Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Military Report: Most Frequently Diagnosed Vector-borne Diseases

https://health.mil/News/Articles/2024/01/01/MSMR-Vector-Diseases

Brief Report: The Four Most Frequently Diagnosed Vector-borne Diseases Among Service Member and Non-Service Member Beneficiaries in the Geographic Combatant Commands, 2010–2022

1/1/2024

By: Ralph A. Stidham, DHSc, MPH; Ronald Cole, MPH, RN PHNA-BC; Sithembile L. Mabila, PhD, MSc

Vector-borne diseases may pose an increased risk for U.S. service members during recurring military training exercises, operations, and response missions, in addition to residence in endemic regions within and outside the continental U.S.1,2 Prior MSMR reports address VBD surveillance, described by surveillance data for 23 reportable medical events, among active duty and reserve component service members.3,4 This report covers a 13-year surveillance period, from January 2010 to December 2022, and provides linear trends of selected VBDs among Armed Forces service and non-service member beneficiaries diagnosed at installations within the Northern Command (NORTHCOM), Africa Command (AFRICOM), Central Command (CENTCOM), European Command (EUCOM), Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), or Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). Trends of only the four most frequently reported VBDs were evaluated, as Lyme disease, malaria, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and dengue fever comprised 90% (n=5,199) of all 23 VBDs (n=5,750) among Military Health System beneficiaries documented as RMEs during the surveillance period.

Methods

This study includes all MHS beneficiaries from January 2010 through December 2022. Data were acquired from RME records of 23 VBDs from the Defense Medical Surveillance System, limited to the four most-diagnosed VBDs in DMSS during the surveillance period; a full listing of VBD RMEs are available in a prior MSMR report.3 A VBD case was defined as an individual identified through a RME report, classified as “confirmed,” “probable,” or “suspect” by having met specified laboratory or epidemiologic criteria.5

Demographic information including military component (active, reserve, guard), beneficiary status (service members or non-service member), and U.S. Combatant Command at time of diagnoses were included. Non-service member beneficiaries included dependents, former service members, and retirees. MHS beneficiaries diagnosed as a case before the surveillance period were excluded. An individual could qualify as a case once for each RME type. Incidence date was the earliest event date, with classification determined by utilizing all available data, prioritizing confirmed over probable or suspect records.

Results

Click on the table to access a 508-compliant PDF versionClick on the table to access a 508-compliant PDF version

A total of 5,199 confirmed, probable, and suspect cases of Lyme disease (n=3,400), RMSF (n=893), malaria (n=679), and dengue fever (n=227) were identified among MHS beneficiaries from January 2010 through December 31, 2022 (Table). Of those confirmed, probable, and suspect cases, 2,343 were diagnosed in service members and 2,918 were diagnosed in non-service member beneficiaries (data not shown). Lyme disease and RMSF, both caused by tick-borne pathogens, accounted for 83% of cases, while malaria and dengue fever, transmitted by mosquito vectors, comprised the remainder.

Since Lyme disease was the most common VBD of the four diseases evaluated during the surveillance period, trends of confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease over time by CCMD are presented in the Figure. Confirmed Lyme disease cases peaked in 2012 (n=455) and then gradually decreased over the study period to a low of 75 cases in 2022; probable cases peaked in 2017 (n=53) and steadily decreased to a low of 15 cases in 2022; suspect cases peaked in 2016 (n=73) and progressively declined to a low of 8 cases in 2022 (data not shown). Cases from NORTHCOM represented the greatest number of confirmed and probable Lyme disease cases during the entire surveillance period (Figure). The annual number of confirmed and probable Lyme disease cases from EUCOM were greatest in 2011 and lowest in 2017; Lyme cases were very low in all other CCMDs, ranging from 0 to 6 cases annually (data not shown).

The Atlantic and central regions of the U.S contributed 85% of NORTHCOM’s reported RMSF cases (data not shown). NORTHCOM averaged 30 RMSF cases annually between 2010 and 2016, dramatically increasing to an average of 149 cases between 2017 and 2019 (data not shown). NORTHCOM was only able to confirm 32% of RMSF cases reported during the surveillance period (Table).

