Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Parenting When Children Have Lyme Disease: Fear, Frustration, Advocacy

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/7/3/95

Parenting When Children Have Lyme Disease: Fear, Frustration, Advocacy

by Emilie M. Gaudet 1, Odette N. Gould 1,* and Vett Lloyd 2
Healthcare 2019, 7(3), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7030095
Received: 30 June 2019 / Revised: 1 August 2019 / Accepted: 3 August 2019 / Published: 8 August 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lyme Disease and Related Tickborne Infections)
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Browse Figure
Abstract
Increasing numbers of Canadians, including children and adolescents, are being infected with Borrelia burgdorferi and contracting Lyme disease. In the present study, we provided a qualitative analysis of written correspondence produced by 23 parents of children and adolescents with Lyme disease. The goal of this study was to investigate how medical and psychological issues were highlighted by parents describing their family’s Lyme disease experiences. The results suggest a series of four stages in these families where satisfactory treatment had not been obtained over months or years.
The experiences of parents evolved from feelings of worry for the child to frustration with the lack of a helpful treatment, to mistrust of physicians’ actions, and, in some case, to a rejection of the conventional health care system as a whole. Improved diagnostic testing and treatment guidelines, as well as family-centered practices of medical care were proposed as important features for improving the experiences of families living with Lyme disease. View Full-Text
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Category:

Lyme, research

Researchers Conclude Asian Longhorned Tick Contributes Minimally to Lyme Disease in the U.S.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X19303498

Original article

Failure of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, to serve as an experimental vector of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto

Under a Creative Commons licenseopen access

Abstract

The invasive, human-biting Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, was detected in New Jersey in the eastern United States in August of 2017 and by November of 2018 this tick had been recorded from 45 counties across 9 states, primarily along the Eastern Seaboard. The establishment of H. longicornis in the United States has raised the questions of how commonly it will bite humans and which native pathogens may naturally infect this tick. There also is a need for experimental vector competence studies with native pathogens to determine if H. longicornis can acquire a given pathogen while feeding, pass it transstadially, and then transmit the pathogen in the next life stage.

In this experimental study, we evaluated the vector competence of a population of H. longicornis originating from the United States (New York) for a native isolate (B31) of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.).

In agreement with a previous experimental study on the vector competence of H. longicornis for Borrelia garinii, we found that uninfected H. longicornis larvae could acquire B. burgdorferi s.s. while feeding on infected Mus musculus mice (infection prevalence >50% in freshly fed larvae) but that the infection was lost during the molt to the nymphal stage. None of 520 tested molted nymphs were found to be infected, indicating that transstadial passage of B. burgdorferi s.s. is absent or rare in H. longicornis; and based on the potential error associated with the number of nymphs testing negative in this study, we estimate that the upper 95% limit for infection prevalence was 0.73%.

An Ixodes scapularis process control showed both effective acquisition of B. burgdorferi s.s. from infected mice by uninfected larvae and transstadial passage to the nymphal stage (infection prevalence of 80–82% for both freshly fed larvae and molted nymphs). We also observed that although H. longicornis larvae could be compelled to feed on mice by placing the ticks within feeding capsules, attachment and feeding success was minimal (<0.5%) when larvae were placed freely on the fur of the mice.

We conclude that H. longicornis is unlikely to contribute more than minimally, if at all, to transmission of Lyme disease spirochetes in the United States.

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**Comment**

Transmission can still happen and if you are the sorry sucker it happens to – it makes all the difference in the world.  Here’s the deal – ticks are not your friends. Take each and every tick bite as seriously as a heart attack.  Little is known about the Asian Longhorned tick but in Asia it’s bite KILLS 15% of those whom contract it. Don’t take this lightly.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/06/09/first-us-human-bite-from-worrying-longhorned-tick-noted-but-its-actually-the-second-human-bite/

Excerpt:

Several other human pathogens have been detected in the ticks, but it’s not clear the Asian longhorned species are able to transmit them to humans. They include Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Borreliaspecies. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.

She warned that the organisms are present in states where longhorned ticks have been found and that it’s possible that the tick—known to be an aggressive biter—might be able to transmit Heartland virus, given its close relationship to SFTS virus.

Pritt said it’s clear that the invasive species is here to stay for the foreseeable future, and next steps should include public awareness campaigns that incorporate the new information, easy-to-use resources for labs to identify the tick, and more research to understand the implications of the new findings.

