Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Bb in S. Italian Ectoparasites & Reptiles

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30646928

2019 Jan 15;12(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s13071-019-3286-1.

Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) in ectoparasites and reptiles in southern Italy.

Mendoza-Roldan JA1,2,3, Colella V1, Lia RP1, Nguyen VL1, Barros-Battesti DM2,4, Iatta R1, Dantas-Torres F1,5, Otranto D6.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) is a complex containing pathogenic bacteria of which some species, such as Borrelia lusitaniae, use birds, small mammals and reptiles as reservoirs. In Italy, the bacteria have been detected in reptilian and avian reservoirs in the northern and central regions.

RESULTS:

Here, 211 reptiles from three orders [Squamata (Sauria with seven species in five families and Ophidia with 11 species in three families), Crocodylia (one family and two species), and Testudines (two families and two species)] were examined for ectoparasites and molecular detection of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) in three different sites of southern Italy, an area for which no information was previously available on the occurrence of borreliosis in animals and humans. Borrelia lusitaniae was molecularly detected in larvae and nymphs (11.6%) of Ixodes ricinus infesting lizards (i.e. Podarcis muralis, Podarcis siculus and Lacerta bilineata) and in 12.3% blood samples of P. siculus. Finally, B. lusitaniae and Borrelia garinii were detected in 5.1% (32/630) of questing I. ricinus.

CONCLUSIONS:

These results show the circulation of B. lusitaniae in southern Italy and suggest that P. siculus could play a role as a reservoir, representing a potential medical threat to humans living in or visiting these localities.

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**Comment**

All we really hear about is the white footed mouse; however, this article clearly shows the importance of reptiles:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/25/the-confounding-geography-of-lyme-disease-in-the-u-s/

Wisconsin has its share of reptiles that can serve as hosts for ticks.  Researchers working at Fort McCoy near Sparta, as part of a multi-university project Michigan State ecologist Jean Tsao leads, have collected deer ticks from five-lined skinks and snakes.

But reptiles are simply not as prominent in the state as Borrelia-spreading rodents. The five-lined skink’s range in Wisconsin includes a roughly Y-shaped swath of the state, which doesn’t include the northwestern counties that tend to see the highest Lyme infection rates. (White-footed mice are found just about all over the state.)

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/12/03/biologists-at-sf-state-dig-into-ticks-and-ld/

Other articles point out the importance of squirrels and other rodents:  http://www.smgebooks.com/lyme-disease/chapters/LD-16-03.pdf

For far too long, authorities have tried to put all of this into a little white box and simplify it when nothing could be further from the truth.  Everything about Lyme/MSIDS is complex.  This isn’t just a Northern problem consisting of deer and white footed mice.  This is a global problem consisting of numerous reservoirs.

This is a pandemic with many reservoirs.  

http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/p.siculus.htmlxpodarcissp410alongSouthern Italian Wall Lizard – Podarcis siculus siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) 

 

Category:

Lyme, research, Ticks, Transmission

CAPC Study: Lyme Disease Spreading to Regions Once Thought Low-risk

http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/capc-study-lyme-disease-spreading-regions-once-thought-low-risk

CAPC study: Lyme disease spreading to regions once thought low-risk

Condition in dogs could signal increasing threat to people, researchers say.

Jan 19, 2019

By dvm360.com staff

DVM360 MAGAZINE

(andriano cz/stock.adobe.com)

The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) recently released a study that shows that Lyme disease is spreading to regions not previously thought to be at risk for tick-borne disease. States such as Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and Tennessee have all seen an increase in the prevalence of Lyme disease, according to a media release discussing the study, which CAPC conducted from January 2012 to December 2016. Results from the study were recently published in Environmetrics.

“The results of this milestone study show increasing risk for Lyme disease in endemic areas and pinpoint regions in the U.S. where Lyme is spreading—areas not historically considered endemic,” says Michael Yabsley, PhD, a professor in the Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. “This expanding risk of Lyme disease demands heightened vigilance in protecting both our pets and our families.”

