Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Microbiology Professor – “I’m Convinced Lyme Disease is Transmittable From Person to Person”

http://www.endowmentmed.org/pdf/endowmentupdatelymes2.pdf

lida-thumb  Dr. Lida Mattman

In this 2006 blast from the past, Dr. Lida Mattman, PhD, and author of “Cell Wall Deficient Forms:  Stealth Pathogens,” states,

“I am convinced that Lyme Disease is transmittable from person to person.”

Mattman has been able to recover live spirochetes of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) from mosquitos, fleas, mites, semen, urine, blood, spinal fluid, and tears, indicating the potential to be spread on hands person to person. 

To watch her 2006 presentation:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/02/transmission-of-lyme-disease-lida-mattman-phd/  Transcript included.

In the 90’s, Mattman obtained positive cultures for Bb in 43 out of 47 chronically infected people.  All with Parkinson’s & Alzheimer’s had Bb, and many with MS and ALS had it.

This has been substantiated clinically as well

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Quite recently live Bb was found in a genital lesion of a chronically infected female patient:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/11/lyme-found-in-genital-lesion-sexual-transmission-studies-screaming-to-be-done/  Key Quote:

“Our findings demonstrate the complexity of Lyme disease,” said Fesler, a lead author of the published study. “It explains why the disease is more common than one would think if only ticks were involved in transmission.”

Why isn’t an alarm being spread throughout the land?
Because this information isn’t new.  It just keeps getting buried and ignored.

Mattman and her colleague, Dr. Joanne Whitaker, a victim of Lyme disease since childhood, developed a direct test for Bb and were the first to identify the cell wall deficient form of the spirochete.  Interestingly, the CDC has made 2-tier blood serology testing for Lyme a literal mandate, purposely avoiding direct detection:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/03/cdc-deliberately-avoids-direct-detection-testing-methods-for-ld/

There’s a long & sordid history of serology testing for Lyme:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/03/cdc-deliberately-avoids-direct-detection-testing-methods-for-ld/  Excerpt:

It would appear that there has been a deliberate avoidance of direct detection methods and it is believed that these efforts are to insure that the current thirty year dogma remain intact.

We have a dire need to develop rapid detection methods for a serious growing health threat which has the ability to disable its victim as described in the attached letter addressed to the previous Director of the CDC. (Please see attachment in link)

I would like to point out that employees of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control hold patents on metabolomics (Lyme tests).

CDC Employee Patent:  https://www.google.com/patents/EP2805168A1?cl=en

For nearly four decades now the only FDA approved test for Lyme disease is the indirect two-tiered antibody test. Direct detection methods to identify the causative agent responsible for the disease have been avoided, criticized and shelved.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/12/16/laboratory-testing-for-lyme-disease/  Direct detection laboratory testing (DNA/PCR Sequencing) is used for many infections (Ebola (1), Zika (2), Bartonella (3) etc.) but not Lyme disease.

The shenanigans don’t end there:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/12/13/suppression-of-microscopy-for-lyme-diagnostics-professor-laane/  Excerpt:

After publishing the 2013 article ‘A simple method for the detection of live Borrelia spirochetes in human blood using classical microscopy techniques’, professor Laane was invited to give a lecture at the 2014 Norvect conference in Oslo. An English patient saved the pdf, so you can still read it, via the link provided.

I was present at that conference and still remember how nervous he was. The reason was that several medical professors complained to his university. He was threatened with losing his job, if he would speak at the conference.

In fact, he did not literally speak – as you can see in the movie below – but used performing arts to show the slides of the spirochetes. Professor Laane was fired anyway and his laboratory was closed down.

According to Lyme patient and advocate Carl Tuttle:
“The CDC is responsible for the current Lyme disease crisis where patients cannot obtain a timely diagnosis through accurate early detection.”
For a great read on Lyme testing:  https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-disease-test/  In this article you will read that most testing for Lyme is indirect.  Serology testing looks for antibodies to the organism. Another great read:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/12/paving-the-way-for-better-lyme-diagnostic-tests/
 “These serologic tests cannot distinguish active infection, past infection, or reinfection.”

In plain English, these tests don’t show squat, yet have ruled Lyme-land for 40 years like the Iron Curtain.

WHY?