For a great read on this aggressive biter which can clone itself and is found in sunny open locations:   https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/12/three-surprising-things-i-learned-about-asian-longhorned-ticks-the-tick-guy-tom-mather/.  This picture demonstrates how if you brush against a blade of grass a literal cluster bomb of ticks explodes onto you.  To downplay this is really short sighted.three_surprising_4.png-2

Category:

Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

UMD Collaborates on New Department of Defense Grant to Study Tick-borne Infection using 3-D Models of Human Blood Vessels

https://globallymealliance.org/news/umd-collaborates-on-new-dept-of-defense-grant-to-study-tick-borne-infection-using-3-d-models-of-human-blood-vessels/

close up image of blood vessels

An exciting new project by GLA’s Scientific Advisory Board member Dr. Utpal Pal, Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland was announced. This project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, will study tick-borne disease bacteria and how they leave blood vessels to enter the tissue and spread through the body.

Dr. Pal will team up with Dr. Peter Searson of Johns Hopkins University and Dr. J. Stephen Dumler of Uniformed Services University, to build three-dimensional models of blood vessels and to examine endothelial cell interactions with Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which cause serious illnesses transmitted by tick bites. All three researchers bring high-level expertise to a complex question and will use a sophisticated model system not previously used, to answer important questions about pathogen spread.

Full press release here & below:   https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/19/10/p14638103/umd-collaborates-on-new-department-of-defense-grant-to-study-tick-borne-infection-using-3-d-models

UMD Collaborates on New Department of Defense Grant to Study Tick-borne Infection using 3-D Models of Human Blood Vessels

October 22, 2019 
Models provide an opportunity to study how pathogens move in and out of the blood like never before, with implications for soldier and civilian health.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (PRWEB) October 22, 2019

Utpal Pal, professor in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland, is serving as one of three collaborators on a new innovative grant from the Department of Defense, using 3-D bioengineered models of human blood vessels for the first time to examine how tick-borne pathogens move in and out of blood and tissue to cause infection and diseases like Lyme and Anaplasmosis. The team is combining expertise in tick-borne infectious diseases and bioengineering to study mechanisms that cannot be adequately captured using animal models, thus providing new targets for vaccine development and therapeutic options to protect our troops and civilians alike.

Pal is partnering with principal investigator Dr. John Dumler at the Uniformed Services University and co-investigator Peter Searson at John Hopkins University.

“The story starts out with the reports that came out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health documenting the substantial increases in tick-borne diseases in the United States since 2004, and there is evidence that many are growing even faster than reported,” says Dumler.

Between 2004 and 2016, there was a reported four-fold increase in recorded tick-borne diseases, with 80% of vector-borne diseases that affect Americans actually being tick-borne and not mosquito carried. This phenomenon affects everyone in areas where ticks are prevalent, but our troops are disproportionately affected due to their frequent travel across the country and outdoor training exercises. Due to this upswing in tick-borne illness in soldiers and civilians, the United States Department of Defense started the Tick-Borne Disease Research Program as part of their Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, charged with supporting research in tick-borne illness.

The Borrelia burgdorferi pathogen that causes Lyme disease and the Anaplasma phagocytophilum pathogen that causes Anaplasmosis are two prominent pathogens carried by a common tick in the United States, the Ixodes scapularis or black-legged tick (deer tick). Dumler is an expert in Anaplasma and has been working in tick-borne infection for forty years, while Pal is a world-renowned expert in Borrelia. Both Anaplasma and Borrelia, however, have many unknowns in their infection processes, specifically in determining how pathogens move from the skin to the blood and then from the blood to their target tissues and organs like the brain. These processes are profoundly distinct for each organism as each feature different lifestyles, but it is nearly impossible to do this work effectively in animal models.

“Humans, as incidental hosts, are a big part of the disease process in the life cycle of Borrelia,” says Pal. “How the pathogen enters the vasculature is a critical event because the pathogen is still only present in a small number. And you can’t study this using animal models. Human tissues are too different, and Borrelia can’t cross the blood-brain barrier in rodent models the way it can in humans. Dr. Searson’s models allow us to study these molecular events in a human model for the first time.”

Searson is quite well known for developing tissue-engineered models of human blood vessels and systems, particularly for the brain. With recent advances in stem cell technology, these models have become increasingly complex, with the ability to differentiate cells in a way that couldn’t be done before. While 2-D models have been used in the past to examine pathogen dissemination, this is the first time that 3-D vascular structures have been used in tick-borne infection to study how pathogens are transported by the blood and vascular system in real time, and how they can enter organs and tissues like the brain.

