Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

Powassan Virus Encephalitis, Severe Babesiosis & Lyme Carditis in a Single Patient

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31712240

2019 Nov 10;12(11). pii: e231645. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2019-231645.

Powassan virus encephalitis, severe babesiosis and lyme carditis in a single patient.

Khan AM1, Shahzad SR2, Ashraf MF2, Naseer U2.

Abstract

Ixodes scapularis is responsible for transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi, B. miyamotoi, Babesia microti, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Powassan virus to humans. We present a case of an 87-year-old man who presented with fever and altered mental status. Initial workup revealed haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia, mild hepatitis and acute kidney injury. Patient tested positive for B. burgdorferi and Babesia microti, and was started on doxycycline, atovaquone and azithromycin. He also underwent exchange transfusion twice. After some initial improvement, patient had acute deterioration of mental status and appearance of neurological findings like myoclonus and tremors. Therefore, testing for arboviruses was done and results were positive for Powassan virus. During a protracted course of hospitalisation, patient required intubation for respiratory failure and temporary pacemaker for unstable arrythmias from Lyme carditis. Patient developed permanent neurological deficits even after recovery from the acute illness.

________________

**Comment**

This right here is an example of the polymicrobial aspect of Lyme disease that doctors are not considering. The continued blindness of the medical community on the true nature of tick-borne disease is unbelievable. The only reason this patient made the books is due to the severity of the case. There are many, many patients in Lyme-land who have these exact same pathogens but are flying under the radar of mainstream medicine due to the fact they haven’t been hospitalized yet.  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/11/21/cdc-misses-the-mark-with-chronic-lyme-disease/

 

Category:

Babesia, Lyme, research, Viruses

Rickettsia spp. in East Texas With Reduced Tick Density Due to Controlled Burns

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31704208

2019 Oct 17:101310. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.101310. [Epub ahead of print]

Presence of diverse Rickettsia spp. and absence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks in an East Texas forest with reduced tick density associated with controlled burns.

Hodo CL1, Forgacs D1, Auckland LD1, Bass K2, Lindsay C1, Bingaman M2, Sani T1, Colwell K1, Hamer GL2, Hamer SA3.

Abstract

As tick-borne diseases continue to emerge across the United States, there is need for a better understanding of the tick and pathogen communities in the southern states and of habitat features that influence transmission risk. We surveyed questing and on-host ticks in pine-dominated forests with various fire management regimes in the Sam Houston National Forest, a popular recreation area near Houston, Texas. Four linear transects were established- two with a history of controlled burns, and two unburned. Systematic drag sampling yielded 112 ticks from two species, Ixodes scapularis (n=73) and Amblyomma americanum (n=39), with an additional 106 questing ticks collected opportunistically from drag cloth operators.

There was a significant difference in systematically-collected questing tick density between unburned (15 and 18 ticks/1000 m2) and burned (2 and 4 ticks/1000 m2) transects. We captured 106 rodents and found 74 ticks on the rodents, predominantly Dermacentor variabilis. One unburned transect had significantly more ticks per mammal than any of the other three transects. DNA of Rickettsia species was detected in 146/292 on and off-host ticks, including the ‘Rickettsial endosymbiont of I. scapularis’ and Rickettsia amblyommatis, which are of uncertain pathogenicity to humans. Borrelia lonestari was detected in one A. americanum, while Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the agent of Lyme disease, was not detected in any tick samples. Neither Borrelia nor Rickettsia spp. were detected in any of the mammal ear biopsies (n=64) or blood samples (n=100) tested via PCR.

This study documents a high prevalence in ticks of Rickettsia spp. thought to be endosymbionts, a low prevalence of relapsing fever group Borrelia in ticks, and a lack of detection of Lyme disease-group Borrelia in both ticks and mammals in an east Texas forested recreation area. Additionally, we observed low questing tick density in areas with a history of controlled burns. These results expand knowledge of tick-borne disease ecology in east Texas which can aid in directing future investigative, modeling, and management efforts.

