Archive for the ‘research’ Category

New Bartonella Species Found in Tick From Senegal

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6839013/

. 2019 Nov; 32: 100596.
Published online 2019 Aug 27. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2019.100596
PMCID: PMC6839013
PMID: 31719993

Bartonella massiliensis sp. nov., a new bacterial species isolated from an Ornithodoros sonrai tick from Senegal

H. Medkour,1,2 C.I. Lo,2,3 H. Anani,2,3 F. Fenollar,2,3 and O. Mediannikov1,2,∗
Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer

Introduction

Bartonella is the monotypic genus of the family Bartonellaceae among Alphaproteobacteria . Bartonella species are fastidious Gram-negative, slightly curved rod bacteria characterized by a small cell size (0.5–0.6 × 1.0 μm) . They are facultative intracellular bacteria with a unique intraerythrocyte lifestyle. Currently the Bartonella genus includes 35 validly published species and three subspecies , . Bartonella species usually colonize the intestine of the arthropod vector or the bloodstream of the mammalian host , . In addition, our understanding of the involvement of these microorganisms in human diseases continues to grow, as does the range of clinical manifestations , . At least 13 Bartonella species are responsible for human diseases, including B. bacilliformis, B. quintana and B. henselae, which cause Carrión disease, trench fever and cat-scratch disease respectively. Bartonella species are also associated with chronic bacteraemia and/or endocarditis, bacillary angiomatosis, peliosis hepatis, prolonged fever of unknown origin, retinitis, uveitis and myocarditis in humans . Other mammalian species that may host Bartonella species include dogs, coyotes, foxes, cattle, deer, elk, bats and many rodent species , , .

Here we present the description of Bartonella massiliensis strain OS09T (= CSURB624T = DSM 23169), a new species of the genus Bartonella isolated from a soft tick, Ornithodoros sonrai, including its complete annotated genome.

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

 

Category:

Bartonella, research, Ticks, Transmission

Omega-3s Recommended as Adjunctive Therapy for Major Depression

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/918963?

Omega-3s Recommended as Adjunctive Therapy for Major Depression

Megan Brooks

September 25, 2019

A clinical practice guideline from the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research (ISNPR) recommends omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as adjunctive therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD).

The value of omega-3 PUFAs in depression is “overlooked,” even though accumulating evidence supports it. This therapy “needs to be on the radar” of physicians, Kuan-Pin Su, MD, PhD, chief of the Department of General Psychiatry, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, told Medscape Medical News.

Su, a founding member of the ISNPR and a strong proponent of “nutritional psychiatry,” organized a subcommittee of the ISNPR and invited the top 10 most-cited authors in the use of omega-3 PUFAs for depression to review the literature and develop the practice guideline on appropriate prescribing of omega-3 fatty acids for MDD.

The consensus guideline was published online September 3 in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

Prophylaxis, Maintenance

The guideline emphasizes the importance of accurate clinical diagnosis and measurement-based psychopathologic assessments in the therapeutic setting when recommending omega-3 PUFAs for depression.

The guideline notes that there is a growing body of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of n-3 PUFAs as an adjunctive treatment for MDD. The guideline authors also note that omega-3s are safe and effective for accelerating the effect of antidepressants at treatment initiation and for augmenting existing antidepressant therapy when efficacy is inadequate.

With respect to formulation and dosage, the guideline recommends pure eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or a combination of EPA and docosahexaenoic acid, with net EPA starting from at least 1 g/day up to 2 g/day for at least 8 weeks as adjunctive treatment. Importantly, the authors note that the quality of n-3 PUFAs may affect therapeutic activity.

The guideline also endorses n-3 PUFAs as a potential prophylactic treatment for high-risk populations, in addition to standard medical care. The duration of acute n-3 PUFA treatment may be extended to include maintenance treatment to prevent recurrence.

Potential side effects, such as gastrointestinal and dermatologic conditions, should be monitored, and comprehensive metabolic panels should be obtained during treatment, the guideline authors note.

They call for further research into personalizing the clinical application of n-3 PUFAs in subgroups of patients with MDD whose omega-3 index is low or who have high levels of inflammatory markers.

