Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Study Shows 35% of Atypical Pneumonia in Chile Caused by Q Fever & Rickettsia

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32545152/

Evidence of Q Fever and Rickettsial Disease in Chile

Teresa Tapia 1, John Stenos 2, Roberto Flores 1, Oscar Duery 1, Rodrigo Iglesias 1, Maria Fernanda Olivares 3, Doris Gallegos 3, Cristian Rosas 4, Heidi Wood 5, Johanna Acevedo 3, Pamela Araya 1, Stephen R Graves 2, Juan Carlos Hormazabal 1
Affiliation

Free PMC article

Abstract

Q fever and rickettsial diseases occur throughout the world and appear to be emergent zoonoses in Chile. The diagnosis of these diseases is currently uncommon in Chile, as their clinical presentations are non-specific and appropriate diagnostic laboratory assays are of limited availability. During a recent outbreak of undiagnosed human atypical pneumonia, we serologically investigated a series of 357 cases from three regions of southern Chile. The aim was to identify those caused by Coxiella burnetii and/or Rickettsia spp. Serological analysis was performed by ELISA and an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) for acute and convalescence sera of patients. Our results, including data from two international reference laboratories, demonstrate that

  • 71 (20%) of the cases were Q fever
  • 44 (15%) were a likely rickettsial infection, although the rickettsial species could not be confirmed by serology
This study is the first report of endemic Q fever and rickettsial disease affecting humans in Chile.

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For more on Q Fever:  

For more on Rickettsia:  

Category:

Q Fever, research, Rickettsia, Ticks

New Study: COVID Was Already Here in 2019 & Getting COVID Protects You For Years

https://thehighwire.com/videos/new-study-covid-was-already-here/  10 Min Video here

NEW STUDY: COVID WAS ALREADY HERE

A new study is raising serious questions about the #Covid19 timeline. Antibodies of the virus in asymptomatic participants may go back even further than we initially thought. Find out how far back, and why this may change everything we think we know about the Coronavirus.

Study here:  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0300891620974755

Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy

Giovanni Apolone*, Emanuele Montomoli*, Alessandro Manenti, …

First Published November 11, 2020 Research Article Find in PubMed

https://doi.org/10.1177/0300891620974755

There are no robust data on the real onset of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and spread in the prepandemic period worldwide. We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)–specific antibodies in blood samples of 959 asymptomatic individuals enrolled in a prospective lung cancer screening trial between September 2019 and March 2020 to track the date of onset, frequency, and temporal and geographic variations across the Italian regions. SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific antibodies were detected in 111 of 959 (11.6%) individuals, starting from September 2019 (14%), with a cluster of positive cases (>30%) in the second week of February 2020 and the highest number (53.2%) in Lombardy.

This study shows an unexpected very early circulation of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic individuals in Italy several months before the first patient was identified, and clarifies the onset and spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Finding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in asymptomatic people before the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy may reshape the history of pandemic.

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**Comment**

If 11% had COVID-19 antibodies as far back as September 2019, we know it was here before then. We should also be testing blood banks in the U.S. so the public understands this.  This should change everything.  

But the mainstream media is still only reporting fear and fake numbers.

Food for thought:  Madison, Wisconsin is home to research facilities where researchers from all over the globe, travel all over the world.  Students and researchers from other countries are in and out, and in again.  How likely is it that COVID was here much sooner than we are being told as people were freely moving about?  I suspect highly likely and might explain the strange virus my entire family experienced that had us flat on our backs in January – way before any mask mandates or lockdowns.

I posted on this before, but please read:  https://www.salon.com/2020/04/24/did-this-virus-come-from-a-lab-maybe-not–but-it-exposes-the-threat-of-a-biowarfare-arms-race/   Excerpt

In that same year, 2012, a similar study by Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin was published in Nature:

Highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza A viruses occasionally infect humans, but currently do not transmit efficiently among humans. … Here we assess the molecular changes … that would allow a virus … to be transmissible among mammals. We identified a … virus … with four mutations and the remaining seven gene segments from a 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus — that was capable of droplet transmission in a ferret model. 