_________________

**Comment**

Why states do not do seasonal controlled burns is beyond me. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t have the negative side-effects that pesticides do – and it works ticks:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/07/18/frequent-prescribed-fires-can-reduce-risk-of-tick-borne-diseases/

Also, please remember that while Lyme was not found it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.  There are plenty of Texas patients with Lyme disease.

Category:

Lyme, research, Rickettsia, Ticks, Treatment

Side Effects Mild & Brief With Single Antidepressant Dose of Intravenous Ketamine

https://neurosciencenews.com/ketamine-side-effects-depression-15222/

Side effects mild and brief with single antidepressant dose of intravenous ketamine

Neuroscience NewsNEUROSCIENCE NEWS
Summary: The side effects of administering ketamine to treat major depressive disorder are mild and persist for no longer than four hours, researchers report. Most of the side effects peaked within an hour of treatment, and many patients reported the effects as being significantly reduced two hours post ketamine administration.Source: NIH/NIMH

National Institutes of Health researchers found that a single, low-dose ketamine infusion was relatively free of side effects for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Elia Acevedo-Diaz, M.D., Carlos Zarate, M.D., and colleagues at the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) report their findings in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Studies have shown that a single, subanesthetic-dose (a lower dose than would cause anesthesia) ketamine infusion can often rapidly relieve depressive symptoms within hours in people who have not responded to conventional antidepressants, which typically take weeks or months to work. However, widespread off-label use of intravenous subanesthetic-dose ketamine for treatment-resistant depression has raised concerns about side effects, especially given its history as a drug of abuse.

“The most common short-term side effect was feeling strange or loopy,” said Acevedo-Diaz, of the Section on the Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders, part of the NIMH Intramural Research Program (IRP) in Bethesda, Maryland. “Most side effects peaked within an hour of ketamine administration and were gone within two hours. We did not see any serious, drug-related adverse events or increased ketamine cravings with a single-administration.”

This shows two brain diagrams

The researchers compiled data on side effects from 163 patients with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder and 25 healthy controls who participated in one of five placebo-controlled clinical trials conducted at the NIH Clinical Center over 13 years. While past studies have been based mostly on passive monitoring, the NIMH IRP assessment involved active and structured surveillance of emerging side effects in an inpatient setting and used both a standard rating scale and clinician interviews. In addition to dissociative (disconnected, unreal) symptoms, the NIMH IRP assessment examined other potential side effects – including headaches, dizziness, and sleepiness. The study did not address the side effects associated with repeated infusions or long-term use.

Out of 120 possible side effects evaluated, 34 were found to be significantly associated with the treatment. Eight occurred in at least half of the participants: feeling strange, weird, or bizarre; feeling spacey; feeling woozy/loopy; dissociation; floating; visual distortions; difficulty speaking; and numbness. None persisted for more than four hours. No drug-related serious adverse events, cravings, propensity for recreational use, or significant cognitive or memory deficits were seen during a three-month follow-up.

Credit: NIMH.To overcome the limitations associated with side effects and intravenous delivery, ongoing research efforts seek to develop a more practical rapid-acting antidepressant that works in the brain similarly to ketamine. These NIMH researchers, in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Science, are planning a clinical trial of a ketamine metabolite that showed promise as a potentially more specific-acting treatment in pre-clinical studies. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year approved an intranasal form of ketamine called esketamine, which can be administered to adults with treatment-resistant depression in a certified doctor’s office or clinic.

ABOUT THIS NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH ARTICLE

Source:
NIH/NIMH
Media Contacts:
Jules Asher – NIH/NIMH
Image Source:
The image is credited to NIMH.

Original Research: Closed access
“Comprehensive assessment of side effects associated with a single dose of ketamine in treatment-resistant depression.”. Acevedo-Diaz EE, Cavanaugh GW, Greenstein D, Kraus C, Kadriu B, Zarate CA Jr, Park LT.
Journal of Affective Disorders doi:10.1016/j.jad.2019.11.028.

Abstract

Comprehensive assessment of side effects associated with a single dose of ketamine in treatment-resistant depression.

