Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Bioweapon Labs Get More NIH Funding For Deadly ‘Research’ & The Wolf Guards the COVID-19 Hen House

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/09/29/bioweapon-labs-nih-funding-for-deadly-research.

Bioweapon Labs Get More NIH Funding for Deadly ‘Research’

Analysis by Dr. Joseph MercolaFact Checked
bioweapon lab

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • EcoHealth Alliance collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology for years, collecting coronavirus samples from bats and manipulating it to jump to humans
  • The dangerous gain-of-function research was carried out via a grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • The grant was cut off in April 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic gained steam, and U.S. intelligence agencies started to look into whether the coronavirus that started it all escaped from a biological laboratory in Wuhan, China
  • In August 2020, however, the NIH pivoted, granting a new $7.5-million grant to EcoHealth Alliance — part of an $82-million award being split among 11 research teams looking into the origins of viruses and how they infect people
  • The controversial move means that EcoHealth Alliance’s work will continue, this time targeting Southeast Asia instead of China

EcoHealth Alliance, a corporate-funded nonprofit organization that seeks to uncover novel viruses in the environment, has been working in China for decades, trapping bats and looking for previously unknown coronaviruses that could lead to a global pandemic.1

This may come as a surprise to many, but even more surprising is the fact that the research was carried out via a grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).2

While the grant was initially supposed to continue through 2024, it was cut off in April 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic gained steam, and U.S. intelligence agencies started to look into whether the coronavirus that started it all escaped from a biological laboratory in Wuhan, China.3

EcoHealth Alliance collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology for years, collecting coronavirus samples from bats and investigating whether they could jump to humans,4 and the NIH told the nonprofit that the project “no longer fit with NIH goals and priorities.”5

In August 2020, however, the NIH pivoted, granting a new $7.5 million grant to EcoHealth Alliance — part of an $82 million award being split among 11 research teams looking into the origins of viruses and how they infect people. The controversial move means that EcoHealth Alliance’s work will continue, this time targeting Southeast Asia instead of China.6

EcoHealth Alliance’s Controversial Gain-of-Function Research

Gain-of-function (GOF) research refers to studies that have the potential to enhance the ability of pathogens to cause disease, including enhancing either their pathogenicity or transmissibility.7Such research is by its very nature controversial, since there are clear risks should the information be misused or the pathogens escape (or are maliciously released).

Further, Jonathan Latham, Ph.D., a molecular biologist and virologist and Allison Wilson, Ph.D., a geneticist, believe gain-of-function research performed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology played “an essential causative role in the pandemic.”8 Peter Daszak, EcoHealth Alliance president, however, said that the funding cut to their China bat research project would pose a threat to the U.S. public health.

“Once this pandemic is over, we know of hundreds of other coronaviruses that we’ve found evidence of in China that are waiting to emerge,” Daszak said in an interview with NPR. “We are now going to be unable to know about the risk of that, which puts us completely at risk of the next pandemic.9

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the NIH, has also long backed dangerous GOF coronavirus research, including that conducted by EcoHealth Alliance. According to Newsweek:10

“Just last year [2019], the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases [NIAID], the organization led by Dr. Fauci, funded scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and other institutions for work on gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses.

In 2019, with the backing of NIAID, the National Institutes of Health committed $3.7 million over six years for research that included some gain-of-function work. The program followed another $3.7 million, 5-year project for collecting and studying bat coronaviruses, which ended in 2019, bringing the total to $7.4 million.

Many scientists have criticized gain of function research, which involves manipulating viruses in the lab to explore their potential for infecting humans, because it creates a risk of starting a pandemic from accidental release.”

Daszak to Lead COVID-19 Task Force

Outrageously, Daszak has also been appointed to lead a task force examining whether COVID-19 may have leaked from a lab, as part of the Lancet Covid-19 Commission, which is looking into a variety of issues surrounding the pandemic and offering practical solutions.11 Part of the commission’s goal is to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and avert future zoonotic pandemics.

While Daszak said he would head the investigation with an open mind, critics such as Filippa Lentzos, an expert on biological threats at King’s College London, wrote on Twitter:

“Goodness. I can’t imagine a lead investigator with more vested interests!”12,13

Not only has Daszak been widely criticized for spreading misinformation surrounding the origins of COVID-19 previously, but his longtime collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been identified as the most probable source of a laboratory leak, is a glaring conflict of interest. If it’s found that COVID-19 did, in fact, leak from a lab, the work of Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance could come under fire, and future funding could be put in jeopardy.

As reported in GM Watch, “… if more scientists fail to speak out against his appointment as the Lancet Commission’s lead investigator, it will reflect the success of a censorship strategy that has not just allowed Daszak to evade serious scrutiny but to be put in charge of investigating himself and his associates.”14

Hundreds of Scientists Called for End of GOF Research in 2014

In 2014, a series of accidents at laboratories led to more than 300 scientists to launch a petition calling for an end to gain-of-function research.15 The U.S. issued a temporary pause as a result16but, according to Ronnie Cummins, co-founder of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and Alexis Baden-Mayer, OCA’s political director:

Exemptions to this ‘pause,’ eventually reviewed by a secret government panel, were nonetheless allowed to go forward. The ban was lifted in 2017. Yet between 2014 and 2016, the NIH and Fauci-led NIAID continued funding gain-of-function research overseas at the Wuhan lab, via Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance.

Not surprisingly both Fauci and Daszak have been staunch defenders of the official Chinese government story that the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) ‘naturally’ evolved from bats and/or other host species to infect humans.”

In the NPR interview, Daszak said he really doesn’t understand the rationale behind the funding cut from NIH,17 as they were only researching how coronaviruses may spread from bats to people. But as Cummins and Baden-Mayer explained in my interview with them (linked above):

“Daszak and his collaborators at the Wuhan Institute of Virology18 weren’t just studying how coronavirus spread from bats to humans, they were actually making coronavirus capable of spreading from bats to humans. They were the first to create19 a bat coronavirus capable of directly infecting humans (rather than first needing to evolve in an intermediate animal host).

