Archive for the ‘research’ Category

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

COVIDGATE: The Corruption of Clinical Trials (Part 1)

https://rightandfree.com/news/2020/11/17/covidgate-the-corruption-of-clinical-trials-part-one

COVIDGATE: The Corruption of Clinical Trials (Part One)

By Michelle Malkin

Shutterstock/Kira_Yan

“Truly striking.” “Tremendous.” “Extraordinary.” “Miraculous.” “A great day for science and humanity.” Those are just a few of the hyperbolic responses from government health officials and Big Pharma cheerleaders to preliminary COVID vaccine trial data released by Pfizer and Moderna this past week.

If it all sounds too good to be true, then congratulations: Your B.S. detector is fully charged and operational.  (See link for article)

_____________________

**Comment**

This commentary is spot on.  And it’s never been more important to have your B.S. detector fully charged than now when logic and proper debate has left science.  We’ve entered the “spin zone.”

Malkin points out the issues:

  1. Fauci’s continual flip-flopping on everything from masks to testing
  2. Normalcy can supposedly only return when everyone gets a yet to be proven vaccine 
  3. Various industries are exploring vaccine status verification systems – all of which is based upon press released write-ups from vaccine manufacturers
  4. Despite NOT being peer-reviewed, Fauci states “it’s all good”
  5. No one knows length of protection of the vaccine
  6. No one knows how this affects children as schools prepare to mandate the vaccine to obtain an education
  7. No one knows the synergistic effects of this vaccine with others
  8. No one knows the long-term effects of this vaccine
  9. The Pfizer clinical data is explained here: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/11/14/pfizer-covid-vaccine-frenzy-high-volume-of-adverse-reactions-expected/
  10. The Moderna trial is also being tested on those with a low risk of COVID
  11. The question to ask is how did they define a positive COVID case?
  12. Malkin points to the BMJ which defined this as including those even with only mild symptoms to qualify.  So people with simply a cough and positive lab test qualify.  Please see:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/01/us-scientist-manufactured-pandemic-testing-people-for-any-strain-of-coronavirus-not-specifically-covid-19/  Many of these people don’t have COVID
  13. ZERO trials were designed to detect a reduction in any serious outcomes (hospital admission, intensive care, or death)
  14. ZERO trials are designed to determine if they interrupt viral transmission
  15. Moderna’s trial lacks adequate statistical power to assess severe COVID-19 outcomes.  The reason?  Hospital admissions and deaths are too uncommon in the study population of 30,000 people

Important excerpt:

Vaccinating billions of people to prevent a disease with a 99% survival rate for people under 70 — all based on clinical trial efficacy analysis of less than 200 COVID-19 cases involving patients with coughs and unreliable PCR tests with significant false positive rates — is not the triumph of science. It’s corruption and it’s the tip of the iceberg.

For more:  

There is a full-court press to get everyone to take the experimental DNA vaccine:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/11/18/who-taps-anti-conspiracy-crusader-to-sway-public-opinion-on-covid-vaccine/

For more on the COVID vaccine:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/04/21/inovio-covid-19-vaccine-uses-electricity-to-drive-dna-into-body-cells/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/05/covid-19-vaccine-explained/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/11/11/how-covid-19-vaccine-can-destroy-your-immune-system/

Excerpt:

  • According to a study that examined how informed consent is given to COVID-19 vaccine trial participants, disclosure forms fail to inform volunteers that the vaccine might make them susceptible to more severe disease if they’re exposed to the virus
  • Previous coronavirus vaccine efforts — including those for SARS, MERS and RSV — have revealed a serious concern: The vaccines have a tendency to trigger antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE)
  • ADE means that rather than enhance your immunity against the infection, the vaccine actually enhances the virus’ ability to enter and infect your cells, resulting in more severe disease than had you not been vaccinated

Category:

research, vaccines, Viruses

Yale Scientists Identify Protein That Protects Against Lyme Disease

https://news.yale.edu/2020/11/11/yale-scientists-identify-protein-protects-against-lyme-disease

Yale scientists identify protein that protects against Lyme disease

By Bill Hathaway
November 11, 2020
Lyme tick
(© stock.adobe.com)

Yale researchers have discovered a protein that helps protect hosts from infection with the tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme Disease, a finding that may help diagnose and treat this infection, they report Nov. 11 in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

Lyme Disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America and is transmitted by ticks infected with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. The course of the disease varies among individuals, with the majority experiencing mild symptoms easily treated by antibiotics. However, in some cases of untreated Lyme the infection can spread to the heart, joints, nervous system, and other organs.

For the study, the Yale team expressed more than 1,000 human genes in yeast and analyzed their interactions with 36 samples of B. burgdorferi. They found that one protein, Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein 1 (PGLYRP1), acts like an early warning signal to the immune system when exposed to the bacteria. When exposed to the Lyme spirochete, mice lacking PGLYRP1 had much higher levels of B. burgdorferi than mice with the protein and showed signs of immune system dysfunction, the researchers report.

“Stimulating the ability of people to make more of this protein could help fight infection,” said Yale’s Erol Fikrig, the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases) and of microbial pathogenesis and co-corresponding author of the study.

Fikrig and his colleagues are also investigating whether people with higher levels of PGLYRP1 may be less susceptible to infection by B. burgdorferi, which would help explain why some infected individuals have better outcomes.

Yale’s Noah Palm and Aaron Ring are co-corresponding authors of the paper.  Akash Gupta, Gunjun Arora, and Connor Rosen of Yale are co-lead authors.

The work was primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Lyme and tick-borne disease research.

______________________

**Comment**

A few points:

They state, “The course of the disease varies among individuals, with the majority experiencing mild symptoms easily treated by antibiotics. However, in some cases of untreated Lyme the infection can spread to the heart, joints, nervous system, and other organs.”

OK – this is FALSE.

No, a majority do NOT experience mild symptoms easily treated with antibiotics.
  • Current CDC 2-tiered testing is missing 70-86% of cases.  They have ZERO idea of prevalence due to all the people being misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.  Also, even the people who win the testing lotto and manage to test positive are told they have “false positives” and are sent home empty-handed to worsen.
  • As to being “easily treated with antibiotics,” how do you explain the 40-60% or more who go on with life-long symptoms?  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/25/medical-stalemate-what-causes-continuing-symptoms-after-lyme-treatment/ and the fact there has been treatment failure in nearly every antibiotics study ever done?  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/22/why-mainstream-lyme-msids-research-remains-in-the-dark-ages/
  • They state that only the “untreated Lyme” patients struggle with infection in the heart, joints, CNS, and other organs when this can happen WITH those who are treated as well.  In fact, in my experience ALL the patients I deal with have these severe symptoms.  ALL!
  • While I don’t want to appear to be a stick in the mud, I’m highly skeptical that lacking a certain protein is the sole reason for having lower levels of Bb.  I can think of numerous reasons for this – including being infected with numerous pathogens – suppressing the immune system.
  • Stay tuned.  These studies promise a lot but often deliver little, especially when the premise behind it all is that this complex illness is due to immune dysregulation NOT the underlying persistent infection. Again, in my experience it’s both that are a problem but by treating the underlying infection, the immune dysregulation is also treated.

Category:

Lyme, research