Background
Concerns about ketamine for treating depression include abuse potential and the occurrence of psychotomimetic effects. This study sought to comprehensively assess side effects (SEs) associated with a single subanesthetic-dose intravenous ketamine infusion. A secondary aim was to examine the relationship between Clinician-Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS) scores and dissociative symptoms reported on a comprehensive, clinician-administered SE questionnaire.

Methods
Data from 188 participants were pooled from four placebo-controlled, crossover ketamine trials and one open-label study (n=163 with either treatment-resistant major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder and 25 healthy controls). SEs were actively solicited in a standardized fashion and monitored over the time-course of each study. Statistical analyses assessed the effect of drug (ketamine, placebo) on SEs and measured the relationship between CADSS total score and SEs contemporaneously endorsed during structured interviews.

Results
Forty-four of 120 SEs occurred in at least 5% of participants over all trials. Thirty-three of these 44 SEs were significantly associated with active drug administration (versus placebo). The most common SE was feeling strange/weird/loopy. Most SEs peaked within an hour of ketamine administration and resolved completely by two hours post-infusion. No serious drug-related adverse events or increased ketamine craving/abuse post-administration were observed. A positive correlation was found between dissociative SEs and total CADSS score.

Limitations
The post-hoc nature of the analysis; the limited generalizability of a single subanesthetic-dose ketamine infusion; and the lack of formal measures to assess ketamine’s cognitive, urological, or addictive potential.

Conclusions
No long-lasting significant SEs occurred over the approximately three-month follow-up period.

__________________

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/18/ketamine-reduces-depression-related-behaviors-in-mice-limits-bb-in-vivo-relieves-chronic-pain/

It’s also been shown to limit borrelia in vitro:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/10/ketamine-limits-bb-in-vitro/

And its’s been shown to relieve chronic pain, improve quality of life, reduce depression and suicidal ideation, and reduce opioid consumption:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/14/iv-ketamine-in-ptls/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/26/fda-approves-ketamine-nasal-spray-for-depression/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/09/20/the-chemical-imbalance-myth-and-antidepressant-harm/

 

Category:

Lyme, Pain Management, research, Treatment

Wormser’s Junk Science, Deliberate Avoidance of Chronically Ill Patients & A Letter Him Asking Why

Wormser’s junk science and deliberate avoidance of the horribly disabled

NOV 13, 2019 — 

Editorial censorship over the past thirty years has kept the truth from the public as patient testimony all across America (and the globe) is describing a disease that is destroying lives, ending careers while leaving its victim in financial ruin. This petition site is a clearinghouse of evidence to be used in current and future litigation over the deliberate mishandling of Lyme disease by the academics that have controlled the narrative, government health officials who have aligned themselves and financed the deception with US taxpayer dollars and the editors of journals who continue to conceal the truth.

There is no way my letter to the editor below will see the light of day so it is being published here for everyone to see …….

When evidence based medicine has been spun to fit bias agendas and the patient voice has been intentionally ignored who investigates the dishonest science?

-Carl Tuttle

Letter to: Dr. Joerg Heber with copy to The Tick-borne Disease Working Group and Dr. Anthony Fauci who continues to fund Wormser’s “JUNK SCIENCE”
———- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE < runagain@comcast.net>
To:  jheber@plos.org,  plosone@plos.org
Cc:  ipuebla@plos.org,  mdohm@plos.org,  gvousden@plos.org,  mbyrne@plos.org,  afauci@niaid.nih.gov
Date: November 12, 2019 at 8:28 AM
Subject: Post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms score: Developing a new tool for research.

PLOS

Post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms score: Developing a new tool for research.

Turk SP, Lumbard K, Liepshutz K, Williams C, Hu L, Dardick K, Wormser GP, Norville J, Scavarda C, McKenna D, Follmann D, Marques A  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0225012

Excerpt:

“Some patients have residual non-specific symptoms after therapy for Lyme disease, referred to as post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms or syndrome, depending on whether there is functional impairment.”