New research from CAPC found that the prevalence of Lyme disease is trending up in areas previously thought to be at a lower risk for tick-borne diseases. (Image courtesy of CAPC)

The study was motivated by the increase in Lyme disease cases in the U.S. and, in particular, in states not traditionally considered Lyme-endemic, the release states. Results suggest that:

  • Canine prevalence rates for Lyme disease are rising.
  • Lyme prevalence rates are increasing most in areas where the pathogen has encroached recently.
  • Lyme prevalence in dogs is rising in states traditionally not considered to be of high Lyme risk, suggesting that human risk may also be increasing in these areas, including regions in Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota, Ohio, Michigan and Tennessee.
  • Significant increases in canine Lyme prevalence have been seen in some areas that are not yet reporting significant human incidence. Researchers speculate that canine prevalence is more sensitive to changes in Lyme risk and could serve as an early warning system for changes in human risk.

The study was created to investigate regional trends in the prevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the disease-causing bacterium of Lyme disease, according to the release. To conduct the research, the CAPC team analyzed more than 16 million Lyme tests from domestic dogs in the U.S. over 60 months. The serologic data was provided by IDEXX Laboratories.

“CAPC research shows the risk for Lyme disease is not static. The way it’s changing varies spatially across the country,” says Christopher McMahan, associate professor in the department of mathematical sciences at Clemson University, in the release.

Crucial in the fight against Lyme, Yabsley says, is year-round tick protection. Different species of ticks are active all 12 months of the year, and ticks that transmit Lyme are active at different times in the year in different regions, the release states. For instance, as you move further south, adult ticks are more active in the winter.

“I’ve been practicing for over 34 years in Nashville where many people don’t think Lyme disease is a concern. But I’ve seen canine Lyme increasing in Tennessee for several years and regularly test and vaccinate for the disease,” says Craig Prior, BVSC, CVJ, a veterinarian and former owner of VCA Murphy Road Animal Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. “Many people tend to believe that if they don’t go on hikes or spend time in wooded areas, they aren’t at risk for Lyme. Ticks are everywhere—including suburban and gated communities where deer, raccoons, opossum, birds and other hosts frequent back yards. That’s why CAPC recommends year-round tick prevention for dogs—and cats—and regular screening to protect dogs from this debilitating disease that can be extremely hard to treat.”

On petdiseasealerts.org, CAPC now provides monthly forecasts for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. It also provides access to monthly canine test results in prevalence maps, a CAPC resource available free online at petsandparasites.org. With more than 21 million canine B. burgdorferi antibody test results collected between 2012 and 2017 in dogs, these maps allow veterinarians, physicians, pet owners and travelers to assess the risk of exposure across the United States and Canada.

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**Comment**

Wisconsin prevalence rate for Lyme, Anaplasmosis, and Ehrlichiosis in pets:  https://capcvet.org/maps/#2012/all/lyme-disease/dog/united-states/wisconsin/  As you can see there are many counties where NO DATA has been collected.  Please remember maps are a very loose guide to what’s happening out there and have been used against patients for decades – denying them accurate diagnosis and treatment.  FYI:  Dane County is at HIGH risk for all 3.

According to independent Canadian tick researcher, John Scott, the reason for this tick proliferation is due to migrating birds and photoperiod, NOT climate change:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/13/study-shows-lyme-not-propelled-by-climate-change/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/ticks-on-the-move-due-to-migrating-birds-and-photoperiod-not-climate-change/

Also, infected dogs spread infections as well as ticks when they cross borders:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/09/infected-dogs-with-tbis-spreading-infection-across-borders/  Think of pets as luggage that can and do carry pathogens right into your home.  Please do not allow your dog on your bed or furniture and make sure you use tick prevention on all pets.