They’ve been doing viral research in Madison forever.  While Madison is home to a BSL-3 facility, there are plenty of BSL-4 facilities in the U.S. working on viruses and other toxic agents.
 
According to CDC and WHO guidelines, 
“Biosafety Level 3 is applicable to laboratories where work with indigenous or exotic agents may cause serious disease because of exposure by inhalation route. Laboratory personnel require specific training for handling such agents, and are supervised by competent scientists who are experienced in working with these agents.” 
 
My point is that there was plenty of opportunity for many, many people in the U.S. to be exposed to COVID-19 way before the first outbreak in Wuhan in November, 2019.  Historically, people are weaker and more susceptible to flu-like illnesses in the winter so we probably didn’t visually see much until November, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t circulating in the population.  
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I posted this before, but it deserves repeating:  
 

GETTING COVID PROTECTS YOU FOR YEARS

Recent data from scientists at the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research suggests those who have had COVID-19 may be immune for years. Del & Jeffery Jaxen breakdown the science and show why herd immunity may be an effective tool to end the pandemic.

 

These findings should alleviate fears and end draconian measures.

For more:

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/11/05/robust-sars-cov-2-specific-t-cell-immunity-is-maintained-at-6-months-following-primary-infection/

lymphocytes from 20–50% of unexposed donors display significant reactivity to SARS-CoV-2 antigen peptide pools1,2,3,4.

In conclusion, it is now established that SARS-CoV-2 pre-existing immune reactivity exists to some degree in the general population.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/10/coronavirus-why-everyone-was-wrong/  Excerpt:

  1. Firstly, it was wrong to claim that this virus was novel.
  2. Secondly, It was even more wrong to claim that the population would not already have some immunity against this virus.
  3. Thirdly, it was the crowning of stupidity to claim that someone could have Covid-19 without any symptoms at all or even to pass the disease along without showing any symptoms whatsoever.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/18/dr-sunetra-gupta-takes-on-herd-immunity-nay-sayers/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/31/top-expert-most-of-u-s-already-has-herd-immunity/  Posted back in July!

Category:

research, Transmission, Viruses

Canadian TV Series About Lyme Disease – “Bitten”

https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/w5/promising-treatment-brings-new-hope-for-patients-with-chronic-lyme-disease-  News videos here

Promising treatment brings new hope for patients with chronic Lyme disease

Shelley AyresW5 Producer
Published Friday, November 20, 2020 
W5: Bitten, part one
W5’s Molly Thomas speaks to a Canadian Lyme disease patient who had to struggle for years just to get a diagnosis.
W5: Bitten, part two
There are more ticks in Canada than ever before, but is the country’s health care system prepared to deal with more Lyme disease cases?
Woman’s life is derailed by Lyme disease
Nikki Kent had to go through a battery of tests and years of uncertainty before she was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease.
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**Comment**
Informative Canadian news series on Lyme disease.
The series looks at a number of Canadian Lyme patients that have had trouble obtaining diagnosis and treatment in Canada, necessitating they travel thousands of miles to the United States.
The series points out the:
There is a myth still being perpetrated in the medical community on the effectiveness of 1 or 2 doses of doxycycline:

Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH, states there has only been one study (Nadelman et al) on the effectiveness of 1 pill of doxycycline and only found a reduction in the number of erythema migraines (EM) rashes compared to the placebo group.  According to him, the IDSA 1 pill of doxy approach started in 2006 despite the fact that three previous prophylactic antibiotic trials for a tick bite had failed.

Only one study in 2001 tested this hypothesis at one hospital in New York.

For the study, the bullseye rash was the diagnostic criteria to determine if doxy prevented LD. The study actually showed that people bitten by nymphs were more likely to develop a bullseye rash and therefore diagnosed with LD in comparison with those bitten by an adult tick. None of those bitten by adult ticks developed a bullseye rash.

The Bullseye is a poor indicator of LD.

Only 50% with LD got any kind of rash and only 9% developed a bullseye.

Two pills used at the time of tick bite by a nymph prevented people from getting the bullseye – so they were not diagnosed as having LDand were excluded from the study.

So, will 2 pills of doxy prevent Lyme?