Nov 12, 2019

PLOS
1160 Battery Street
Koshland Building East, Suite 225
San Francisco, CA 94111
Attn: Joerg Heber, Editor-in-Chief (PhD in Semiconductor Physics)

Dear Dr. Heber,

As the Editor-in-Chief of a scientific journal you should be well aware of the following: (Taken from the attached JAMA letter to the editor published Dec 18, 2018)  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2718786

“It is well known that untreated streptococcal pharyngitis can progress to rheumatic fever, causing irreversible heart damage. Untreated syphilis leads to progressive disability and dementia, and untreated human immunodeficiency virus infection progresses to AIDS with significant disability and death. What happens to a patient with Lyme disease who goes months, years, or decades before diagnosis because of a false-negative serological test result?”

Wormser et al do not discuss the consequences of untreated Lyme disease in their PLOS published paper. Why do you think that is the case Dr. Heber?

Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome after early treatment and untreated late stage Lyme of months, years or decades are two distinctly different disease states with the later going unrecognized for over three decades. The absence of a bulls-eye rash after tick bite allows patients to progress to severe neurological disease instead of obtaining a prompt diagnosis and early treatment. Purposely avoiding the advanced stage of disease hides the horribly disabled and anyone unable to see this is somewhat naïve. Avoiding the seriously disabled Lyme patient population hides the severity of the disease as exposed in the “Under our Skin” documentary.

Under Our Skin – Extended Trailer (5min, please watch the video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxWgS0XLVqw

For the past three decades, Lyme disease has been portrayed as hard to catch and easily treated  [1] while those who control the narrative (Through editorial censorship) refuse to recognize this pathogen as an antibiotic resistant/tolerant superbug by suppressing evidence of persistent infection.  [2] This misclassification has all but eliminated government funding that should have been equal to or greater than AIDS or Zika which are also life-altering/life-threatening infections in need of cures.

For example: (in reference to persistent infection)

I would like to point out the following case study from Stony Brook Lyme Clinic. I understand the patient received thirteen spinal taps, multiple courses of IV and oral meds, and relapsed after each one, proven by CSF antigens and/or PCR. The only way this patient (said to be a physician) remained in remission was to keep her on open ended clarithromycin- was on it for 22 months by the time of publication.

Seronegative Chronic Relapsing Neuroborreliosis.  
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7796837

Lawrence C.a · Lipton R.B.b · Lowy F.D.c · Coyle P.K.d  aDepartment of Medicine, bDepartment of Neurology, and cDivision of Infectious Diseases, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and dDepartment of Neurology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, NY., USA
Eur Neurol 1995; 35:113–117  (DOI:10.1159/000117104)

Abstract

We report an unusual patient with evidence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection  who experienced repeated neurologic relapses despite aggressive antibiotic therapy. Each course of therapy was associated with a Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction. Although the patient never had detectable free antibodies to B. burgdorferi in serum or spinal fluid, the CSF was positive on multiple occasions for complexed anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies, B. burgdorferi nucleic acids and free antigen.

Duke University Oncologist Dr. Neil Spector required a heart transplant after his infection was left untreated for four years while serology was repeatedly negative for Lyme disease.
Gone in a Heartbeat – A Physician’s Search for True Healing 

https://www.lymedisease.org/book-review-spector-lyme-disease/

Patient testimony all across America (and the globe) is describing a disease that is destroying lives, ending careers while leaving its victim in financial ruin.

The truth about this devastating disease has been kept from the public for 43 years and there are no  Public Service  Announcements informing the public that you could become horribly disabled  [3]  [4] or die  [5] from Lyme disease.

A worldwide community of physicians has been influenced by the ongoing disinformation campaign aimed at promoting the idea that Lyme is little more than a nuisance disease as health agencies across the globe are blindly following what has been deceitfully established here in the U.S. The academics that controlled the narrative for the past three decades have been named as defendants in a Texas District Court racketeering lawsuit and that fact is missing from the conflicts of interest statement in the Wormser published PLOS article.  Why is that Dr. Heber?

Court Document:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/18uyrli878ug51m/LymeDisease%20RICO%20Lawsuit.pdf?dl=0

We are dealing with a life-altering/life-threatening infection with faulty/misleading antibody tests, inadequate treatment, no medical training and absolutely no disease control; a public health disaster.

And once again we see  Wormser fixated on the acute stage of disease after early treatment as he continues to believe that he has pulled the wool over the eyes of the reader and medical community.