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, research, Ticks, Transmission

Chest Imaging of Cat-Scratch Disease in 2-Year Old Immunocompetent Baby With No History of Cat Contact

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30657130

2019 Jan 15;89(4):585-588. doi: 10.23750/abm.v89i4.6070.

Chest Imaging of a rare case of cat-scratch disease in a 2-years-old baby.

Rossi E1, Perrone A, Bongini U, Cangelosi AM, Sollai S, Narese D, Defilippi C.

Abstract

Cat-scratch disease (CSD) is usually a self-limiting infection that in the majority of cases occurs as lymphadenitis in children who have been scratched or bitten by a cat. Rarely, Bartonella henselae is cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO), with dissemination to various organs, mimicking an inflammatory rather than a lymphoproliferative disease. This manuscript will present a case of thoracic manifestations of CSD in an immunocompetent 2-years baby without history of cat contact, with fever of unknown origin, investigated by chest CT and MRI.

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**Comment**

The myths surrounding Bartonella are getting shattered one by one.  More and more cases are showing immunocompetent people contracting Bart as well as folks who have had no exposure to cats.  Time for NEW Research and open minds!  Bartonella, like so many other pathogens needs an entirely new approach.  Nothing about this should be reported as “rare.”  Nobody has a clue on prevalence!

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/10/bartonella-henselae-neuroretinitis-in-patients-without-cat-scratch/  All the patients denied a history of a cat or any animal contact, or of having CSD findings.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/05/cat-scratch-disease-in-a-1-5-year-old-girl-case-report/  A 1.5-year-old girl who was seen in hospital for the sparing use of her left arm when crawling.  Tested positively for Bartonella henselae.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/03/encephalopathy-in-adult-with-cat-scratch-disease/  Case of a 53-year-old healthy man, presenting with confusion.  Serology confirmed Bartonella henselae infection.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/09/transverse-myelitis-guillain-barre-associated-with-bartonella/  Healthy 10 year old girl had coexisting transverse myelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) related to infection with Bartonella henselae.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/05/skull-infection-due-to-bartonella/  A 3-year-old female with a recent history of typical CSD involving lymph nodes who developed osteomyelitis of the skull.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/02/bartonella-langerhans-cell-histiocytosis-cancer/

 

 

 

Category:

Bartonella, research

Five Brands of Dental Floss May Expose People to PFAS

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nidhisubbaraman/oral-b-pfas-dental-floss?

These Five Brands Of Dental Floss May Expose People To Harmful Chemicals, Study Finds

PFAS “forever chemicals” are found in many consumer products, including nonstick cookware, carpets, and easy-glide floss.
Headshot of Nidhi Subbaraman

Nidhi Subbaraman

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Posted on January 9, 2019, at 7:10 p.m. ET

Andreypopov / Getty Images

People may absorb toxic industrial chemicals from some brands of dental floss, a new study says. It’s the latest evidence that Americans are routinely exposed to this vast class of chemicals, known as PFAS, some of which have been linked to heart disease and cancer.

Women who said they flossed with Oral-B Glide floss had higher levels of a PFAS called perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) in their blood than those who didn’t, researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

“I’m not trying to tell people, ‘don’t floss,’” Katie Boronow, a staff scientist at the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Massachusetts, who was part of the study, told BuzzFeed News. “It’s about choosing safer products.”

The CDC cites dental floss on a list of products that could contain PFAS. Studies in people have linked PFHxS to liver damage and a decreased immune response.

Although scientists have known that PFAS are used in Glide, “this finding suggests that it may be more important than expected,” said Courtney Carignan, an associate professor of food science and toxicology at Michigan State University who was not part of the study.

In addition to looking at the women’s blood levels, the researchers analyzed the chemical makeup of 18 types of dental floss. Six tested positive for fluorine, an element that they said indicates the presence of PFAS compounds. Those products were CVS Health EaseBetween SuperSlip Dental Floss Waxed, Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Mint and Glide Pro-Health Original, Crest Glide Deep Clean Cool Mint Floss, Safeway Signature Care Mint Waxed Comfort Floss, and Colgate Total Dental Floss Mint.