No.

So much for evidence based medicine.
The article in the top link then goes onto discuss Dr. Tim Cook who has had success using disulfiram/Antabuse.  He quotes:
“OK, now this is exciting,” he said. “Disulfram (DSF) is a breakthrough because it is one of only two or three medications that are known to specifically target the slow-growth phase of Lyme that regular antibiotics do not eradicate.”
“What has surprised me is how patients improve with very little of it. Prior to DSF, the conventional combinations of antibiotics would make most patients feel quite a bit better, but they would often say that their ‘brain fog’ and fatigue never quite went away. These two symptoms are often completely and rapidly resolved with DSF,” Dr. Cook said.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Ticks, Treatment

Confused Woman With Anaplasmosis & Babesia Podcast

https://danielcameronmd.com/anaplasmosis-and-babesia-infection-cause-cognitive-impairment/  Go Here for Podcast

LYME PODCAST: A CONFUSED WOMAN WITH ANAPLASMOSIS AND BABESIA INFECTION

confused woman with Anaplasmosis and Babesia infection

Welcome to an Inside Lyme case study. I find that the best way to get to know Lyme disease is through reviewing actual cases.  I will be discussing a 78-year-old confused woman with an Anaplasmosis and Babesia infection.

By
 

A 78-year-old woman was evaluated in an emergency room with fever, chills, lethargy, fatigue, and confusion. Her maximum temperature was 100.6° F.

Her blood tests were quite abnormal. She had severe anemia, low white blood count, and low platelet count.

• Anemia (dropped from 10.5 g/dL to a low of 8 g/dL)
• Leukopenia (dropped from 5.0 × 10 9 /L to 2.6 × 10 9 /L)
• Thrombocytopenia (dropped to 39 × 10 9 /L)

The doctor initially considered sepsis. Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening illness triggered by an infection. The body’s immune response can be so strong that the body can attack itself and can lead to organ damage and death.

ANAPLASMOSIS AND BABESIA INFECTION

She also had multiple tick bites.

The doctors were able to identify the parasite that causes a Babesia infection in the woman’s red blood cells under the microscope. Babesia is a disease transmitted by the same tick that carries Lyme disease.

The doctors prescribed a combination of atovaquone and azithromycin for her Babesia infection. These medications are marketed under the names Mepron and Zithromax in the US.

The doctors were also concerned that the woman might suffer from another tick-borne illness called Anaplasmosis because of her low white blood count and low platelet count. Anaplasmosis had previously been called Ehrlichia.

The combination of atovaquone and azithromycin is not effective for Anaplasmosis. The doctors added doxycycline to the woman’s treatment.

The laboratory test confirmed that she had, in fact, an anaplasmosis and babesia infection. The IgM tests were positive for both conditions consistent with early infection.

The woman’s cognitive function improved dramatically following two weeks of treatment, according to the authors.

What can we learn from these cases?

  1. Tick-borne diseases can lead to confusion in the elderly.
  2. An individual with a tick-borne infection can be confused with sepsis.

What questions do these cases raise?

  1. How many elderly with tick-borne illnesses are confused?
  2. What if the parasites associated with the Babesia infection had not been seen in the red blood cells under the microscope? Would the woman have been diagnosed in a timely manner for Babesia?
  3. What would have happened to the woman if the doctors had not considered Anaplasmosis?
  4. What would have happened to the woman if the doctors had stopped treatment if the tests were negative?
  5. What is the long-term outcome for the elderly with tick-borne infections? Could the woman’s short term confusion described in this case lead to long term confusion?

TREATING TICK-BORNE DISEASE IN MY PRACTICE

In my practice, each individual requires a careful assessment. That is why I order a broad range of blood tests for other illnesses in addition to tick-borne infections. I also arrange consultations with specialists as needed.

Many patients are complex, as highlighted in this Inside Lyme Podcast series.

We need more doctors with skills diagnosing and treating Lyme disease in the elderly. We hope that a professional evaluating the elderly can use this case to remind them to look for Lyme disease and co-infections and treat accordingly.

