Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Bartonella hensaelae Native Valve Endocarditis Presenting With Crescentic Glomerulonephritis

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221425092100322X

A case of Bartonella henselae native valve endocarditis presenting with crescentic glomerulonephritis

Received 8 June 2021, Revised 29 November 2021, Accepted 15 December 2021, Available online 16 December 2021.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01366Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Abstract

Bartonella endocarditis is often an elusive diagnosis, usually derived from evaluating multiple laboratory tests and assessment of presenting symptoms. Herein we describe a case of Bartonella henselae native mitral valve endocarditis with an initial presentation of volume overload and renal failure. The Bartonella organism is tedious to isolate from culture medium, causing most diagnoses to be delayed. Due to the destructive nature of B. henselae endocarditis, the need for rapid identification remains prudent. This therefore creates an opportunity for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to be used. We further summarize the varied presentations that may be associated with B. henselae endocarditis, and hope that this will heighten the clinicians’ awareness of this entity when presented with acute onset renal failure and culture negative vegetations.

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/

Category:

Bartonella, research, Testing

Webinar: Diversity of Bartonellosis Manifestations & Challenges to Treatment

https://education.quidel.com/frontmatter/2597/5/Bartonellosis?

Register and Attend

The Diversity of Bartonellosis Manifestations and Challenges to Treatment

Description

Human Bartonellosis is an underappreciated public health problem. Like Lyme disease, Bartonellosis can be difficult to recognize clinically, to diagnose empirically, and to treat effectively. Bartonella bacteria cause systemic infections due to their broad organ tropism, which can manifest with a wide variety of signs and symptoms. While severe complications are typically associated with an immunocompromised state, neurological disease and association with tick-borne coinfection morbidity, without prior immune compromise, are becoming more apparent. Given the ability of this pathogen to invade multiple cell types and tissues, antibiotic treatment must have good cellular penetration, and no single treatment is known to be effective against all Bartonella-associated diseases.

This activity is intended to provide the following information about Bartonella infection.

  1. Pathogen transmission
  2. Disease manifestations
  3. Diagnosis and Treatment
  4. Possible misdiagnosis and co-infections
  5. Research needs and unanswered questions

Intended Audience

Clinicians, including infectious disease and internal medicine specialists, psychiatrists, and dermatologists, clinical laboratories, emergency room and urgent care centers and any other allied health professionals or patients interested in learning about human Bartonellosis.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the possible clinical presentations (signs and symptoms) of Bartonellosis.
2. Compare Bartonellosis to Lyme borreliosis in terms of detection, persistence and treatment.
3. Identify research efforts needed to better diagnose and cure Bartonellosis.

Speaker

Monica E. Embers, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Microbiology and Immunology
Director of Vector-Borne Disease Research
Tulane University
National Primate Research Center

Duration

0.5 hour

Disclosures

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization associated with this activity.

Monica E. Embers, Ph.D.
– Nothing to disclose

P.A.C.E. Accreditation

Quidel is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® Program.

Category:

Bartonella, research

The Unusual Cell Wall of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia Burgdorferi is Shaped by a Tick Sugar

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-021-01003-w

The unusual cell wall of the Lyme disease spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi is shaped by a tick sugar

Tanner G. DeHart, Mara R. Kushelman, Sherry B. Hildreth, Richard F. Helm & Brandon L. Jutras

Nature Microbiology volume 6, pages 1583–1592 (2021)Cite this article

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Abstract

Peptidoglycan—a mesh sac of glycans that are linked by peptides—is the main component of bacterial cell walls. Peptidoglycan provides structural strength, protects cells from osmotic pressure and contributes to shape. All bacterial glycans are repeating disaccharides of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) β-(1–4)-linked to N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc). Borrelia burgdorferi, the tick-borne Lyme disease pathogen, produces glycan chains in which MurNAc is occasionally replaced with an unknown sugar. Nuclear magnetic resonance, liquid chromatography–mass spectroscopy and genetic analyses show that B. burgdorferi produces glycans that contain GlcNAc–GlcNAc. This unusual disaccharide is chitobiose, a component of its chitinous tick vector. Mutant bacteria that are auxotrophic for chitobiose have altered morphology, reduced motility and cell envelope defects that probably result from producing peptidoglycan that is stiffer than that in wild-type bacteria. We propose that the peptidoglycan of B. burgdorferi probably evolved by adaptation to obligate parasitization of a tick vector, resulting in a biophysical cell-wall alteration to withstand the atypical torque associated with twisting motility.

__________________

**Comment**

Evidently this change is unprecedented and has not occurred in any other known organism.  The modification, which comes from the tick itself, allows for elasticity which supports motility of borrelia to move through tissue and cartilage.  A carbohydrate unique to ticks is absorbed by borrelia.