EcoHealth Alliance has since funded additional gain-of-function research that Daszak has championed — without acknowledging his connection.

Bat Virus Made Capable of Infecting Human Airway Cells

In 2015, the University of North Carolina collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, performing gain-of-function research in which bat viruses were manipulated to create a chimeric virus capable of binding to human upper airway cells. That particular virus was called SHC014-MA15.20

EcoHealth Alliance had funded the research with a U.S. grant,21 but this wasn’t mentioned by Nature, which quoted Daszak as saying the findings “move this virus from a candidate emerging pathogen to a clear and present danger.”22 Cummins and Baden-Mayer pointed out the irony of this statement:

“Daszak’s statement is odd, as it seems obvious that it was the research itself that made the virus a clear and present danger, and that couldn’t be what he meant.

… Even the creators of the coronavirus-SARS chimaera questioned the wisdom of tinkering with viruses to make them more dangerous to humans. As Nature reported, in their paper the study authors conceded that funders may think twice about allowing such experiments in the future.”23

In my previously linked article, they added:

“‘Scientific review panels may deem similar studies building chimeric viruses based on circulating strains too risky to pursue,’ they write, adding that discussion is needed as to ‘whether these types of chimeric virus studies warrant further investigation versus the inherent risks involved.’”

NIH Conditions for Restoring Prior Grant Go Unmet

EcoHealth Alliance’s new grant is distinct from the previous grant that funded the Chinese bat research. The new grant is intended to fund the creation of the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases, or CREID, a network of centers focusing on different geographical regions.

EcoHealth Alliance will be conducting research on coronaviruses and other pathogens that may emerge from bats, rodents and primates in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.24 As for their earlier grant, the NIH notified EcoHealth Alliance that they may restore its funding for the Chinese research if they meet certain conditions, including the following:25

  • Obtain a sample of the SARS-COV-2 virus that the Wuhan lab used to determine its genetic sequence
  • Have independent scientists examine the Wuhan lab to determine if it had possession of SARS-COV-2 prior to December 2019
  • Determine the whereabouts of a Wuhan lab scientist whose photo was mysteriously removed from its website

According to NPR, “The scientist has been the focus of internet conspiracy theories suggesting she was in fact ‘patient zero’ for the coronavirus. The Wuhan Institute of Virology has previously said that the scientist in question was a graduate student who had finished her master’s degree and moved on to other work.”26

EcoHealth Alliance has not met the conditions for the funding to be restored, with Daszak calling them “preposterous” and telling NPR, “I’m not trained as a private detective. It’s not really my job to do that.”27 The conditions do seem unusual, particularly for a U.S. government agency to be requesting of a nonprofit organization — unless, perhaps, they believe the organization knows something they don’t.

NIH Investigation Reveals Rampant Undisclosed Ties to China

The U.S. NIH is investigating 189 scientists from 87 institutions for undisclosed ties to foreign institutions, with 54 being fired or forced to resign as a result.28

Among them,

  • 93% received undisclosed support from China
  • many had active NIH grants while accepting foreign grants that were not disclosed
  • About 75% of those being investigated had received active NIH grants
  • close to half had at least two of them
  • In all, 285 active grants totaling $164 million were counted among those being investigated

Such ties are rampant, and 133, or 70%, of the researchers being investigated did not disclose to the NIH that they had received foreign grants. More than half (54%) also did not disclose their participation in a foreign talent program, while 9% hid ties to a foreign company and 4% did not disclose a foreign patent.29,30

The investigation is part of larger efforts to limit threats to the U.S. economy and national security, as cutting-edge technologies and other information at the forefront of new industries that is being supported by federally funded research could be flowing into the wrong hands.

A broader investigation is also ongoing, with NIH highlighting 399 scientists “of possible concern,” 121 of which the Federal Bureau of Investigation is also investigating.

According to Dr. Michael Lauer, NIH’s deputy director for extramural research, after the NIH looked into the scientists “of possible concern,” 63% of the investigations came back positive, revealing the true scope of the underhanded dealings.31

Meanwhile, Fauci, who also supported GOF research on bird flu viruses 10 years ago,32 continues to support EcoHealth Alliance and their research into novel diseases, noting in a statement about the latest grants, “The CREID network will enable early warnings of emerging diseases wherever they occur, which will be critical to rapid responses.”33

In reality, should further GOF research be allowed to continue, it’s possible that it could “seed” another pandemic.34 Admittedly, it’s quite a coincidence that the very viruses undergoing gain-of-function research turned out to be the ones causing pandemics.

____________________

**Comment**

Humanity is often times very, very stupid.

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/07/29/usas-history-of-testing-bioweapons-on-the-public-were-ticks-used-too/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/09/25/why-should-we-care-about-lyme-disease-a-colorful-tale-of-government-conflicts-of-interest-probable-bioweaponization-and-pathogen-complexity/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/07/19/biological-warfare-experiment-on-american-citizens-results-in-spreading-pandemic/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/09/16/48473/?  Secret History of Lyme Disease & Biological Weapons – Most Revealing Interview with Kris Newby

Do you honestly think the public will ever get a straight answer on the tinkering of ticks and releasing them from airplanes in light of the ongoing ‘gain of function’ research?  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/07/31/tick-expert-admits-to-working-on-ticks-dropping-them-out-of-airplanes/

 

Why Should We Care About Lyme Disease: A Colorful Tale of Government Conflicts of Interest, Probable Bioweaponization, and Pathogen Complexity

iu

Why Should We Care About Lyme Disease?

