick-borne infection, it is not the only pathogen carried by blacklegged ticks. Anaplasma, Babesia, Borreila mayonii, Borrelia miyamotoi, Ehrlichia and Powassan virus are all transmitted by the same tick that transmits Lyme. And that last one—Powassan—can be transmitted within 15 minutes.

In addition, there are at least nine other tick species in the US known to transmit pathogens to humans, many of them within 24 hours.  Furthermore, many pathogens in the Rickettsia family, like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, can be deadly if not treated within the first few days.

Members of the public, as well as many healthcare professionals, are not skilled at identifying ticks or knowing how long they have been attached. Add to that the studies showing most people with Lyme never even saw the tick.

Why give the public a false sense of security?

A better message would be to simply inform the public that the chance of disease from infected ticks increases the longer they are attached and feeding. Why not just tell people to keep the tick and send it for testing if they come down with symptoms?

There really is no such thing as a 36 to 48 hour grace period. Let’s stop promoting this misinformation.

Please see my written comments for full references. Thank you.

LymeSci is written by Lonnie Marcum, a Licensed Physical Therapist and mother of a daughter with Lyme. Follow her on Twitter: @LonnieRhea  Email her at: lmarcum@lymedisease.org .

References:

Bernard W. Berger, Dermatologic Manifestations of Lyme Disease, Reviews of Infectious Diseases, Volume 11, Issue Supplement_6, September-October 1989, Pages S1475–S1481, https://doi.org/10.1093/clinids/11.Supplement_6.S1475

CDC | Transmission of Lyme disease | https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/index.html

Cook M. J. (2014). Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment. International journal of general medicine, 8, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S73791 

Eisen, L. (2018). Pathogen transmission in relation to duration of attachment by Ixodes scapularis ticks. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases 9, 535-542. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.01.002

Peavey, CA; Lane, RS (1995) Transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi by Ixodes pacificus nymphs and reservoir competence of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) infected by tick-bite. J Parasitol.  Apr;81(2):175-8. PMID: 7707191

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**Comment**

I’ve been saying this for years.  I’m glad someone is bluntly stating it to the TBDWG.  If there’s one thing I’m certain of – it’s that ticks do not understand the definition of grace.

Eventually the bill on all of this will come due.

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/04/14/transmission-time-for-lymemsids-infection/ A little girl couldn’t walk or talk within 4-6 hours of tick bite.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/26/three-strains-of-borrelia-other-pathogens-found-in-salivary-glands-of-ixodes-ticks-suggesting-quicker-transmission-time/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/11/14/study-shows-ticks-can-transmit-rickettsia-immediately/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/28/powassan-can-kill/

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Transmission

Corona Virus & Lyme Disease – Drs. Bock & Rawls

 Approx. 5 Min.

March 2, 2020,

Dr. Bock

The Corona Virus & Lyme Disease

Information on the Corona Virus and ways to protect yourself as a Lyme patient or if you have a compromised immune system. In the next few days we will be putting out an immune system boosting vitamin and supplement regiment with suggestions to help better protect yourself from viral infections.

http://  Approx. 15 Min.

March 4, 2020

Dr. Rawls

The coronavirus or COVID-19 has gained a foothold in the United States, and misinformation about the illness is rampant. Dr. Bill Rawls explains who’s really at risk, plus how to protect yourself and the best ways boost your immune system. (Talks about various herbs)

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/03/09/coronavirus-lyme/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/28/coronavirus-how-bad-can-it-get-includes-treatments-disulfiram-is-one/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/04/novel-coronavirus-the-latest-pandemic-scare-which-professor-states-is-a-biowarfare-weapon/

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Viruses

Anthem – 4th Insurance Company Settles in Lyme Lawsuit

https://www.lymedisease.org/torrey-anthem-settles-lyme/

Fourth insurance company settles in Lyme patient lawsuit

Torrey v. IDSA, Lyme patient lawsuit

Journalist Mary Beth Pfeiffer has reported on Twitter that Anthem has become the fourth insurance company to settle in Torrey vs. IDSA et al.