When evidence based medicine has been spun to fit bias agendas and the patient voice has been intentionally ignored who investigates the dishonest science?

A response to this inquiry is required.

Respectfully submitted,

Carl Tuttle

Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH
Cc: Iratxe Puebla, Senior Managing Editor
Michelle Dohm, Managing Editor, Editorial Board Services
George Vousden, Senior Editor
Meghan Byrne, Senior Editor, Team Manager
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID Director

References: (Please read them!)

1.  Lyme Disease Is Hard to Catch And Easy to Halt, Study FindsNew York Times By GINA KOLATA Published: June 13, 2001

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/13/us/lyme-disease-is-hard-to-catch-and-easy-to-halt-study-finds.html

Excerpt: But some who have treated hundreds of patients with long-term antibiotics, like Dr. Sam L. Donta of Boston University Medical Center, were not convinced. The antibiotics in the studies were not given for a long enough time, Dr. Donta said, and he would have chosen different ones. Perhaps all that the studies show, he said, is ”that this particular treatment doesn’t work.”

2.   Peer Reviewed Evidence of Persistence of Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and Tick-Borne Diseases after the mandated one-size-fits-all IDSA treatment approach:(700 articles)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n09sk90eo6xz7ua/700%20articles%20LYME%20EvidenceofPersistence-V2.pdf?dl=0

3.   Latent Lyme Disease Resulting in Chronic Arthritis and Early Career Termination in a United States Army Officer(Published: 06 March 2019)

https://academic.oup.com/milmed/advance-article/doi/10.1093/milmed/usz026/5370051?searchresult=1

4.   Nicole Malachowski: Unfit for Duty from Debilitating Tick-Borne Disease

http://cdmrp.army.mil/cwg/stories/2018/nicole_malachowski_profile

5.    Deaths From Lyme Disease Compiled by: John D. Scott, Research Scientist 17 April 2018

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eo794dx7zspc1ln/Ld%20deaths.doc?dl=0

Today’s letter to Dr. Gary Wormser of New York Medical College

NOV 14, 2019 — 

There has never been a response to any of my inquiries addressed to Dr. Wormser….I wonder why? A copy of this letter was sent to the lead attorney of the current Texas RICO lawsuit.

———- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: gary wormser <gary_wormser@nymc.edu>, jheber@plos.org
Cc: ipuebla@plos.org, mdohm@plos.org, gvousden@plos.org, mbyrne@plos.org, afauci@niaid.nih.gov, amarques@niaid.nih.gov, gwormser@nymc.edu, donna_mckenna@nymc.edu, dean.follmann@nih.gov, gary_wormser@nymc.edu, joshua.norville@tufts.edu, lymestudy@mfpstorrs.com, linden.hu@tufts.edu, plosone@plos.org
Date: November 14, 2019 at 8:48 AM
Subject: Re: Post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms score: Developing a new tool for research.

Nov 14, 2019

Division of Infectious Diseases,
New York Medical College,
Valhalla, NY 10595
Attn: Gary P. Wormser, MD

Dr. Wormser,

As an Infectious Disease Specialist I would like to ask you a few questions that I hope you could take the time to answer:

1. Does untreated strep throat lead to rheumatic fever causing irreversible heart damage?

2. Does untreated human immunodeficiency virus infection progresses to AIDS with significant disability and death?

3. Does untreated syphilis lead to progressive disability and dementia?

4. Does untreated Lyme disease produce sudden death with no warning signs; [1,2,3,] heart damage requiring transplant, [4] paralysis with seizures, [5] lymphoma [6] and persistent infection after antibiotic treatment [7, 8,9,10,11] along with congenital transmission [12] and ability to create wheelchair bound patients [13]?
Your thirty year fixation on the acute stage of disease (with bulls-eye rash) after early treatment gives the impression that you have disregarded the consequences of untreated Lyme disease which leaves the patient horribly disabled similar to the other examples I have presented.

I believe you have coined the phrase “aches and pains of daily living” when patients experience a return of symptoms after the one-size-fits-all IDSA treatment mandate.

“Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome” after early treatment and untreated late stage Lyme of months, years or decades are two distinctly different disease states with the later going unrecognized for over three decades. Patients who have had a prolonged exposure to the pathogen are almost always incapacitated.

5. So what is your motivation for disregarding the consequences of untreated Lyme disease? Is it because the outcome of untreated Lyme doesn’t match the well-established dogma that Lyme is a simple nuisance disease; hard to catch and easily treated, which you helped to establish?

We have a disease that is wreaking havoc all across America (and the world) while you remain focused on the early stage of disease as indicated in your latest PLOS publication; shameful indeed.   

Misclassification has pigeonholed Lyme disease into a low-risk and non-urgent health issue which has all but eliminated adequate government funding for a disease capable of long term disability and death.

A response to this inquiry is requested.

Carl Tuttle

Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH

References: (Tip of the iceberg)

1. Cardiac Tropism of Borrelia burgdorferi: An Autopsy Study of Sudden 
Cardiac Death Associated with Lyme Carditis. (March 2016)
http://ajp.amjpathol.org/article/S0002-9440(16)00099-7/abstract

Excerpt:

“Fatal Lyme carditis caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi rarely is identified. Here, we describe the pathologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular findings of five case patients.”

2. CDC Case Study #1: Three Sudden Cardiac Deaths Associated with Lyme Carditis: 

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6249a1.htm?s_cid=mm6249a1_w

3. CDC Case Study #2: A case report of a 17-year old male with fatal Lyme carditis

http://www.cardiovascularpathology.com/article/S1054-8807(15)00025-3/abstract?rss=yes

4. Professor Neil Spector: Duke physician uses near-death experience to encourage patient self-advocacy

http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2015/05/28/duke-physician-uses-near-death-experience-encourage-patient-self-advocacy#.VYlYnxtViko

Dr Neil Spector from Duke University required a heart transplant after his Lyme disease went undiagnosed for four years.

5. Nashua Mom in the ‘Lyme Light’ on Katie Couric Show

http://patch.com/new-hampshire/nashua/nashua-mom-talks-chronic-lyme-on-katie-couric-show

Fifth-grade teacher Kelly Downing was paralyzed from the neck down and interviewed by Katie Couric.

6. Infection by Borrelia burgdorferi and cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (Cancer)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9331890

Specific DNA sequences of Borrelia burgdorferi were identified in cutaneous lesions from 9 patients (follicle center lymphoma: 3/20; immunocytoma: 3/4; marginal zone B-cell lymphoma: 2/20; diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: 1/6).

7. Application of Nanotrap technology for high sensitivity measurement of urinary outer surface protein A carboxyl-terminus domain in early stage Lyme borreliosis.
http://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-015-0701-z

41 of 100 patients under surveillance for persistent LB in an endemic area were positive for urinary OspA protein after antibiotic treatment.

8. Culture evidence of Lyme disease in antibiotic treated patients living in the Southeast.

http://danielcameronmd.com/culture-evidence-of-lyme-disease-in-antibiotic-treated-patients-living-in-the-southeast/

Rudenko and colleagues reported culture confirmation of chronic Lyme disease in 24 patients in North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. All had undergone previous antibiotic treatment.

9. DNA sequencing diagnosis of off-season spirochetemia with low bacterial density in Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi infections.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24968274

Faulty/misleading antibody tests landed a sixteen year old male in a psychiatric ward when his lab results did not meet the CDC’s strict criteria for positive results. His Western blot had only four of the required five IgG bands. Subsequent DNA sequencing identified a spirochetemia in this patient’s blood so his psychiatric issues were a result of neurologic Lyme disease misdiagnosed by antiquated/misleading serology. This patient was previously treated with antibiotics.

10. Granulomatous hepatitis associated with chronic Borrelia burgdorferi infection: a case report

http://www.labome.org/research/Granulomatous-hepatitis-associated-with-chronic-Borrelia-burgdorferi-infection-a-case-report.html

The patient had active, systemic Borrelia burgdorferi infection and consequent Lyme hepatitis, despite antibiotic therapy.