A Colorful Tale of Government Conflicts of Interest, Probable Bioweaponization, and Pathogen Complexity

September 25, 2020

By Alicia Cashman, MS, Lyme patient and Advocate

According to a report, one million are predicted to get Lyme disease in the U.S. and 2.4 million in Europe. This makes it more prevalent than Breast Cancer, AIDS, West Nile Virus, H1N1, and Ebola.  Authorities warn that ticks transmitting Lyme disease are spreading rapidly and to new geographical areas.  Nearly everyone is exposed to ticks just from gardening or hanging out in your backyard. And due to COVID-19 isolation, more and more people are getting outside which puts them at a higher risk for tick exposure. 

001_fastest316x316

Lyme disease was described in Europe as far back as the 1800’s as causing dermatological, neurological, rheumatological, and neuropsychiatric problems, but this early history has largely been lost and forgotten. It wasn’t until 1965 when Polly Murray began to be plagued by mysterious ailments, followed by the rest of her family and others in her hometown of Lyme, Connecticut that it began to get noticed. Unable to obtain help from doctors, she began a personal investigation and contacted the state health department.

This eventually led to the 1982 discovery of the etiologic agent of Lyme neuroborreliosis in the Ixodid hard tick by Willy Burgdorfer.  Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), named after it’s discoverer is commonly known as Lyme disease after the town, and is mostly transmitted by ticks although there is research to indicate sexual as well as congenital (mother to fetus) transmission. Bb has also been found in mosquitoes, horse flies, and deer flies amongst others.

42_congenital316x316

What Exactly is Lyme Disease?

There are two answers to this question.

The first answer is the accepted narrative from our public health officials at the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC), whom direct medical doctors regarding testing, diagnosis, and treatment. In lockstep with the CDC is the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). This accepted narrative simplistically states that a singular bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, from the bite of an infected tick causes a “classic” bullseye rash, fever, headache, and fatigue and merely requires 21 days of doxycycline to be cured.  While the CDC website states Lyme is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and tick exposure, history has repeatedly shown a heavy reliance upon faulty testing that misses 70% – 86% of cases, due to omitting two of the most specific bands due to vaccine involvement. It also makes perfect sense due to the fact there are 300 strains of borrelia and counting worldwide, with 100 strains and counting in the U.S. Current CDC testing only tests for ONE strain. The CDC website makes it clear that only their “validated” testing should be used.

002_ignored316x316

The second answer is based upon real-life experience with patients which defies the accepted narrative. For this reason some doctors have formed their own group called the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) which has differing guidelines and indeed an entirely different paradigm regarding tick-borne illnesses.  These doctors primarily diagnose clinically based upon symptoms but also use smaller CLIA-certified labs for more sensitive testing. In brief, these doctors have observed that Lyme disease can be relapsing in nature and persistent in the body making the CDC mono-therapy insufficient. Research has shown that not only are ticks coinfected with numerous pathogens but in fact patients are coinfected as well, further demonstrating the ineffectiveness of CDC treatment.

45_symptoms316x316

       39_lyme316x316

Why is There Polarization in the Medical Community Regarding Lyme Disease?

Recently, epidemiologist Dr. Wittkoski stated that money for research prior to the discovery of Lyme disease used to be independently obtained, but since has become ever more dependent upon government grants. The gate-keeper of this $5 billion annual pot of money is NIAID’s Dr. Anthony Fauci who has held this powerful position since 1984, which is in the same timeline as Lyme disease. Fauci is a fan of “big science” or randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as well as in a simplistic germ theory where one germ is solely to blame with one treatment curing it. Lyme disease often does not fit into this simplistic four cornered box.  It is also clear that those entrusted with public health have severe conflicts of interest owning patents on everything from test kits and vaccines, to the very pathogens they study to create products from which they profit financially, all the while making public health policy. They also own the patents on their approved and required “validated” testing that they have rigged for their patent purposes.

According to former Justice official John Loftus, Nazi scientists brought to the U.S. after WW2 may have test-dropped “poison ticks.” It should be noted that Loftus’ reputation for gathering accurate, hard-hitting information is strong. (See: “The Belarus Secret: The Nazi Connection in America.”)

When Polly Murray made her now-famous call to the Connecticut health department to report the strange epidemic among children and adults in her town, her initial reception was lukewarm. However, some weeks later, she got an unexpected call from a Dr David Snydman, of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), who was very interested. He arranged for fellow EIS officer Dr Allen Steere to get involved. By the time Mrs. Murray turned up for her appointment at Yale, the doctor she had expected to see had been relegated to the role of an onlooker. Allen Steere had taken charge – and his views were to shape the course of Lyme medicine for the next thirty years, up till today. (You can read about Murray’s journey in “The Widening Circle: A Lyme Disease Pioneer Tells Her Story”)

To understand the significance of all this, we need a closer look at the Epidemic Intelligence Service, the EIS.

The EIS is an elite, quasi-military unit of Infectious Disease experts set up in the 1950’s to develop an offensive biowarfare capability. Despite the banning of offensive biowar in the 1970’s, the crack troops of the EIS continue to exist, ostensibly for non-offensive research into “emerging disease” threats, a blanket phrase covering both bioweapon attacks and natural epidemics at the same time. Graduates of the EIS training program are sent in to occupy strategic positions in the US health infrastructure, taking leadership at federal and state health agencies, in academia, industry and the media. The organisation also extends its influence abroad, training officers for public health agencies in Britain, France, the Netherlands etc. 

In fact a high proportion of Steere camp Lyme experts are involved with the EIS. Given that the EIS is a small, elite force, (in 2001 the CDC revealed there were less than 2500 EIS officers in existence since the unit was first created in 1951 [xiii]), it seems incredible that so many of America’s top Infectious Disease experts would devote their careers to what they themselves claim is a “hard-to-catch, easily-cured” disease. Source


In 1995 when the director of Plum Island, Dr. Harley Moon, was asked for tick research records, he insisted there wasn’t any paperwork on tick experimentation.  Now, thanks to recently declassified documents, we know for a fact that the outbreak in Lyme, Connecticut is directly linked to a U.S. bioweapons program.  