“The safety of the people who use our products is our number one priority. Our dental floss undergoes thorough safety testing and we stand by the safety of all our products,” a spokesperson for Procter & Gamble, the company that owns the Oral-B and Crest brand, told BuzzFeed News by email.

A spokesperson for CVS Pharmacy said by email that the company is “committed to assuring that the products we offer are safe, work as intended, comply with regulations and satisfy customers. We will be reviewing the study and will also contact the supplier of this product.”

Colgate-Palmolive and Safeway did not respond to requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.

PFAS compounds are used in the manufacture of many consumer products, including Teflon and nonstick cookware, waterproofed shoes and clothes, carpets, upholstery, and some kinds of food packaging. (Colgate’s website describes its Total Dental Floss as a “single-strand Teflon fiber.”)

Firefighting foams used at airports and military bases also contain PFAS chemicals. The Department of Defense has identified 126 sites near military bases with PFAS in their drinking water sources. Dozens of municipalities near chemical factories that once made PFAS products are finding the compounds in the public water systems.

Philippe Grandjean, a professor of environmental health at Harvard who was not involved with the study, told BuzzFeed News in an email that he found the results meaningful, despite the possibility that survey participants could have been exposed to PFAS from other sources, too.

“Non-stick pans have [a] larger surface but we don’t chew on them like dental floss,” Grandjean said.

Rita Loch-Caruso, a professor of environmental health at the University of Michigan who was not involved with the study, pointed out that fluoride — which also contains fluorine — is sometimes added to dental products. “It would have been nice to see them discuss whether fluoride could have been contributing to the fluorine measurements on the floss,” she told BuzzFeed News.

Boronow said that none of the products were advertised to contain fluoride for dental health.

The survey included 178 women, 87 of whom were black and 91 non-Hispanic white. The authors noted that follow-up work should include other ethnicities.

The goal of the study, Boronow said, was to get a clearer idea of how people absorbed the chemicals. “Aside from people who have contaminated drinking water or are exposed to PFAS chemicals at work, we don’t know what the most important sources of exposure are,” she said.

Dan Vergano contributed reporting.

 

Category:

Activism, research

Acute Transverse Myelitis – A Clinical Manifestation of Lyme (That Nobody Has a Clue About Prevalence)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30622896

2018 Dec 29;15:e00479. doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2018.e00479. eCollection 2019.

Acute transverse myelitis – A rare clinical manifestation of Lyme neuroborreliosis.

Dumic I1,2, Vitorovic D3, Spritzer S4, Sviggum E5, Patel J6, Ramanan P7.

Abstract

Acute transverse myelitis (ATM) is a rare, potentially devastating neurological syndrome that has variety of causes, infectious being one of them. Lyme disease (LD) is the most common vector borne zoonosis in the United States (U.S.). While neurologic complications of LD are common, acute transverse myelitis is an exceedingly rare complication.

We present a case of a previously healthy 25-year-old man who presented with secondary erythema migrans, aseptic meningitis and clinical features of transverse myelitis including bilateral lower extremity motor and sensory deficits manifesting as weakness and numbness, urinary retention and constipation.

Despite negative serum antibodies against Borrelia burgdoferi, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was positive for Borrelia burgdorferi PCR.

Following treatment with methylprednisolone and ceftriaxone, he attained complete recovery apart from neurogenic bladder necessitating intermittent self-catheterization. We report rare manifestation of a common disease and emphasize the importance of considering LD in the differential diagnosis of acute transverse myelitis, particularly in residents of endemic areas.

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**Comment**

Nobody has a CLUE about how often anything is occurring in Lyme/MSIDS, when testing misses over half of all cases and folks are commonly misdiagnosed or undiagnosed for years.  Again, because words mean things, and research has been used against patients for over 40 years, a more accurate statement would be, “This is the first recorded case of ATM caused by Lyme Disease.”  And remember, just because something isn’t on record doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.  Important distinction.