For those of you new to this game, the CDC/IDSA/NIH has spread malicious information about smaller labs that specialize in virology and bacteriology and are CLIA certified, one of the toughest certification standards a lab can undergo.  On their website, the CDC has called these labs, “home-brewed.” They control testing by stating it must be FDA approved.  I actually attended a public meeting at the WI capital where a pediatric doctor quoted right off the CDC website and called the IgeneX Lyme test, “Home-brewed.”  https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6315a4.htm

“Often these are laboratory-developed tests (also known as “home brew” tests) that are manufactured and used within a single laboratory and have not been cleared or approved by FDA. Recently, CDC has received inquiries regarding a laboratory-developed test that uses a novel culture method to identify Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete that causes Lyme disease. Patient specimens reportedly are incubated using a two-step pre-enrichment process, followed by immunostaining with or without polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Specimens that test positive by immunostaining or PCR are deemed “culture positive” (2). Published methods and results for this laboratory-developed test have been reviewed by CDC. The review raised serious concerns about false-positive results caused by laboratory contamination and the potential for misdiagnosis (3).  CDC recommends that laboratory tests cleared or approved by FDA be used to aid in the routine diagnosis of Lyme disease. A complete searchable list of such tests is available online (4).”

I can only guess what it costs a lab to go through the FDA process. Let’s just say these small specialty labs have had it rough.  They have fought tooth and nail just to keep their doors open.

Besides requiring FDA approval, the CDC has also arbitrarily set the criteria of requiring  5 out of 10 bands for a positive test result.

According to Dr. Waisbren, an IDSA founder, in his illuminating book, “Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease: 51 Case Reports and Essays in Their Regard,” he states,

“The Western Blot studies, which are essentially antibody studies, do seem to be the most positive finding in clinical Lyme disease, but setting an arbitrary level of these antibodies to diagnose a disease that has not been amenable to Koch’s postulates seems open to question.  By the same token, ignoring antibody results unless they meet arbitrary levels seems suspect.  The vast majority of patients in this series showed some Western blot antibody exposure, but many did not meet the arbitrary limits set.”  

And then wisely states,

“We all must remember that in our preset state of knowledge, the diagnosis of Lyme disease is a clinical one.”

This was all written in 2011, yet the only FDA “approved” testing is STILL the abysmal and arbitrary 2-tiered blood serology which only detects antibodies to the organism.

One gets the distinct feeling the CDC wants to control how many patients are accurately diagnosed.
Oh, and also collect money on tests they have patents on.

Little to no work has been done on the transmission of the organism.  Animal studies and the warnings of experienced microbiologists on the potential of human to human transmission since the 80’s have been completely ignored.  Even Canada has recognized congenital transmission:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/05/canada-acknowledges-maternal-fetal-transmission-of-lyme-disease/, largely because a group of women led by a nurse with congenitally infected children pushed the point and collected 33 years of data showing it:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/19/33-years-of-documentation-of-maternal-child-transmission-of-lyme-disease-and-congenital-lyme-borreliosis-a-review/

Here’s another example of work done way back in the 80’s which found Bb in a baby which died during the first week of life due to congenital heart disease which found Bb in the spleen, kidneys, and bone marrow.  The mother developed Lyme during the 1st trimester:  https://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/maternal-fetal-transmission-of-the-lyme-disease-spirochete-borrel

Do we seriously have to battle a chronic illness and keep doing ALL the work by ourselves?

The best description I’ve heard is that Lyme is a, “do it yourself” disease. Very accurate description.

For more on ancient animal studies showing various transmission routes:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/02/24/pcos-lyme-my-story/

Until these issues are fully and transparently dealt with, we can spray and check for ticks all the day long but still not address the very practical issue of other ways people are getting infected.

Lida H Mattman, PhD, has spent seven decades studying the different forms that bacteria can take. Her contributions to medical science can be summarized best by noting that in 1998 she was nominated for the highest honor attainable in her profession: The Nobel Prize in Medicine. Professor Mattman graduated with a M.S. in Virology from Univ. of Kansas and a Ph.D. in Immunology from Yale. She has taught Immunology, Microbiology, Bacteriology, Virology, Pathology, and for 35 years worked in these fields at various schools and institutions including Harvard Univ., Howard Hughes Institute, Oakland Univ. and Wayne State Univ. where she is Professor Emeritus. She is currently working for the Nelson Medical Research Institute studying the relationship between spirochetes involved in MS, Lyme disease, and ALS.