We also know that between 1966 and 1969, the U.S. military released 282,800 lone star ticks made radioactive with Carbon-14 across Virginia sites along bird migration routes. The radioactive marking allowed researchers to track the ticks’ spread using Geiger counters over several years.

Before these experiments, lone star ticks were not found above the Mason-Dixon Line. Within years of the Virginia releases, they had established populations on Long Island for the first time. Two tick experts consulted about these releases said they “were aghast” and “you’d never be able to do that now.” Source

We have lone star ticks in Wisconsin now.

Further demonstrating this corruption is the fact there is a literal Cabal doing all the research for Lyme disease that protects each other and the accepted narrative.  Research funding for tick-borne illness is scant and therefore highly competitive. It is common knowledge that in order to receive government funding you must toe the line and parrot the accepted CDC narrative.

Recently, there has been push-back.

  • Congressman Smith has started a DOD inquiry into the bioweaponization of ticks.

  • A pathologist has accused the CDC of Lysenkoism to perpetuate Lyme disease and is suing them for $57.1 million.

  • Twenty four patients are behind a federal antitrust lawsuit against six members of the IDSA and eight insurance companies. They claim they have been denied care and were harmed under existing insurance and medical protocols. The lawsuit has resulted in numerous settlements which remain secret with sealed documents.

Thousands of other patients with Lyme disease have also been denied medical coverage due to the unscientific, antiquated, and tyrannical CDC Lyme guidelines. Insurance companies hide behind these guidelines and are the ones who call and rat doctors out who depart from them to state medical boards who then complete in-depth investigations which can lead to hefty fines, educational requirements, and even loss of medical licensing.  The real reason behind this is quite simple: insurance companies don’t want to pay. 

Why Lyme Disease is Complicated

Both factions agree on two things: 1) it’s best to simply avoid ticks in the first place with preventative measures. 2) if bitten, the earlier the diagnoses and treatment is, the better the outcome. The only rubs are, despite prevention people still get bitten, some are infected congenitally or potentially sexually, as well as through other insects. Early diagnosis is difficult due to the heavy reliance upon 40 year old abysmal testing. Doctors also continue to take a “wait and see” approach which delays things further.  They are also woefully uneducated on tick-borne illness and blindly follow the accepted narrative, often due to fear of persecution. These issues continue on unchanged. Due to the potential severity of illness this can cause, ILADS educates doctors to discuss immediate prophylactic treatment of black-legged tick bites with patients, as an appropriate course of antibiotics has been shown to prevent the onset of infection. 

Borrelia Persistence and Strain Diversity

The reason for this prompt treatment is due to the fact that treatment failures have been seen in nearly every antibiotic study ever done. With Lyme disease, time is truly of the essence. Borrelia is a complex organism that research has shown to be slow-growing and shape-shifts to evade treatment. Borrelia exists in four different forms: spirochete (cork screw shaped), L-form (lives in cells), microscopic cyst form (non cell wall), and biofilm (a protective colony).  Borrelia can change shape whenever it feels threatened and can lie dormant until conditions are beneficial. This complexity allows it to sequester in tissues throughout the body and persist in immunopriviledged sites like synovial fluid and the brain. Public authorities; however, deny persistent infection and state that patients are either suffering from a syndrome or they are imagining it all.  Lyme patients have been told for decades it’s “all in their heads.”

Further complicating things, there are 37 known species, 12 of which are Lyme disease related to date, but this is continually being updated.  Strains differ in clinical symptoms and presentation as well as geographic distribution; however, putting Bb strain diversity into a geographical box is a huge mistake as the bird, reptile, fox, rodents, and humans are never confined to one location and migrate freely taking ticks and their pathogens with them. To this day people are still being told they can’t have Lyme disease because it doesn’t exist in their state.

Coinfection Involvement

Garg et al. recently reported what has been seen in doctors’ offices all around the world: “microbial infections in patients suffering from Tick borne diseases (TBDs) do not follow the one microbe, one disease Germ Theory as 65% of the TBD patients produce immune responses to various microbes.” Patients are often infected with multiple pathogens, some of which are opportunistic and others which are tick-borne pathogens transmitted by the same tick bite. What scant research exists on this topic shows that coinfected patients have more severe illness for a longer duration of time. According to a study the most common co-infections were Babesia (32%), Bartonella (28%), and Ehrlichia (15%) while a study in Canada found that the most common were Bartonella (36%), Babesia (19%), and Anaplasma (13%).  Doxycycline won’t touch many of these coinfections, which is why patient after patient remains ill after taking standard CDC treatment. Yet, despite this common experience and smaller case studies on this topic, large randomized controlled trials have not been done, so public authorities just sniff, look the other way, and continue to dole out their ineffective mono therapy.

Hopefully this article clarifies why everyone should care about Lyme disease, why it is so difficult to get medical help, why it’s so hotly contested, and why it’s so hard to get appropriate treatment.

 

Go here for an excellent read on how our government has a long and sordid history of experimenting upon an unsuspecting public, how ticks have been manipulated in a lab and dropped from airplanes.

Lyme Disease Vaccine For Humans: Would You Trust It?

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-vaccine-for-humans-would-you-trust-it/

LYME DISEASE VACCINE FOR HUMANS: WOULD YOU TRUST IT?

Lyme disease vaccine for humans being given to male patient

It has been 18 years since GlaxoSmithKlein pulled its preventative Lyme disease vaccine for humans, known as LYMErix, from the market. Now, a new vaccine is currently in Stage 2 clinical trials. This vaccine is also derived, in part, from the same OspA bacterial protein found in LYMErix. This begs the question: Will a new Lyme disease vaccine succeed or suffer the same fate as LYMErix?