This finding could lead to potential diagnostic tests and treatments that target this unique sugar.

Category:

research, Ticks

Borrelia burgdoeri Co-Localizing With Amyloid Markers in Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Tissues

https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad215398

Borrelia burgdorferi Co-Localizing with Amyloid Markers in Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Tissues

Accepted Oct. 24, 2021, Published Dec. 5, 2021

Authors: Senejani, Alireza G.a; * | Maghsoudlou, Jasmina | El-Zohiry, Dinaa | Gaur, Gauria | Wawrzeniak, Keitha | Caravaglia, Cristinaa | Khatri, Vishwa A.a | MacDonald, Alanb | Sapi, Evaa

Affiliations: [a] Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of New Haven, West Haven, CT, USA | [b] Molecular Interrogation Research Laboratory, Naples, FL, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Alireza G. Senejani, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Road, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA. E-mail: asenejani@newhaven.edu.

Abstract:

Background:

Infections by bacterial or viral agents have been hypothesized to influence the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases.

Objective:

This study examined the potential presence of Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete, the causative agent of Lyme disease, in brain autopsy tissue of patients diagnosed with either Alzheimer’s (AD) or Parkinson’s diseases.

Methods:

Brain tissue sections from patients with age-matched controls were evaluated for antigen and DNA presence of B. burgdorferi using various methods. Positive Borrelia structures were evaluated for co-localization with biofilm and AD markers such as amyloid and phospho-tau (p-Tau) using immunohistochemical methods.

Results:

The results showed the presence of B. burgdorferi antigen and DNA in patients with AD pathology and among those, one of them was previously diagnosed with Lyme disease. Interestingly, a significant number of Borrelia-positive aggregates with a known biofilm marker, alginate, were found along with the spirochetal structures. Our immunohistochemical data also showed that Borrelia-positive aggregates co-localized with amyloid and anti-phospho-tau markers. To further prove the potential relationship of B. burgdorferi and amyloids, we infected two mammalian cell lines with B. burgdorferi which resulted in a significant increase in the expression of amyloid-β and p-Tau proteins in both cells lines post-infection.

Conclusion:

These results indicate that B. burgdorferi can be found in AD brain tissues, not just in spirochete but a known antibiotics resistant biofilm form, and its co-localized amyloid markers. In summary, this study provides evidence for a likely association between B. burgdorferi infections and biofilm formation, AD pathology, and chronic neurodegenerative diseases.

For more:

My holistic doctor (RIP) was in his 90’s when he retired.  His proclivity for studying history was a marvel, and it would behoove us to do the same. A few interesting facts:

  • Syphilis was initially treated with mercury.
  • Later, they used malaria to induce a high fever (hyperthermia) which cured some patients.
  • Hyperthermia is used today in some Lyme clinics.
  • The development of penicillin in the 1940s sounded the death knell for syphilis.  Source

My old, retired doc reminded me that the mental wards were emptied out after they administered penicillin, as many of the patients had late-stage syphilis and all they needed was help killing the spirochetes in their brains. It makes complete logical sense that this approach – and studying other antimicrobials for effectiveness as well, would also work with many Lyme/MSIDS patients who have dementia and Alzheimer’s, but our corrupt public health ‘authorities’ are too busy trying to control our lives to be concerned with such trifles.

Please note that two of the researchers that did the study have been attempting to bring the spirochetal-brain connection for decades.  We owe Dr. McDonald and Dr. Sapi a debt of gratitude we will never be able to repay,

Category:

Alzheimer's, Biofilm, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research

LDA-Columbia 2021 Lyme Conference Videos Available for Public Viewing

The Lyme Disease Association Inc. (LDA) has been able to release for the public on LDA’s You Tube Channel, a number of lectures from the LDA-Columbia 21st annual Lyme & Tick-borne Diseases 2021 CME conference.  See lectures by

  • John Aucott
  • Adrian Baranchuk
  • Ed Breitschwerdt
  • Catherine Brissette
  • Marna Ericson
  • Brian Fallon
  • Kim Lewis
  • Ken Liegner
  • Ricardo Maggi

Topics include Lyme & COVID 19; cardiac manifestations of Lyme; Bartonella; Borrelia colonizing dura matter; Suicidal behavior & Lyme; Lyme therapies; Disulfiram treatment for Lyme; PCR detection of Borrelia, Babesia & Bartonella; and Bartonella henselae in malignant melanoma.

NOTE: Some videos are not available due to ongoing research on the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZV1HL1nwxk&list=PLxRaIwc57w2kisRXk9-UNBirXjc1xx6iY  Go Here for presentations

Category:

Bartonella, Lyme, research