Category:

Lyme, research, Testing, Transmission

Diagnosis of Lyme Disease – Johns Hopkins

https://www.hopkinslyme.org/lyme-disease/diagnosis-of-lyme-disease/

Diagnosis of Lyme Disease

Many cases of Lyme disease are initially misdiagnosed. Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose because early symptoms of fever, severe fatigue, and achiness are also common in many other illnesses. In addition, diagnostic blood tests are not always dependable, particularly in early disease. However, the round expanding red lesion rash is a unique sign that is more specific for Lyme disease, and many times a diagnosis can be made based on the tell-tale erythema migrans rash itself. Yet, it is important to understand that the erythema migrans rash is not always present or recognizable, and symptoms can fluctuate.

Think the Lyme disease rash is always a bull’s-eye? Think again.
Think it’s a spider bite? Think again.
Please refer to our poster of varied rash manifestations as a helpful Lyme disease rash identification tool.

Recognizing the Lyme disease erythema migrans rash can be crucial to early diagnosis and treatment.

Despite common belief, the stereotypical ring within a ring bullseye rash is only present in a minority of Lyme disease patients. Instead, the majority of Lyme disease rashes are uniformly red or blue-red and do not have a central clearing or bullseye. Sometimes the site of the tick bite is clearly visible in the center of this lesion. The erythema migrans rash is almost always round or oval and expands over days to a diameter greater than 2”. The Lyme rash is often confused with a spider bite, despite spider bites not expanding in this way.

Though less common, blisters may appear in the center of a Lyme disease rash and can be mistaken for a spider bite or the rash of shingles.

It is important to note that not all infected tick bites successfully transmit Lyme disease. Tick bite reaction may occur due to skin reactions to substances from the tick bite and may be confused with the rash of Lyme disease. Tick bite reactions may last days to weeks, but unlike the Lyme disease rash, tick bite reactions remain small, do not enlarge, and are not associated with fever or other systemic symptoms.

A typical tick bite site reaction is dime-sized or smaller and does not enlarge each day like the erythema migrans rash of Lyme disease.

Bacteria from the Lyme disease rash can disseminate through the bloodstream and create new erythema migrans skin lesions at other sites distant from the initial bite.

What are the Systemic Symptoms of Lyme Disease?

Systemic symptoms of Lyme disease include:

  • Severe fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, neurologic symptoms and cognitive impairment
  • Cardiac problems, including life-threatening inflammation of the heart called carditis
  • Facial palsy, meningitis, and headaches
  • Swollen knees and Lyme arthritis

How do you diagnose the later stages of Lyme Disease?

Disseminated Lyme disease, due to unsuccessful or delayed treatment, can become disabling. The bacteria can leave the skin where it was initially inoculated by the tick and travel through the bloodstream to numerous systems of the body, primarily joints, heart, brain, muscles and the nervous system.

Late disseminated Lyme disease has a wide range of presentations including joint pain, extreme fatigue, neuromuscular pain, cardiac problems, headaches, and other central nervous system dysfunction. There are some distinguishable signs of later stage Lyme disease including facial palsy in the second stage, and swollen knees in the third stage that are somewhat specific for Lyme disease, but not absolutely, because there are other causes of Bell’s Palsy and swollen knees.

Diagnosis can be confirmed by serology blood tests which measure the antibodies that are formed by the immune system in response to the Lyme disease bacterial infection. Collection of cerebrospinal fluid by lumbar puncture may be indicated in neurologic cases that may involve the central nervous system.

Can you use a serology test to diagnose during the first stage of Lyme disease?

Serology antibody tests are generally more helpful for second and third stages of Lyme disease than first stage Lyme disease. Antibodies take weeks to develop, and if the initial presentation of Lyme disease is in the early stage those antibody tests may be falsely negative because the immune system has not yet had enough time to produce antibodies. If a physician is suspicious of Lyme disease but cannot make a diagnosis by the rash, then the antibody test in that first stage should be repeated 3 to 4 weeks later since a Lyme disease diagnosis can be missed with a false negative test in the first few weeks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends measuring antibodies by using a two-tier testing process. If an ELISA test is positive, it is then followed by a Western blot test. However, this system can produce some false positive results and high numbers of false negative results, particularly in early infection.

In addition, the immune response to borrelia is heterogeneous, and not all cases are captured by current antibody-based diagnostics. Antibody testing can also be a problem in patients with early disease who are treated with antibiotics. In these cases, a follow up antibody test done after treatment may be negative and never turn positive.

Thus, a negative antibody test does not necessarily rule out Lyme disease and should always be considered in the context of a full health history and clinical assessment.