LYMErix was reportedly effective at preventing a Lyme disease rash. But the vaccine was only 50% effective at preventing other manifestations of Lyme disease, according to the LYMErix package insert. LYMErix was voluntarily removed from the market due to low demand.

In a survey of 1,015 adults in the U.S., author Matt Motta¹ addresses the question of whether growing concern over climate change and the spread of tick-borne illnesses could increase public acceptance and use of a new Lyme disease vaccine for humans.

Survey respondents were asked, “how likely they are to request to be vaccinated when a Lyme vaccine becomes available for public use?”

The results indicated that “climate change concern is positively and significantly (B = 1.36, p < 0.01) associated with increased vaccination intentions,” the author writes.

Not surprisingly, survey findings showed, “Individuals who live in the Northeast, where Lyme is most prevalent, are more likely to intend to vaccinate (B = 1.35, p < 0.01), while people who place less trust in scientific authorities like the CDC are less likely to do so (B = À1.81, p < 0.01).”

Survey results, however, don’t guarantee the new Lyme disease vaccine for humans will be embraced by the public, writes Mott.

He describes several reasons why LYMErix was removed from the market:

“Low demand for LYMErix may have arisen from several factors, including its cost and the fact that it must be administered in two or three doses to reach high levels of effectiveness.”

“Misinformation about the vaccine’s safety – including the scientifically disputed claim that it can have adverse autoimmune effects – have also been linked to the vaccine being discontinued.”

References:
  1. Motta M. Could concern about climate change increase demand for a Lyme disease vaccine in the U.S.? Vaccine. 2020.

______________________

**Comment**

Another great example of important research tagged with the unimportant moniker ‘climate change’ regarding the spread of ticks and the diseases they transmit.  For the millionth time:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/ticks-on-the-move-due-to-migrating-birds-and-photoperiod-not-climate-change/

According to tick researcher John Scott, TICKS ARE IMPERVIOUS TO WEATHER.

Please spread the word and don’t be duped by another money grab.

Please note the continuing emphasis on clearance of the rash, which does NOT equate to clearance of a systemic infection, so while the vaccine appears to clear the rash, (which it often does of its own accord anyway) it is only 50% effective against other manifestations of Lyme disease.  My guess is they also did not study these patients for long enough to determine if they developed other manifestations.

Regarding Lymerix:   https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/01/28/the-secret-x-files-the-untold-history-of-the-lymerix-vaccine/

Excerpt:

Quotes from the patients affected by the LYMErix VACCINE:

“…..Smithkline should not be able to destroy people’s lives as they have destroyed mine …”

“… As of May 8, 2000 there were 467 adverse reactions reported to VAERS, and of them 144 had complained of some sort of joint pain. Please do not let this vaccine hurt anymore people. I know SmithKline is trying to get it approved for children, PLEASE DO NOT LET THEM HURT ANYMORE KIDS…”

“….. The FDA let them put this on the market without fully testing it. The longer that this is left on the market, the more people are going to get hurt. Please stop this madness and take it off the market…”

“….. No one else should ever suffer such profound life changes through the administration of a “safe” vaccine. He would have been far better off to get Lyme Disease than to be incapacitated by something we counted on to protect his health!…”

“….Please stop this vaccine from wrecking more lives! !Respectfully submitted…”

Dr. Lapenta also lists 13 patient stories of adverse reactions due to Lymerix that will curl your hair.

Further, this astute article reveals OZ behind the curtain.  A shady meeting at Dearborn, Michigan changed Lyme testing criteria so they could make their lucrative, adverse reaction riddled vaccine. Due to this, the sickest patients no longer meet the standard:   https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/10/the-bitter-feud-over-lymerix/

So in answer to Dr. Cameron’s question: “Would you trust a Lyme vaccine?”, the answer isn’t just a “No,” it’s a “Hell No”. 

I’m with Weiler:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/09/01/it-is-time-to-reboot-public-health-time-for-a-cdc-niaid-fda-walk-away-movement/

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/10/19/no-lyme-vaccine-until-persistent-infection-is-acknowledged-and-fully-addressed-period/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/22/why-we-care-so-strongly-about-a-potential-lyme-vaccine/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/01/lyme-vaccine-fail-safety-ignored/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/08/12/what-is-life-like-for-the-vaccine-injured/

The issue regarding vaccines is quite similar to an issue surrounding COVID-19.  Unfortunately due to fear, many put so much emphasis on ONE issue they remain blind to 1,000 others.  For example, vaccines have injured, maimed and actually killed people.  Should fear of disease outweigh these people and their negative outcomes, which includes death, in the annuls of history?  Regarding COVID-19, should fear of a virus negate the suffering of people with other issues that are not COVID-19? 

We are being told daily that vaccines and COVID-19 trump all other issues.  I flat-out disagree.

This lie is a form of bullying.

Vaccination – What’s Trust Got to Do With It?

http://

NVIC co-founder and president Barbara Loe Fisher discusses questions the public is asking about infectious disease and vaccines and changes in public perceptions during the 2020 debate about vaccine science, policy and law. 

If you would rather read the commentary:  https://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/September-2020/vaccination-whats-trust-got-to-do-with-it.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

New Study: The Hidden Ways Microbes Control Tick Behavior

https://rawlsmd.com/health-articles/new-study-the-hidden-ways-microbes-control-tick-behavior?

New Study: The Hidden Ways Microbes Control Tick Behavior

New Study: The Hidden Ways Microbes Control Tick Behavior

by Jenny Lelwica Buttaccio
Posted 9/17/20

We’ve heard a lot of late about an increase in Lyme disease cases, but tick-borne diseases of all kinds — including babesiosis, anaplasmosis, rickettsiosis, and others — are on the rise throughout the United States, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At least part of the increase in tick-borne illnesses can be traced to an expanding tick population, caused by several factors including changes in climate patterns and the development of housing into wooded areas, creating closer interactions between people, animals, and ticks.