“Right now, there is absolutely no effective model to study this process,” says Pal, “so these 3-D models are essential.” Dumler adds, “Being able to study pathogen dissemination in a configuration that mimics what happens in a real tissue will give a much better picture about what happens in real life.”

The researchers are able to visualize this process in real time, tracking pathogens with fluorescent dyes that are easily viewed under the microscope and recorded for processing and analysis. With Searson’s expertise in creating tissue-engineered models, and Pal and Dumler’s extensive expertise in the biology of tick-borne infections, they are able to manipulate the models with different types of cells and structures to visualize how transfer in and out of the bloodstream occurs.

Everyone involved is excited about the collaboration and the future of this work.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with world experts in tick-borne infections on such an important problem,” says Searson.

Pal adds,

“This grant is just the beginning to create a unique program that will use these models to help us to address many questions in tick-borne diseases that are unanswered.”

This work is funded by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program’s Tick Borne Disease Research Program, United States Department of Defense Award #W81XWH-19-2-0045.

 

Category:

Activism, Anaplasmosis, Lyme, research

Tickborne Triggered Seizure Disorder – A Case Study

https://www.somerdelsignore.com/the-lyme-corner/lets-talk-lyme-disease/pans/pandas/somer-delsignore/2019/10/16/tickborne-triggered-seizure-disorder-case-study-of-a-teenager-with-new-onset-seizure-disorder-and-the-neurological-impact-of-tickborne-diseases

October 16, 2019

By SOMER DELSIGNORE

Tickborne Triggered Seizure Disorder: Case Study of a Teenager with New Onset Seizure Disorder and the Neurological Impact of Tickborne Diseases

The Neurological impact of Bartonella and Rickettsia

This next case study is of an 18-year-old female who was adopted at the age of 5. Her adoptive mother described her as a malnourished premature baby who eventually received good foster care. This young lady was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency that was left untreated in her country of origin at the age of two. By the age of five, she was adopted and moved to the US with her American family. She was fully immunized twice, diagnosed with hypothyroidism and inadequate growth. By this time, an Endocrinologist was onboard and treating her thyroid and growth deficiencies. She seemed to rebound, reaching puberty by the age of 13. Life was stable for some time until January of 2016. She was nearly sixteen years old and developed sudden neuropsychiatric symptoms with acute confusion, severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, frequent urination, insomnia, auditory hallucinations, severe sensory issues, leg tremors and eventually catatonia.  Given her acute changes, her mother rushed her to the Emergency Room for evaluation. EEG was negative and she was hospitalized for apparent acute psychosis treated with Risperdal and Ativan.

After her hospitalization she followed up with a well-known Neurologist who identified positive Mycoplasma and initiated a course of Azithromycin. By the fourth dose she began to return to her normal state and began sleeping again. She was treated for over a month with antibiotics and seemed stable.

There was a great deal of stress in the family, a close family member died and within two weeks she developed new onset grand mal seizures while sleeping. Another ER visit with a normal EEG at the time determined perhaps the stress and trauma of her family member’s death may have triggered the event.

In January 2018 she had another grand mal seizure early in the am. Her neurologist began medications to address. She had no additional seizure activity but noted increasing anxiety. By December 2018 she suffered another grand mal seizure.

Further evaluation by the neurologist showed negative Lyme screening only, viral panels negative, tick-borne co-infections were not obtained, thyroid studies, electrolytes and inflammatory markers were all within normal limits.

This patient presented to me in February 2019. Upon further evaluation she was found to have progressive muscle weakness, cognitive dysfunction ongoing psychiatric symptoms, tremors and noted random striae or “stretch-marks” that would appear and disappear all over her body. She stated that this had occurred since the age of fourteen.  She admitted several evaluations with psychiatric acute hospital admission for escalating neuropsychological symptoms that included visual and auditory hallucinations, compulsions, rage, emotional lability, delusions, anxiety as well as the ongoing physical symptoms. Neuropsychological meds were ineffective. The patient upon presentation was taking high dose Depakote, gabapentin and folic acid to control her seizure activity.

Initial lab work up at my office showed an IGM positive Bartonella Henselae, Lyme Western Blot with an IGM indeterminate band 23-25 and IGG positive bands 18,23-25,28,31,34,39,41,45,and indeterminate bands 58 and 66. She also showed IGG positive Rickettsia and Anaplasma. She carried one copy of MTHFR A1298C and had significant GI bacteria overgrowth with Streptococcus, Citrobacter, Proteus and Bacillus.