Current problems with Lyme disease diagnosis & patient care

  • Diagnostic tests cannot yet accurately identify the earliest stage of Lyme disease when making the diagnosis is crucial.
  • The rash is not always present or easily recognized
  • Misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis can make Lyme disease more difficult to treat and lead to prolonged and debilitating illness
  • Early symptoms can be mistaken for a summer flu
  • Lyme disease can involve several parts of the body, including joints, connective tissue, heart, brain, and nerves, and produce different symptoms at different times.
  • Antibody testing done after early treatment may be negative and never turn positive for some cases
  • Borrelia burgdorferi can evade our protective immune system and trigger immune system dysfunction.
  • No reliable blood test is presently available to measure treatment success, necessitating close clinical follow up and improved physician education.
  • Presently there is no vaccine to prevent Lyme disease.

What is the difference between this “indirect” blood diagnostic test and a “direct” test?

Direct diagnostic tests measure the presence of the bacteria directly and are much more reliable than tests looking for indirect measurement of antibodies that measure a person’s immune response to an infection. Lyme disease diagnoses and disease management would benefit from validated diagnostic tests that directly measure the infection such as a culture, PCR test, or antigen detection tests. Those are the kind of tests relied on in the management of other infectious diseases like HIV, hepatitis C or strep.

Does the time of year matter in the diagnosis of Lyme disease?

Since Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection, the seasonality of the disease is linked tightly to the life cycle and behavior of ticks. May, June, July, and early August are the biggest risk months for acquiring first stage Lyme disease in the US. This is the feeding time for nymph and adolescent ticks which are difficult to see. A viral-like illness in those early summer months might be Lyme disease. There is also some transmission of Lyme disease via adult ticks in the fall and winter and throughout the year anytime the temperature is above 40 degrees, but to a lesser degree.

The risk of acute Lyme disease is more of a year-round risk in more temperate regions such as northern California and the pacific northwest. Later stage Lyme disease, however, can manifest at any time.

Is Johns Hopkins trying to discover new ways to diagnose Lyme disease more directly?

Our Center is working on identifying biomarkers to improve diagnostics and to measure treatment success. Our research also supports the advancement of direct diagnostic tests to directly identify the Lyme disease bacteria.

USE OF THIS SITE

All information contained within the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center website is intended for educational purposes only. Physicians and other health care professionals are encouraged to consult other sources and confirm the information contained within this site. Consumers should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something they may have read on this website.

____________________

**Comment**

Fairly accurate article but deceiving at the same time.  A few points for consideration:

  1. The emphasis on having a rash is hurting patients. In the first ever patient sample in Lyme, Connecticut, only a quarter had a rash. The percentages vary from 25-80%. Hardly a done deal.  While the rash IS diagnostic for Lyme, not having the rash means NOTHING.
  2. I’m thankful the author states it can disseminate quickly.  This can happen far quicker than mainstream medicine cares to admit.  Case in point:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/12/07/igenex-presentation/  Within 4-6 hours after tick bite, little girl develops facial palsy and can’t walk or talk. That’s quick.
  3. Treat each and every tick bite as seriously as a heart attack.  This “wait and see” approach has been dooming patients for decades. To wait for a rash to enlarge is pure folly.  Everyone knows and admits early treatment is everything, so why are we WAITING?
  4. The symptoms listed don’t do this monster justice.  People can have severe psychological dysfunction (hallucinations, memory loss, anxiety, rage, and much more).  Please quit putting this into a 1 minute sound bite.
  5. Can we quit talking about the use of abysmal serology testing?  Seriously, throw that sucker into the trash can. We need doctors to become educated. Until a better test is created, this is a clinical diagnosis that needs astutely trained doctors.
  6. IT MATTERS NOT what time of year you become ill.  Not ONE iota.  To state otherwise shows a complete under appreciation for this organism.  It can sequester anywhere in the body and pop out at will.  Plus, there’s much to show there is FAR more at play than ticks:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/02/transmission-of-lyme-disease-lida-mattman-phd/  My initial symptoms were gynecological and in January in Wisconsin – hardly tick weather, yet, seriously infected I became:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/02/24/pcos-lyme-my-story/  Animal studies have existed since the 80’s showing contact transmission, via urine, congenitally, orally, ocularly, via synovial fluid, cow milk, colostrum, and on and on, yet nobody is touching this.  It’s just the Black legged tick, don’t ya know?
  7. Lastly, even ticks are defying the authorities and going everywhere on the backs of birds:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/ticks-on-the-move-due-to-migrating-birds-and-photoperiod-not-climate-change/  These ticks are chuck full of pathogens and are infecting people with a plethora of things. We need to admit the polymicrobial nature of this and the fact nobody knows what the cumulative effect is on the human body:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