11. Scotty Shelton and Persistent Infection in Saginaw MN

https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/11685820

“Scotty’s brain (cerebral cortex) was positive for Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia myamotoi, his testicle is positive for Bb. We are now testing other tissues. Seven years of antibiotics and 3.5 years of natural treatments (along with antibiotics) and he was highly highly positive.”

12. Congenital Transmission of Lyme/TBD

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z10em0szgpm8bll/Congenital%20Transmission%20of%20Lyme%202015.doc?dl=0

13. Wheelchair-Bound Girl Calls Blessing By Pope Francis ‘Most Precious Moment Of My Life’

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/09/24/pope-francis-blesses-girl-in-wheelchair/

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A 12-year-old girl who has been confined to a wheelchair since being diagnosed with Lyme disease said meeting Pope Francis as he arrived in New York Thursday was “the most precious moment of my life.”

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme

Differentiating Psychosomatic, Somatopsychic, Multisystem Illnesses and Medical Uncertainty

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/7/4/114

Differentiating Psychosomatic, Somatopsychic, Multisystem Illnesses and Medical Uncertainty

by Robert C. Bransfield 1,* and Kenneth J. Friedman 2,†
Abstract
There is often difficulty differentiating between psychosomatic, somatopsychic, multisystem illness, and different degrees of medical uncertainty. Uncommon, complex, and multisystem diseases are commonly misdiagnosed. Two case histories are described, and relevant terms differentiating psychosomatic, somatopsychic, and multisystem illnesses are identified, reviewed, and discussed. Adequate differentiation requires an understanding of the mind/body connection, which includes knowledge of general medicine, psychiatry, and the systems linking the body and the brain. A psychiatric diagnosis cannot be given solely based upon the absence of physical, laboratory, or pathological findings. Medically unexplained symptoms, somatoform disorder, and compensation neurosis are outdated and/or inaccurate terms. The terms subjective, nonspecific, and vague can be used inaccurately. Conversion disorders, functional disorders, psychogenic illness, factitious disorder imposed upon another (Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy), somatic symptom disorder, psychogenic seizures, psychogenic pain, psychogenic fatigue, and delusional parasitosis can be over-diagnosed. Bodily distress disorder and bodily distress syndrome are scientifically unsupported and inaccurate. Many “all in your head” conditions may be related to the microbiome and the immune system. Better education concerning the interface between medicine and psychiatry and the associated diagnostic nomenclature as well as utilizing clinical judgment and thorough assessment, exercising humility, and maintaining our roots in traditional medicine will help to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient trust. View Full-Text
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**Comment**
Thank God for Dr. Bransfield – a doctor who continues to underscore the need to listen to patients.
Here’s a video of Dr. Shapiro, member of the Tick-borne Disease Working Group despite a loud protest by the Lyme/MSIDS community, in a 2014 videotaped interview where he describes the term“medically unexplained symptoms” and urges the medical community to develop ways to prevent “healthcare-seeking behaviors” by parents who believed their children may have Lyme disease.  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/06/11/dr-eugene-shapiro-medically-unexplained-symptoms/

Excerpt:

“…it’s very clear that simply telling parents that Lyme disease is not the cause of these nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, various pain syndromes that is not sufficient and that we need a new paradigm to how to best manage such patients. Often it’s not the pediatric infectious disease specialists who doesn’t have an ongoing relationship with his patients who is likely the best but someone who can develop a trusting relationship with them. Very frequently these parents are seeking affirmation that these symptoms are real and in fact they are real it’s just that they’re not caused by Lyme disease…..”

Due to this man, patients have suffered for decades:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/30/child-with-lymemsidspans-told-by-doctors-she-made-it-all-up/

And here, a school nurse documents 19 cases that were misdiagnosed when the children all had Lyme/MSIDS:   https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/09/05/school-nurse-documents-nineteen-lyme-disease-case-studies-misdiagnosis-is-rampant/

Again, a huge, huge problem is that many patients do not meet the strict CDC criteria for diagnosis including an ancient serology test looking for antibodies when it misses over half of all cases:   https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/11/21/how-many-lyme-disease-patients-dont-meet-strict-diagnostic-criteria/

 

 

Category:

Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research