According to https://myelitis.org/living-with-myelitis/disease-information/afm/

The predominant presentation is weakness that may affect the limbs, face, oral or eye muscle. Weakness varies greatly ranging from subtle to very severe. AFM may result in total paralysis, partial paralysis, or weakness of just one limb. The combination of paralysis and how individuals present are widely variable. The limbs or muscle structures of individuals with AFM appear weak, flaccid, or limp and are not spastic as seen in classic cases of transverse myelitis. Since it is markedly the gray matter of the spinal cord that is inflamed in individuals with AFM, sensory, bowel and bladder functions can remain intact, however there are individuals that have both upper and lower motor neuron involvement.

The enterovirus (EV-D68) has been suspect in many of these cases however, it has not been definitively proven that it is this particular virus that has caused the paralysis,(1) although several cases of AFM occurred at around the same time as an outbreak of the EV-D68 virus.(2)

There has been a spike in AFM:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/19/rise-in-acute-flaccid-myelitis-cases-and-the-link-to-vaccinations/

Within the above link, you will learn there are numerous theories on what causes AFM including viruses & vaccinations.  Lyme/MSIDS patients often have viral involvement, and reactivation of Lyme has been documented after vaccinations:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/12/02/scottish-doctor-gives-insight-on-lyme-msids/, as well as Bartonella:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/04/24/gardasil-and-bartonella/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/11/07/connection-of-acute-flaccid-myelitis-and-vaccinations/  In this article, James Lyons Weiler states:

The US press has been pushing a view of acute flaccid paralysis as a mysterious condition of unknown etiology (unknown cause). Checking the scientific literature, however, tells us that AFP is most often Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS), a condition that appears on the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program as a “Table Condition” – i.e., one that the US HHS has no defense against when parents file in the NVICP for compensation for GBS as a vaccine injury in their children.  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/12/07/acute-flaccid-paralysis-is-most-often-guillain-barre-syndrome/

GBS is also often a player with Lyme/MSIDS:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/09/transverse-myelitis-guillain-barre-associated-with-bartonella/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/14/clinical-association-lyme-disease-and-guillain-barre/  In Dr. Waisbren’s book, Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease, the majority of his 51 cases of chronic Lyme had high EBV titers.  He also states,

“As will be seen in other cases, the Epstein-Barr virus may be a candidate for a co-infection associated with LD.”  

Waisbren often treated this co-infected patients that had EBV with 1000mg of Valtrex three times a day with good success.  He also used gamma globulin (4cc twice a week).

So Lyme/MSIDS patients are at the top of the list for AFM for numerous reasons.  Personally, I had a MRI at one point due to the excruciating pain in my spine and occipital headaches.  This pain was unrelenting.  Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) loves the brain and spinal column.  Many viruses hang out in the spine.  The MRI showed nothing abnormal and I was sent home with the same pain I came with.  While I believe proper antimicrobial treatment to be imperative, what finally relieved this pain for me was MSM:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/02/dmso-msm-for-lyme-msids/

Along with swelling in the spine, patients can have brain swelling as well.  Within one week, I met 3 Lyme patients with Chiari, another supposed “rare” condition:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/04/02/chiari/  While Chiari is often caused by structural defects in the brain and spinal cord that occur during fetal development, it can also be caused due to injury, exposure to harmful substances, or infection. 

When you study the Bb organism, along with the numerous coinfections, spine and brain swelling makes complete sense and needs to be studied further:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/13/lyme-disease-treatment/

There is so much research begging to be done, yet main stream medicine wants to wrap Lyme into a pretty box with a bow on top.  Again, if there is any box involved with Lyme/MSIDS, it’s Pandora’s.

 

 

Category:

Eye Issues, Inflammation, Lyme, Pain Management, research, Treatment