Discussion

Lyme disease cases constituted the largest proportion of overall RMEs in this report, with highest numbers occurring in 2012. A substantial proportion of Lyme disease cases were reported from locations in the northeastern U.S., where Lyme disease is known to be endemic: 43% of service members and non-service beneficiaries were diagnosed at NORTHCOM Groton (New London Submarine Base, CT) and NORTHCOM New England. The New London Submarine Base is close to Lyme, Connecticut, where an epidemiological evaluation of a cluster of children with arthritis resulted in the first complete description of the infection in 1976, giving the disease its name.6 Connecticut still ranks in the top 10 states for reported Lyme disease cases.7 No Lyme disease cases were reported in AFRICOM during the surveillance period, because the vectors (Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis) are not present in the region.

In 2017, the armed forces expanded its RME guidelines to include all spotted fever rickettsioses (SFR), to better align with CDC case definitions.2 Diagnoses and reports of rickettsial diseases at military hospitals and clinics in NORTHCOM (where RMSF is endemic) significantly increased after the surveillance requirement expansion from only RMSF to the broader SFR group. In this review, all SFR cases were RMSF diagnoses (n=893).

Approximately 68% of RMSF cases reported during the surveillance period could not be confirmed. All laboratory tests performed at military health facilities for RMSF were Indirect Fluorescent Antibody (IFA) assay and other antibody tests, and no records of testing with PCR of blood or eschar specimens were found. Definite identification of Rickettsiae is not feasible solely by IFA due to considerable serologic cross-reactivity, particularly when high-endpoint titers are seen for more than 1 rickettsial antigen.8 Increased use of molecular assays (i.e., real-time PCR) can both confirm and offer species-specific diagnosis in a single sample, facilitating identification and management of rickettsial diseases in both service members and non-service beneficiaries.

The observed decline in the incidence of mosquito-borne cases, such as malaria and dengue, among deployed service members over the last decade is likely due to reduced deployments to endemic regions, with the exception of EUCOM.4 Although dengue fever is not represented significantly in EUCOM in this study, there is a rising risk of dengue and other VBDs due to environmental changes and expanding global travel and trade.9,10,11

VBDs often manifest with non-specific symptoms, and when unconfirmed could constitute a number of other infections or health conditions. Lyme disease is frequently misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or multiple sclerosis. This non-specificity of symptoms and related issues such as diagnostic availability and cross-reactivity in diagnosis confirmation can pose challenges for accurate case identification and classification, resulting in the major limitations to this study’s findings.

This report summarizes data from electronic reports of RMEs and examines the incidence and geographic distribution of the top four vector-borne infectious diseases among service members and non-service MHS beneficiaries in the CCMDs during a recent 13-year period. Awareness of the risk of these VBDs will help senior leaders develop and employ strategies to decrease avertable medical problems in MHS beneficiaries, maximizing the productivity and readiness of the medical force.

Author Affiliations

Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Department, U.S. Army Public Health Command–West, Joint Base San Antonio–Fort Sam Houston, TX: Dr. Stidham; Human Health Services, U.S. Public Health Command–Pacific, Tripler, HI: COL Cole; Epidemiology and Analysis Branch, Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division, Defense Health Agency: Dr. Mabila

(See link for article and graphs)

________________

For more:

Category:

Lyme, Malaria, mosquitoes, research, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ticks, Viruses

US Gov Funding More Gain-of-Function Research for Bird Flu Says Watchdog Group

The following is important to keep in mind while reading the article below:
Despite all of the above, the MO remains the same and continues unabated with your tax-dollars
https://thevaccinereaction.org/2024/02/u-s-government-is-funding-gain-of-function-research-in-china-to-make-bird-flu-more-infectious/

U.S. Government is Funding Gain-of-Function Research in China to Make Bird Flu More Infectious

by Carolyn Hendler, JD

Published February 26, 2024

The U.S government is again funding gain-of-function (GoF) research with Chinese scientists to make a dangerous virus even more potent. This time it is with birds not bats. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave $1 million to fund risky research on bird flu viruses to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China; the USDA Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athena, Georgia and the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute in Scotland.1

The plan is to infect ducks and geese with various strains of bird flu to render the virus more infectious and transmissible as scientists study the virus’s ability, “to jump into mammalian hosts.”