But what if there’s also an unseen force at work compelling ticks to act out or present with certain behaviors that give them a leg up when it comes to their own survival — and that of the microbes they carry? New research suggests that perhaps there’s more to this story than we know.

First, a Basic Overview of Ticks On the Hunt

More than four decades after the first cases of Lyme disease were diagnosed, we’re still learning about tick behavior and why they operate in the way they do. We know that blood hosts like humans and animals are critical for tick survival, so ticks are regularly on the prowl.

A tick’s vision isn’t very good, so they rely on other sensory components to find food sources. Located on the first pairs of ticks’ legs are tiny structures called Haller’s organs. These organs are found only on ticks, and it is believed that they function somewhat like antennae and utilize the sense of smell to detect odors wafting through the air to find unsuspecting hosts.

Using their Haller’s organs, ticks detect the carbon dioxide (CO2) that comes from human respiration and breathing — they can sense other chemicals like ammonia and pheromones, too. While certain ticks, like the Lone Star tick, can aggressively charge potential human hosts, most prefer a more subtle approach: Waiting patiently on blades of grass or areas of brush until you approach them, an activity known as “questing.”

diagram of tick biology

When a tick quests, they grip the blade of grass or brush with their back legs and stretch their front legs into the air. In due time, a human or animal walks past, and they latch on, using the front legs to ascend their new host and search for a suitable spot to begin feeding.

As weird and as sci-fi as all this sounds, emerging research from Giovanni Benelli, PhD, Senior Research Entomologist at the University of Pisa in Pisa, Italy, has begun to shed light on microscopic agents that exert influence upon ticks’ hunting behavior. Interestingly, it’s the very microbes we work so hard to avoid that play puppeteer to their tick hosts.

6 Microbes that Manipulate Tick Behavior

In August 2020, Benelli published a new review in the journal Pathogens investigating whether microbes Anaplasma, Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella, Rickettsia, and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) were involved in influencing tick behavior and adaptive significance (traits that affect a tick’s reproductive success). Pathogenic manipulation — such as an increase in biting frequency and duration and changing host-borne odors to make them more appealing meals for other arthropods like mosquitos and sand flies — has already been noted in scientific literature.

In regards to ticks, Bellini’s data suggests modes of pathogen-tick manipulation may include physiological changes, tolerance to extreme temperatures, and enhanced survivability, among others. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the key highlights of Benelli’s research, a wealth of further insights into tick behavior that could be a crucial factor in helping to curtail the bugs’ proliferation and their ability to spread chronic illnesses.

1. How Borrelia Impacts Tick Behavior

Borrelia is the bacteria implicated in Lyme disease. In the United States, Borrelia burgdorferi is the species that’s found in black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) or deer ticks. However, in Europe, the predominant Lyme disease-carrying tick is the castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus).

Borrelia infection in the blood. Borrelia bacteria cause borreliose, transmitted by ticks and by lice.

Borrelia may manipulate tick behavior in both tick species, according to Bellini’s review. Here are some of his key findings:

Key Findings:

  • Black-legged nymph ticks infected with B. burgdorferi showed enhanced movement toward or away from light sources (phototaxis).
  • Nymph ticks infected with B. burgdorferi demonstrated an affinity for vertical surfaces such as the top layers of leaf litter piles or plant vegetation like blades of grass, which may provide them with more opportunities to come into contact with hosts.
  • B. burgdorferi stimulated tick histamine release factor (tHRF), the chemical that regulates vascular permeability and improves blood flow to the site of the bite for feeding.
  • Infected adult black-legged ticks had slower mobility than their non-infected counterparts. However, research is unclear whether this is a behavior adaptation resulting from B. burgdorferi.
  • Castor bean nymph ticks exposed to extremely dry conditions showed they were more active and more resistant to harsh conditions than those that were not carrying the pathogen.
  • Nymph ticks carrying a strain of Borrelia known as Borrelia afzelii (a European strain known for its ability to affect the central nervous system) had increased rates of mobility, including duration and speed of movement, over non-infected ones.

The Takeaway

Indeed B. burgdorferi may manipulate tick behavior in several ways, but Bellini acknowledges that further research is needed to determine how these behaviors contribute to disease and how the data can be used to slow the spread of ticks and prevent the transmission of Lyme disease.

2. How Anaplasma Affects Tick Behavior

All ticks, including the black-legged tick, carry multiple disease-causing microbes known as coinfections. One such microbe is Anaplasma phagocytophilum, previously called human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE). When a tick is infected with A. phagocytophilum, it may demonstrate behavioral changes that influence survival, questing, and feeding.

Anaplasma microbe, microscope view

The following three are important points to note from Bellini’s research:

Key Findings

  • A. phagocytophilum-infected black-legged ticks create heat shock proteins in response to stressful environmental circumstances. This makes them more resilient to extremely dry environments and boosts their survivability rates.
  • In the non-infected tick population, cold temperatures can raise the tick mortality rate. But ticks that have been infected with A. phagocytophilum have an advantage — they manufacture an antifreeze glycoprotein that guards them against the cold.
  • A. phagocytophilum is present in the salivary glands of ticks, and it inhibits cellular death to allow for the infection to be transmitted from the tick’s vector to the host, fostering more effective feeding and greater survival.

The Takeaway

The relationship between A. phagocytophilum and tick manipulation is a better-researched interaction than that of other ticks and pathogens. The mechanisms by which A. phagocytophilum alters the behavior of the tick are more apparent in terms of how it augments tick reproduction and survivability. However, when it comes to other species of Anaplasma that may impact humans or animals, more research is needed.