Study on An Anti-tick Vaccine

https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-019-3468-x

Counterattacking the tick bite: towards a rational design of anti-tick vaccines targeting pathogen transmission

  • Ryan O. M. RegoEmail authorView ORCID ID profile, Jos J. A. Trentelman, Juan Anguita, Ard M. Nijhof, Hein Sprong, Boris Klempa, Ondrej Hajdusek, Julen Tomás-Cortázar, Tal Azagi, Martin Strnad, Sarah Knorr, Radek Sima, Marie Jalovecka, Sabína Fumačová Havlíková, Martina Ličková, Monika Sláviková, Petr Kopacek, Libor Grubhoffer and Joppe W. Hovius
    Parasites & Vectors201912:229

    https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-019-3468-x

    Published: 14 May 2019

Abstract

Hematophagous arthropods are responsible for the transmission of a variety of pathogens that cause disease in humans and animals. Ticks of the Ixodes ricinus complex are vectors for some of the most frequently occurring human tick-borne diseases, particularly Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The search for vaccines against these diseases is ongoing. Efforts during the last few decades have primarily focused on understanding the biology of the transmitted viruses, bacteria and protozoans, with the goal of identifying targets for intervention. Successful vaccines have been developed against TBEV and Lyme borreliosis, although the latter is no longer available for humans. More recently, the focus of intervention has shifted back to where it was initially being studied which is the vector. State of the art technologies are being used for the identification of potential vaccine candidates for anti-tick vaccines that could be used either in humans or animals. The study of the interrelationship between ticks and the pathogens they transmit, including mechanisms of acquisition, persistence and transmission have come to the fore, as this knowledge may lead to the identification of critical elements of the pathogens’ life-cycle that could be targeted by vaccines. Here, we review the status of our current knowledge on the triangular relationships between ticks, the pathogens they carry and the mammalian hosts, as well as methods that are being used to identify anti-tick vaccine candidates that can prevent the transmission of tick-borne pathogens.

___________________

**Comment**

In the paragraph before the conclusion (in the full-length document) the following is stated:

Given the current health concerns related to LB, a novel vaccine would most likely be highly welcomed by society. On the other hand, the previously commercially available vaccine against LB was taken off the market for various and questionable reasons [232]. Therefore, efforts are needed to address societal prejudices associated with vaccination, including health benefits, risks, and necessity, especially from a public health perspective.

Well if that isn’t the understatement of the year, I don’t know what is.  The LB (Lyme borreliosis) vaccine was yanked off the market because it CAUSED Lyme symptoms in many people, as well as dogs:  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/  Excerpt:  

In reality, the vaccine was pulled off the market to avoid disclosure of Phase IV data that probably would have shown limited efficacy and significant safety concerns related to LYMErix (11-13). That data has never been publicly released.

Regarding dogs:  https://www.vetinfo.com/canine-lyme-disease-vaccine-side-effects.html  Excerpt:

Cornell University found long-term side effects that paint a different picture of the safety of the canine Lyme disease vaccination.

In some cases, dogs develop Lyme disease anyway. It’s believed that the antibodies in the vaccine can develop into Lyme disease. Research finds dogs develop all the symptoms of Lyme disease up to six weeks after receiving the shot. While tests for the Lyme disease bacteria show up as negative, there are many dogs developing all the symptoms. Left untreated more concerning issues develop.

A number of dogs develop rheumatoid arthritis months or years later. However, the development of acute kidney failure is more alarming. Remember that 90 percent of dogs never become sick and that pulling off ticks before 48 hours eliminates any risk. Many vets feel the benefit of the vaccination is often outweighed by the potential risks.

Seems veterinarians are often wiser than general practitioners.

For a history of the entire Lyme vaccine saga:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/07/the-lyme-vaccine-russian-roulette/  Excerpt:  

It is believed that a rush to create a Lyme disease vaccine led to the mishandling of the disease. Current antibody tests for Lyme disease were manipulated in 1994 at the Dearborn Conference so as to facilitate vaccine development. The two most important indicators of infection were stripped out of serology tests so that the vaccinated would test seronegative. The vast majority of truly infected patients cannot obtain a timely diagnosis leading to a missed opportunity for successful short term treatment.