Inside Lyme Podcast Series

This Inside Lyme case series will be discussed on my Facebook and made available on podcast and YouTube.  As always, it is your likes, comments, and shares that help spread the word about this series and our work. If you can, please leave a review on iTunes or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Sign up for our newsletter to keep up with our cases.

References:
  1. Paparone P, Paparone PW. Variable clinical presentations of babesiosis. Nurse Pract. 2018;43(10):48-54.

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**Comment**

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/03/08/anaplasmosis/

Treatment recommendation:

The optimal dose and duration of antibiotic treatment for anaplasmosis has not been definitively established, but it is clear that A. phagocytophilum is highly sensitive to tetracyclines. Thus, oral doxycycline is the recommended treatment, at the same dose used for Ehrlichia infections: 200 mg/day in two divided doses. The usual treatment duration is 5-10 days, which is extended if there is suspected coinfection with B. burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease. In any case, treatment should continue for at least three days after the patient’s fever resolves. Response to treatment is usually rapid; if the patient remains febrile more than two or three days after initiation of doxycycline therapy, the diagnosis should be revisited.  As with Ehrlichia infections, rifampin is used in cases where doxycycline is contraindicated, such as pregnancy or allergy.

The CDC recommends a lower dosage. Lyme literate doctors know that some people need higher dosages. This is an important issue that has kept some from getting better. Consider and discuss with your practitioner.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/16/babesia-treatment/

Please see article for various treatments.  Dr. Horowitz states that Babesia is one of the most tenacious coinfections he deals with.  He recommends treatment of 9-12 months.  Studies have also shown that mono therapies like the singular use of Mepron to be ineffective as the pathogens develop resistance to it.  Lyme literate doctors typically utilize an overlapping treatment with numerous modalities to prevent this from happening.  I’ve heard many professionals state that once you start treating Babesia you need to see it through to completion.  So don’t start until you mean business and then stick it out.  Treatment is typically 3 weeks on, one week off.  In this article I state the treatment that worked for both my husband and I.  

FYI: Two weeks of treatment is hardly ever sufficient.

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Babesia, research, Ticks

Bartonella Induced Persistent Mechanical Hypersensitivity in Mice Observed (Which Means Pain For Us)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33146308/

Bartonella henselae infection induces a persistent mechanical hypersensitivity in mice

Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo

. 2020 Oct 30;62:e79

doi: 10.1590/S1678-9946202062079.eCollection 2020.

Gislaine Vieira-Damiani 1 2, Amanda Roberta de Almeida 1, Marilene Neves Silva 1, Bruno Groseli Lania 1, Tânia Cristina Benetti Soares 1, Marina Rovani Drummond 1, Karina A Lins 1, Marna Ericson 3, Kalpna Gupta 4, Paulo Eduardo Neves Ferreira Velho 1 5

Free PMC article

Abstract

Bartonella spp. are re-emerging and neglected bacterial pathogens. The natural reservoirs for several species of this genus are domestic animals such as cats and dogs, the most common pets in the USA and Brazil. Some cat studies suggest that the infection is more prevalent in tropical and poverty-stricken areas. These bacteria were associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations:

  • fever of unknown origin
  • endocarditis
  • angiomatosis
  • chronic lymphadenopathy
  • hepatitis
  • fatigue
  • paresthesia and pain

Our group has already demonstrated that B. henselae -infected sickle cell disease mice present with hyperalgesia. We hypothesized that even immunocompetent mice infected by B. henselae would show an increased and persistent mechanical sensitivity. Five ten-week old male BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with a 30 µL of suspension containing 10 4 CFU/mL of B. henselae, while five others were inoculated with an equal volume of saline solution. Four days after bacterial inoculation, the mechanical paw withdrawal threshold was measured using von Frey filaments in all animals, for five consecutive days.

The infected animals showed hypersensitivity to mechanical stimuli for five consecutive days. The present study has demonstrated that B. henselae infection induces persistent mechanical hypersensitivity, a signal consistent with pain.

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/11/01/understanding-bartonella-symptoms-testing-and-treatment/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/category/bartonella-treatment/  Symptom checklist & treatments within link

Category:

Bartonella, research