The lawsuit has been brought by a group of Lyme patients. They’re suing the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the authors of the 2006 IDSA Lyme guidelines, and (originally) eight insurance companies. They charge that the IDSA colluded with insurers to deny treatment to Lyme patients.

Now, four insurers have reached confidential settlements with the plaintiffs and are no longer in the case.

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**Comment**
Keeping things quiet is the norm for the IDSA in its handling of Lyme/MSIDS.  I can only imagine the stress this has caused all the patients who are involved.

Category:

Activism, Lyme

The Long-Term Persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi Antigens & DNA in the Tissues of Lyme Disease Patient

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/8/4/183

The Long-Term Persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi Antigens and DNA in the Tissues of a Patient with Lyme Disease

by Eva Sapi 1,*, Rumanah S. Kasliwala 1, Hebo Ismail 1, Jason P. Torres 1, Michael Oldakowski 1, Sarah Markland 1, Gauri Gaur 1, Anthony Melillo 1, Klaus Eisendle 2, Kenneth B. Liegner 3,4,5, Jenny Libien 6 and James E. Goldman 7
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Antibiotics 2019, 8(4), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics8040183
Received: 22 August 2019 / Revised: 6 October 2019 / Accepted: 9 October 2019 / Published: 11 October 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotics Resistance of Borrelia)

View Full-Text Download PDF

Abstract

Whether Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, can persist for long periods in the human body has been a controversial question. The objective of this study was to see if we could find B. burgdorferi in a Lyme disease patient after a long clinical course and after long-term antibiotic treatment. Therefore, we investigated the potential presence of B. burgdorferi antigens and DNA in human autopsy tissues from a well-documented serum-, PCR-, and culture-positive Lyme disease patient, a 53-year-old female from northern Westchester County in the lower Hudson Valley Region of New York State, who had received extensive antibiotic treatments during extensive antibiotic treatments over the course of her 16-year-long illness. We also asked what form the organism might take, with special interest in the recently found antibiotic-resistant aggregate form, biofilm. We also examined the host tissues for the presence of inflammatory markers such as CD3+ T lymphocytes. Autopsy tissue sections of the brain, heart, kidney, and liver were analyzed by histological and immunohistochemical methods (IHC), confocal microscopy, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and whole-genome sequencing (WGS)/metagenomics.
We found significant pathological changes, including borrelial spirochetal clusters, in all of the organs using IHC combined with confocal microscopy.
The aggregates contained a well-established biofilm marker, alginate, on their surfaces, suggesting they are true biofilm.
We found:
  • B. burgdorferi DNA by FISH, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and an independent verification by WGS/metagenomics, which resulted in the
  • detection of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto specific DNA sequences
  • IHC analyses showed significant numbers of infiltrating CD3+ T lymphocytes present next to B. burgdorferi biofilms
In summary, we provide several lines of evidence that suggest that B. burgdorferi can persist in the human body, not only in the spirochetal but also in the antibiotic-resistant biofilm form, even after long-term antibiotic treatment. The presence of infiltrating lymphocytes in the vicinity of B. burgdorferi biofilms suggests that the organism in biofilm form might trigger chronic inflammation. View Full-Text
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**Comment**
When will there be enough evidence for mainstream medicine?

Category:

Lyme, research

Coronavirus & Lyme

https://www.treatlyme.net/guide/coronavirus-lyme

Coronavirus (Covid-19) & Lyme Image

published 3/4/20

By Dr. Marty Ross

About Coronavirus (Covid-19) and Lyme

Many people with and without Lyme are fearful of Coronavirus also called Covid-19. In my Seattle Lyme practice, I am answering questions about what one should do to protect themselves and to boost their immune systems. Many wonder if immune dysregulation, caused by Lyme, increases their chances of acquiring the virus, having a severe case, or even death. (See link for article)

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/22/how-to-protect-yourself-your-family-from-infections/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/28/coronavirus-how-bad-can-it-get-includes-treatments-disulfiram-is-one/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/13/washington-doctors-successfully-treat-coronavirus/

 

 

Category:

Lyme, Viruses