The vaccine known as LYMErix was supposed to expose the immune system to the outer surface protein A (OspA) of the spirochete responsible for causing Lyme disease but for some patients, it caused the same crippling effects of the disease itself as reported in the class action lawsuit:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sodqs3pdeeesktf/Sheller%20Lymerix.pdf?dl=0

EXCERPT FROM THE LAWSUIT:

“The people who have contacted us were, prior to vaccination with LYMErix, healthy, active and energetic. Indeed, the very reason they sought the LYMErix vaccine was their desire to preserve their healthy, active lifestyle. However, what they experienced was a dramatic degradation of their health and quality of life. As will be described below, these previously healthy individuals are now afflicted with painful, at times debilitating arthritic symptoms, including joint pain and swelling, as well as extremely severe Lyme-disease-like symptoms which have persisted to this day.”

I counted at least 20 people who authored this study.  Where are the researchers who are studying better testing, effective treatments, transmission studies on all the ways Lyme/MSIDS can be transmitted, post mortem studies to end the Lyme wars, and answers to how patients can pay for this plague?

Researchers for those issues are no where to be found.  If there are any, they are in their own basements using their own microscopes with limited funding.

 

 

Category:

Lyme, Lyme Vaccine, Prevention, research, Ticks

Babesiosis in Pregnancy: An Imitator of HELLP Syndrome

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6488351/

. 2019 Apr; 9(2): e147–e152.
Published online 2019 Apr 29. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1687873
PMCID: PMC6488351
PMID: 31041119

Babesiosis in Pregnancy: An Imitator of HELLP Syndrome

Raminder Kaur Khangura, MD,1 Nayo Williams, MD,1 Shontreal Cooper, MD, MPH,1 and Anne- Marie Prabulos, MD1

Abstract

HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets) is a serious pregnancy complication that can cause significant maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. There are several conditions that may occur in pregnancy that may imitate the laboratory findings and clinical presentation of HELLP syndrome. Babesiosis is a parasitic imitator of HELLP syndrome that can be spread by the tick, transfusions, or congenitally. Recognition and treatment of this condition is important to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes.

__________________

**Comment**

Babesia is a common coinfection of Lyme. Babesia and Lyme are both congenitally transmitted from mother to baby. Research has shown those infected with both have symptoms of greater severity and of longer duration.

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

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/11/07/congenital-babesiosis-in-two-infants/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/30/babesia-spread-to-newborn/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/27/premature-infants-develop-babesia-via-blood-transfusion/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/28/lyme-hang-out-with-dr-cameron-3-children-contract-babesia-from-blood-transfusion/

 

Category:

Babesia, Lyme, research

First Report of Lesions Caused By Bartonella Elizabethae in HIV Patient

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31094718

2019 Apr 25. doi: 10.1097/DAD.0000000000001439. [Epub ahead of print]

First Report of Bacillary Angiomatosis by Bartonella elizabethae in an HIV-Positive Patient.

Julieta C1, Amairani MR2, Sonia TC3, Rigoberto HC4, Gabriela MC5.

Abstract

We present the case of an HIV-positive patient who developed polymorphous lesions in which the evidence in the skin biopsy corresponds to the diagnosis of bacillary angiomatosis, and further tests proved the pathological agent involved in this case is not the usual Bartonella species, B. henselae and B. quintana, but B. elizabethae. As far as we know, this is the first case of bacillary angiomatosis secondary to this etiological agent.

_____________________

**Comment**

Before you brush this off as only happening in someone with HIV, please understand that  being infected with Lyme/MSIDS also cripples the immune system making us targets for diseases that often hit those with compromised immune systems.

In this case, another strain of Bartonella not normally associated with lesions is to blame.  This is important from the stand point that again, researchers and medical professionals have put much of this in a very small box which has to be rethought.  

More on Bacillary Angiomatosis:  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/212737-overview

More on Bartonella:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/24/human-bartonellosis-an-underappreciated-public-health-problem/

Similar to Lyme and Babesiosis, Bartonella is transmitted congenitally:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/09/bartonella-transmitted-to-children-at-birth-causing-chronic-infections/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/06/uh-study-shows-hawaii-kids-more-vulnerable-to-bartonella/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/02/skin-inflammation-nodules-letting-the-cat-out-of-the-bag/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/07/fox-news-bartonella-is-the-new-lyme-disease/

 

 

Category:

Bartonella, research