Archive for the ‘research’ Category

The Role of Birds in Tickborne Illness

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00442-016-3731-1

Abstract
Birds play a central role in the ecology of tick-borne pathogens. They expand tick populations and pathogens across vast distances and serve as reservoirs that maintain and amplify transmission locally. Research into the role of birds for supporting ticks and tick-borne pathogens has largely been descriptive and focused in small areas. To expand inference beyond these studies, we conducted a quantitative review at the scale of North America to identify avian life history correlates of tick infestation and pathogen prevalence, calculate species-level indices of importance for carrying ticks, and identify research gaps limiting understanding of tick-borne pathogen transmission. Across studies, 78 of 162 bird species harbored ticks, yielding an infestation prevalence of 1981 of 38,929 birds (5.1 %). Avian foraging and migratory strategies interacted to influence infestation. Ground-foraging species, especially non-migratory ground foragers, were disproportionately likely to have high prevalence and intensity of tick infestation. Studies largely focused on Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, and non-migratory ground foragers were especially likely to carry B. burgdorferi-infected ticks, a finding that highlights the potential importance of resident birds in local pathogen transmission. Based on infestation indices, all “super-carrier” bird species were passerines. Vast interior areas of North America, many bird and tick species, and most tick-borne pathogens, remain understudied, and research is needed to address these gaps. More studies are needed that quantify tick host preferences, host competence, and spatiotemporal variation in pathogen prevalence and vector and host abundance. This information is crucial for predicting pathogen transmission dynamics under future global change.

A 2015 study in Northern California showed 57 of 100 birds that carried ticks were infected with borrelia, the causative agent of Lyme Disease.

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Category:

Lyme, research, Ticks

Microbiologist Tom Grier to Speak

Grier will be speaking on Tuesday, September 13th at the MLA Lyme Support Group at 6:30 at the Central Middle School at 4855 Bloom Avenue, White Bear Lake, MN  55110.

He will be discussing the brain pathology research based on autopsies he’s done in with the Paul H Duray Pathology Foundation.

If you are unable to attend but would still like to read the material see:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/08/09/dr-paul-duray-research-fellowship-foundation-some-great-research-being-done-on-lyme-disease/

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Treatment

Lyme Cryme Video – Powerful

Cryme Disease: The Lyme Cryme Against Humanity
TRUTH from the LYMErix whistleblower

https://youtu.be/f8DU1Z6R-ms  Published on Sep 2, 2016.  Powerful hour long video explaining how the CDC purposely rigged the case definition of Lyme so cases would be missed.

Stress is placed on the fact that spirochetes are fungal shedders not bacteria.  This is important in semantics because unless you are using the same linguistics you will never come to an agreement, and that’s right where we are:  NO AGREEMENT IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Lyme Vaccine, research, vaccines

How Lyme Spreads

http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(16)31059-2

Recently in Cell Reports researchers published information providing insight into how borrelia travels inside the human body allowing persistence.

Senior study author, Tara Moriarty, of the University of Toronoto states,

“Our in vitro live-cell-imaging system will permit more efficient dissection of the underlying interaction mechanisms and more rapid screening for inhibitors of bacterial-endothelial interactions and dissemination.”

They discovered that a cell-surface adhesion protein called BBK32 plays a role in stabilizing and strengthening bacterial-vascular interactions under blood flow and that the microbes use bungee-cord like tethers.

Similarly to children swinging on monkey bars, borrelia transfer force from one bond to the next without fully detaching, allowing them to move over endothelial surfaces at a constant speed much like leukocytes move through blood vessels.

Based on calculations utilizing the imaging system, researchers also believe that borrelia possibly use flagella to actively migrate along blood vessel walls, exiting the vasculature to reach specific sites against blood flow, much like swimmers in a river using their legs to kick toward trees lining the riverbank, then grabbing the tree branches to slow down, and finally pulling themselves up to exit the water to reach the shore.

First author, Thodaba Ebady of the University of Toronto, believes this ability is what gets borrelia to move through the body to evade the immune system causing persistence.

This finding points to creating drugs targeting BBK32 or other possible endothelial receptors to slow the spread of infection. It also points to the possible repurposing of current leukocyte-vascular inhibiting drugs used for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases to Lyme.

For the future, researchers want to identify the receptors BBK32 interacts with as well as determine the role of flagella in disease propagation as well as how the bacteria target specific endothelia. The researchers state they hope other labs utilize the approaches they’ve taken and they are happy to help them do so.

Category:

Lyme, research

WI Coppe Lab in the News

http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20160814/study-cites-powassan-link-to-long-term-lyme-symptoms

Virologist and microbiologist, Dr. Konstance Knox, suspects persistent Lyme cases may be complicated by Powassan virus.  An unpublished 2010 study showed more than 15% of Lyme patients had Powassan.   A study completed in May of 106 patients with suspected acute tick borne disease showed 10.4 % had Powassan.

Knox states there is little data and really no way of knowing how many are truly infected with the virus, which is hard to distinguish from Lyme Disease, but is important to study as it has evolved to persist and go to the brain.

Knox is also starting to test 300 samples from patients with post tick borne infection fatigue to try and determine why active, healthy people suddenly get sick and never recover.

We all would like to know too.

For more on Powassan read: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/21/powassan-virus/

 

 

Category:

research, Uncategorized, Viruses