The panel acknowledges in the guideline that there is ongoing debate on the benefits of omega-3 PUFAs for MDD. Meta-analyses have shown “only small but statistically significant effects,” the authors write.

They note that in three meta-analyses, the estimated effect sizes (standardized mean differences between n-3 PUFAs and placebo) ranged from 0.23 to 0.56, with wide confidence intervals (CIs).

However, small effect sizes have also been reported regarding antidepressant drugs compared to placebo (standardized mean differences, 0.30 – 0.47, with narrower CIs).

Given that currently recommended therapies for MDD have only small effects, the panel notes three “practical” strategies that should be employed to address the “unmet” need in depression treatment.

These include an open-minded attitude to integrative intervention; the application of personalized medicine; and a shared decision-making process based on balanced information to enhance treatment adherence.

Reasonable Approach

Commenting for Medscape Medical News, Timothy Sullivan, MD, chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwell Health’s Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, said the recommendation constitutes a “perfectly reasonable practice guideline.

“The big picture, however, is that while there is a literature on the usefulness of omega-3s, average clinical experience hasn’t been as impressive. Clinicians generally haven’t been overwhelmed by the results. There are practitioners that favor them more than others,” said Sullivan.

“Conceptually,” he added, “what’s appealing about omega-3s is we know that depressive states are associated with dysregulation of the immune system, and agents like the omega-3s appear to have a role in helping to re-regulate or positively regulate the immune system and combat some of the metabolic effects of stress. But it’s still an area that we need to understand more about.”

The guideline authors were supported by research grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan; the National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan; and the Chinese Medicine Research Center from the China Medical University. Su is a founding committee member of the ISNPR, the board director of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids, and an associate editor of Brain, Behavior and Immunity. The original article contains a complete list of authors’ relevant financial relationships. Sullivan has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Psychother Psychosom. Published online September 3, 2019. Full text

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/06/05/can-lyme-disease-cause-depression/

Excerpt:

Many people are surprised to learn that infectious diseases, including Lyme disease, are a major contributor to mental illnesses and cognitive issues.Research shows that children who have had an infectious disease are significantly more likely to have mental health problems as they grow up. In a study that followed over 3.5 million people, scientists found a 62% increase in the risk for mood disorders if a person had been hospitalized for any type of infection.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/03/lyme-patient-misdiagnosed-with-anxiety-depression/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/08/11/the-unfortunate-connections-between-lyme-disease-mental-illness/

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

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/11/22/side-effects-mild-brief-with-single-antidepressant-dose-of-intravenous-ketamine/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/11/irish-student-admitted-to-hospital-for-depression-actually-had-a-deadly-brain-infection/

This is happening more and more, yet is considered to be rare:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/01/panspandas-steroids-autoimmune-disease-lymemsids-the-need-for-medical-collaboration/  Two stories are presented in this link – Susannah Cahalan’s story from the book, “Brain on Fire,” who had a similar auto-immune brain issue, and then the story of Patrik who had Lyme disease which morphed into Autoimmune encephalopathy.

Lyme/MSIDS, PANS, PANDAS, & autoimmune encephalopathy can all be interconnected and we need knowledgable practitioners who can recognize this as it’s not going away anytime soon.

 

 

 

Category:

Inflammation, research, Supplements, Treatment

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

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

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

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

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

Abstract

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

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**Comment**

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

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

 

Category:

Babesia, Lyme, research, Viruses

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

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

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

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

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

Abstract

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

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

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

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**Comment**

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

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

Category:

Lyme, research, Rickettsia, Ticks, Treatment

Science and Alternative Medicine Agree: It’s Probably Time You Try Acupuncture

https://sporteluxe.com/science-and-alternative-medicine-say-its-probably-time-you-try-acupuncture/  Full Article Here

Science And Alternative Medicine Agree: It’s Probably Time You Try Acupuncture

DAVID MINKOFF
October, 29 2019
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Image: Antonika Chanel

Category:

Gut Health, Inflammation, Pain Management, research, Treatment