3. How Babesia Affects Tick Behavior

Babesia is a distant cousin of malaria and a less virulent microbe, comparatively. Babesia may occur in up to 40% of people infected with Lyme disease, indicates a report in Trends in Parasitology, making it a relatively common coinfection. The species of Babesia that are most likely to pose a disease risk to humans are Babesia microti, Babesia divergins, and Babesia ducani (WA-1).

Babesia microbe, zoomed view, round

Regarding Benelli’s review, only a few studies have looked at the effects Babesia may have on tick behavior, but he noted the following:

Key Findings

  • B. microti maximized the success of feeding and strengthened the survival of shrew ticks (Ixodes trianguliceps), but these modifications didn’t correlate with the strain’s infection rates.
  • In animal studies, B microti delayed the amount of time it took for a tick to become engorged.
  • Nymph ticks that fed on infected hosts had a higher body weight than those that fed on non-infected ones.
  • Larvae who fed on infected hosts shed their skin more quickly (a process known as molting) than those that fed on non-infected ones.

The Takeaway

At present, the research on Babesia species and their ability to manipulate tick behavior is scant. The processes that encourage feeding, development, and the survival of ticks infected with Babesia have yet to be determined.

4 & 5. How Bartonella and Rickettsia Affect Tick Behavior

Rickettsia microbe, zoomed in microscope view

Although Bartonella, a common coinfection found in people with Lyme, and Rickettsia, a highly virulent and life-threatening microbe, can pose serious health risks to humans, little is known about the behavioral changes these infections may have on tick behavior. A few points worthy of consideration include:

Key Findings

  • Bartonella-infected castor bean ticks had an increase in a component called Ixodes ricinusserine protease inhibitor (IrSPI). This enzyme inhibitor is involved in such biological processes as inflammation, blood clotting, wound healing, constricting blood vessels, and altering hosts’ defense systems.
  • Rickettsia-infected ticks demonstrated a greater inclination towards electromagnetic fields than non-infected ones.

The Takeaway

Like Babesia, the research on Bartonella- and Rickettsia-infected ticks is minimal. However, because annual incidences are on the rise, continued investigation in this area has the potential to bring about crucial information for the benefit of public health.

6. How Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Affects Tick Behavior

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBEV) is a viral infection spread through the bite of an infected tick. The virus resides throughout Europe and Asia, according to the CDC, making the infection relatively unknown in the U.S.

Encephalitis microbe, zoomed in microscope view

Between 20% and 30% of people who acquire the infection develop symptoms that affect the nervous system. Evidence for two hypotheses suggest the virus can manipulate tick behavior in the following ways:

Key Findings

  • TBEV intensifies tick movement and the ability to find a host.
    Feeding results in higher concentrations of TBEV.
  • When a TBEV-infected tick is unfed, the concentration of the virus remains low. But when the tick feeds, the TBEV titers raise to reach detectable levels.
  • A percentage (6%) of TBEV-infected adult castor bean ticks can navigate DEET-covered areas with a 1% formulation. In contrast, uninfected ticks were unable to cross these areas.

Takeaway

In general, ticks infected with TBEV demonstrated enhanced tick mobility, including walking speed and duration, and a proclivity toward higher questing heights. These changes may lead to greater outcomes when it comes to tick and microbe survivability.

Putting It All Together

There’s no doubt that’s an incredible amount of information to take it in. But this valuable data sets the stage for the urgent need for ongoing research when it comes to understanding how pathogens affect and modify tick behavior.

There is a wide array of tick species worldwide, and countless disease-causing pathogens that pose a threat to human health. Tracking behavioral changes in infected and non-infected ticks could one day lead to positive, new developments for halting the spread of tick-borne diseases.

In the meantime, your best bet is to practice good tick-prevention strategies like doing regular tick checks when coming in from the outdoors, wearing permethrin-treating shoes and clothing, and promptly removing attached ticks with a pair of fine-pointed tweezers. 

REFERENCES

1. Alberdi P, Espinosa PJ, Cabezas-Cruz A, de la Fuente J. Anaplasma phagocytophilum Manipulates Host Cell Apoptosis by Different Mechanisms to Establish Infection. Vet Sci. 2016;3(3):15. Published 2016 Jul 15. doi: 10.3390/vetsci3030015
2. Benelli G. Pathogens Manipulating Tick Behavior-Through a Glass, Darkly. Pathogens. 2020;9(8):E664. Published 2020 Aug 17. doi: 10.3390/pathogens9080664
3. Blisnick AA, Šimo L, Grillon C, et al. The Immunomodulatory Effect of IrSPI, a Tick Salivary Gland Serine Protease Inhibitor Involved in Ixodes ricinus Tick Feeding. Vaccines (Basel). 2019;7(4):148. Published 2019 Oct 12. doi: 10.3390/vaccines7040148
4. Carr AL, Mitchell RD III, Dhammi A, Bissinger BW, Sonenshine DE, Roe RM. Tick Haller’s Organ, a New Paradigm for Arthropod Olfaction: How Ticks Differ from Insects. Int J Mol Sci. 2017;18(7):1563. Published 2017 Jul 18. doi: 10.3390/ijms18071563
5. Dai J, Narasimhan S, Zhang L, Liu L, Wang P, Fikrig E. Tick histamine release factor is critical for Ixodes scapularis engorgement and transmission of the lyme disease agent. PLoS Pathog. 2010;6(11):e1001205. Published 2010 Nov 24. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001205
6. Lyme and Other Tickborne Diseases Increasing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/diseases-and-conditions/lyme-disease/index.html#:~:text=The%20reported%20numbers%20of%20cases,59%2C349%20reported%20cases%20in%202017.
7. Tick-borne encephalitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/diseases/tickborne-encephalitis#:~:text=Tick%2Dborne%20encephalitis%20(TBE),headache%2C%20nausea%2C%20and%20vomiting
_____________________
 
**Comment**
 
This explains a lot – if only mainstream medicine/research will listen instead of conducting more climate data. It also makes sense.
 