She was started on a course of Azithromycin and Bactrim as well as biofilm busters and herbals.  Two months later she reported significant improvements noting striae lightening, energy improvements, mood stability, resolution of hallucinations, and her sleep was improving. She noted ongoing body and hand tremors as well as struggles cognitively with word finding but was back in school full time.

We decided to continue the treatment course and repeat her bloodwork in two months as well as continue follow up with her Neurologist to monitor. By June the patient was feeling great. She began a Depakote wean with her Neurologist and graduated High School.

Her lab results showed improvements with Bartonella levels as well as GI bacterial overgrowth. Rickettsia antibodies lingered unchanged as did Lyme bands. I added to her regimen Doxycycline and Cefdinir as well as an antifungal and supportive herbals to prevent yeast.

This patient is still a work in progress, however what is important to note is her complete reversal of the neuropsychological symptoms once antibiotics were initiated as well as the ongoing, successful wean of seizure medications.

Bartonella and Rickettsia infections both have an affinity for the central nervous system. It is challenging to identify given their non-specific symptom presentation at times. Rickettsia isn’t well understood regarding brain parenchyma and central nervous system transmission. We know in mouse studies, Rickettsia and Bartonella both contribute to neuroinflammation which can contribute to acute psychological symptoms. We see this type of neurological process in classic PANS patients related to strep. Although I see the trend clinically, I don’t feel that autoimmune encephalopathy related to tick-borne infections in children and young adults is well documented.

My hope is thru case study presentations you’ll connect real world, everyday struggles of these vulnerable patients with the disease process. I strongly feel further exploration of autoimmune encephalopathy as it relates to Lyme and other Tickborne illnesses in pediatrics should be a collaborative effort with mental health practitioners and welcome those interested to contact me.

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

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/05/good-news-for-bartonella-patients-identification-of-fda-approved-drugs-with-higher-activity-than-current-front-line-drugs/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/07/mycoplasma-treatment/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/03/08/anaplasmosis/ (Treatment)

https://reference.medscape.com/article/968385-treatment  (Rickettsia treatment)

 

 

 

Category:

Bartonella, Inflammation, Lyme, Mycoplasma, Psychological Aspects, research, Treatment

Babesia Duncani Emerges in Eastern U.S. & Poses Treatment Challenges

https://danielcameronmd.com/wp-content/uploads/kalins-pdf/singles/babesia-duncani-emerges-in-eastern-u-s-and-poses-treatment-challenges.pdf  Read entire article here.

By
New research indicates, however, there may no longer be a division of babesial strains between the East Coast and the West Coast. In their article “Babesia microti – Borrelia burgdorferi Co-infection,” Parveen reports that B. duncani has now been identified in eastern USA and Canada.¹

“Since B. duncani is widespread in Canada, its southern spread into northeastern U.S., an area already endemic for Lyme disease, makes co-infections with B. duncani and B. burgdorferi [Lyme disease] a possibility that needs to be carefully investigated.”

“While this review focuses on co-infection with B. microti and B. burgdorferi, there is some evidence that co-infections with a different Babesia species, B. duncani, and B. burgdorferi may be more common than previously suspected,” writes Parveen.

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**Comment**

This article exposes a crucial issue that mainstream medicine is still in the dark ages on – ticks are coinfected and so are we.  This is not straight-forward.  The very thought that doxycycline is going to cover this hodgepodge of pathogens is truly asinine if you study the research:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/22/why-mainstream-lyme-msids-research-remains-in-the-dark-ages/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/05/01/co-infection-of-ticks-the-rule-rather-than-the-exception/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/08/25/babesia-microti-borrelia-burgdorferi-coinfection/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/09/05/babesia-subverts-adaptive-immunity-and-enhances-lyme-disease-severity/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/11/babesia-found-in-patient-with-persistent-symptoms-following-lyme-treatment/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/

I could literally go on and on to infinity – but you get the point – Lyme/MSIDS patients are rarely infected with just Lyme which is why testing is a bit of a joke as well as the mono-therapy of doxycycline.  It takes savvy, education, and experience to treat this complex illness that is literally killing people – or making them want to die.

If your doctor is open-minded (a rare quality these days), please attempt to give them continuing education information that could revolutionize the way patients are being treated:

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/06/lyme-education-for-healthcare-professionals/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/19/calling-all-doctors-please-become-educated-regarding-tick-borne-illness-heres-how/

 

Category:

Babesia, research, Treatment