 
It is commonly known that parasites affect behavior:

Parasites are a whole new fantastical frontier. I’ll never forget this information on how parasites affect human behavior by Dr. Klinghardt, which I found here:  http://www.betterhealthguy.com/a-deep-look-beyond-lyme

  • Parasite patients often express the psyche of the parasites – sticky, clingy, impossible to tolerate – but a wonderful human being is behind all of that.

  • We are all a composite of many personalities. Chronic infections outnumber our own cells by 10:1. We are 90% “other” and 10% “us”. Our consciousness is a composite of 90% microbes and 10% us.

  • Our thinking, feeling, creativity, and expression are 90% from the microbes within us. Patients often think, crave, and behave as if they are the parasite.

  • Our thinking is shaded by the microbes thinking through us. The food choices, behavioral choices, and who we like is the thinking of the microbes within us expressing themselves.

  • Patients will reject all treatments that affect the issue that requires treating.

  • Patients will not guide themselves to health when the microbes have taken over.

It only follows that parasites will affect tick behavior as well.

5th Annual LymeMind Virtual Conference – Oct. 10, 2020

https://www.lymemind.org  (Register Here & to View More Details)

5th Annual LymeMIND Virtual Conference 2020

We’re bringing together researchers, patients, sponsors, and other interested parties to share knowledge and experience related to Lyme disease research. To ensure the safety of all the attendees, we’ve decided to conduct this year’s conference in a virtual half-day program. We’ll be offering pre-recorded presentations and panel discussions. There will be a live Q&A after each segment.

  • Saturday, October 10
  • 9am-1pm
  • Virtual Event

Advancing Lyme disease research through an integrated network of researchers, patients, physicians, and sponsors.

Registration is open

AGENDA

9:00am10minVIRTUAL EVENT

Chairperson – Welcome & Opening Remarks

  • Patricia (Savi) Glowe
    Patricia (Savi) Glowe
9:10am30minVIRTUAL EVENT

KEYNOTE – “Chronic: The Hidden Cause of Autoimmune Pandemic and How to Get Healthy Again.”

  • Steven Phillips, MD
    Steven Phillips, MD
  • Dana Parish
    Dana Parish
9:40am30minVIRTUAL EVENT

Mothers and Children Panel Discussion – Phyllis Bedford – Moderator

  • Phyllis Bedford
    Phyllis Bedford
  • Holly Ahern, MT(ASCP)
    Holly Ahern, MT(ASCP)
  • Sue Faber, RN, BScN
    Sue Faber, RN, BScN
  • Charlotte, Mao, MD
    Charlotte, Mao, MD
10:10am15minVIRTUAL EVENT

COVID-19- in the context of Lyme disease

  • Jason Bobe, MSc
    Jason Bobe, MSc
  • Richard Horowitz, MD
    Richard Horowitz, MD
  •  David Putrino, PT, PhD
    David Putrino, PT, PhD
10:25am15minVIRTUAL EVENT

Insights from Data Mining of Lyme Disease Patients by LymeMIND

  • Avi Ma’ayan, PhD
    Avi Ma’ayan, PhD
10:40am40minVIRTUAL EVENT

Novel Treatments: Making sense of all the treatment options – Panel – John Aucott – Moderator

  • John Aucott, MD
    John Aucott, MD
  • Tania Tyles Dempsey, MD, ABIHM
    Tania Tyles Dempsey, MD, ABIHM
  • Andrew Petterson, DO
    Andrew Petterson, DO
  • Richard Horowitz, MD
    Richard Horowitz, MD
11:20am30minVIRTUAL EVENT

Bartonella and Co-infections

  • Marna Ericson, PhD
    Marna Ericson, PhD
  • Robert Mozayeni, MD
    Robert Mozayeni, MD
  • Monica Embers, PhD
    Monica Embers, PhD
  • Edward Breitschwerdt, DVM
    Edward Breitschwerdt, DVM
11:50am10minVIRTUAL EVENT

Lyme Disease – 5 years of progress

  • Jason Bobe, MSc
    Jason Bobe, MSc
12:00pm8minVIRTUAL EVENT

Call to Action: Center for Lyme Action

  • Bonnie L. Crater
    Bonnie L. Crater
12:08pm2 minsVIRTUAL EVENT

Lyme Biobank’s tissue repository

  • Liz Horn, PhD, MBIP
    Liz Horn, PhD, MBIP
12:10pm15minVIRTUAL EVENT

Looking towards the future

  • Bennett Nemser MPH, MBA
    Bennett Nemser MPH, MBA
  • John Aucott, MD
    John Aucott, MD
  • Brian A. Fallon, MD, MPH
    Brian A. Fallon, MD, MPH
12:25pm10 minsVIRTUAL EVENT

LymeX Innovation Accelerator

  • ADM Brett P. Giroir, MD
    ADM Brett P. Giroir, MD
  • Kristen Honey, PhD, PMP
    Kristen Honey, PhD, PMP
  • Eric D. Hargan, JD, BA
    Eric D. Hargan, JD, BA
12:35pm5 minsVIRTUAL EVENT

Savi Glowe – Closing Remarks

  • Patricia (Savi) Glowe
    Patricia (Savi) Glowe
ABOUT US

LymeMIND utilizes innovation, transparency and collaboration to accelerate the field of Lyme disease research.

Through our integrated knowledge base, we aim to help Lyme disease researchers identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic target candidates. LymeMIND brings together leaders in Lyme disease research through collaborations, educational events, and an annual conference.

LymeMIND is made possible by generous support from the Cohen Lyme & Tickborne Disease Initiative. Launched in 2015, the Initiative seeks to gather the brightest minds within the research and medical communities to better understand and ultimately stop the rapid spread of tickborne illnesses. It has committed over $60 million to more than 25 research projects across the nation.