Documents outlining the research, which began in 2021 and will continue until 2026, were obtained by the White Coat Waste Project. The White Coat Waste Project is a nonprofit “bipartisan taxpayer watchdog organization” with a mission to “unite animal-lovers and liberty-lovers to find, expose and defund wasteful and cruel taxpayer-funded animal experimentation.”2

Bird Flu Research Tied to Wuhan Institute of Virology

It is worth noting that one of the research partners, the Roslin Institute, is connected to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) whose research is believed to have started the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. One of the researchers on the project, Wenju Liu, is affiliated with the WIV along with the “bat lady” herself, Zheng-Li Shi, well known for her long-time work on bat corona viruses.3

The research is focusing on three strains of bird flu, H5NX, H7N9 and H9N2, all three of which are capable of infecting animals and humans. H5NX is considered, “highly pathogenic” and can lead to neurological problems while H7N9 has caused severe illness in humans in the past.4

The experimental GoF research will use chickens, quails, geese and duck to predict the virus evolution in natural hosts and study their “potential to jump into mammalian hosts”.5 6

Answers Demanded from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa has demanded answers from U.S. Secretary Agriculture Tom Vilsack about the tax payer funded research. She asked whether this research was considered GoF research, what part of the research was being conducted in China and what, if any, safeguards were put in place. The goal of GoF research is to increase the transmissibility or virulence of a pathogen for the purpose of trying to understand the likelihood of it causing a pandemic.7 8

Sen. Ernst said:

The health and safety of Americans are too important to just wing it, and Biden’s USDA should have had more apprehension before sending any taxpayer dollars to collaborate with the CCP on risky avian flu research. They should know by now to suspect ‘fowl’ play when it comes to researchers who have ties to the dangerous Wuhan Lab, and simply switching from bats to birds causes concern that they are creating more pathogens of pandemic potential… We cannot allow what happened in Wuhan to happen again.9

The discovery of this risky research comes on the heels of former U.S. intelligence officials, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Energy and scientists agreeing that the COVID pandemic likely began when the SARS-CoV-2 virus escaped from the WIV while engaging in GoF research which, according to Rutgers University molecular biologist, Richard Ebright, PhD, violated federal policies on GoF research and enhanced potential pandemic pathogen research.

U.S. Government May be Giving Tens of Millions for Viral Research Overseas

Sen. Ernst and Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin allege that the U.S. government is providing tens of millions of dollars for viral research abroad including $11 million in grants to EcoHealth Alliance (the U.S. group connected to the coronavirus research at the WIV) for research including, but not limited to, “viral spillover from wildlife in the Philippines”, “viral spillover bio surveillance in India” and “high-risk” pathogens in Liberia.10

USDA spokesperson Allan Rodriguez denied the allegations saying:

USDA’s funding is only being committed to the specific components carried out by our own team located in Athens, Georgia, and is not [in] any way contributing to research taking place in the U.K. or China.11

U.S. is 18 Months Away from Controversial Bird Flu Vaccine for Birds

Bird flu cases have been on the rise in the U.S. In the last two years, the virus has been detected in flocks in 47 states and caused more than 81 million birds to be culled.12 In June 2023, the USDA announced it would spend $502 million to prepare for potential future outbreaks in response to the worst ever bird flu outbreak. In the year and a half prior, 58.7 million chicken, turkeys and other birds across 47 states died from the bird flu, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).13

The USDA, in response to the increase in bird flu cases among the avian population, is talking about poultry vaccinations with international trading partners. The World Organization for Animal Health recommends using bird flu vaccinations as preventive measure against a potential pandemic.14

In fact, the USDA recently announced that it is about 18 months away from identifying an animal vaccine for the current strain of bird flu and are working on a process to distribute it.15

Secretary Vilsack announced:

We are probably 18 months or so away from being able to identify a vaccine that would be effective for this particular (avian flu) that we’re dealing with now.16

Vaccinating the avian population is controversial. According to Rodrigo Gallardo, PhD, DVM, professor in poultry medicine and avian virology specialist at the University of California Davis, eradication (putting down the entire flock when only case of bird flu is detected) is preferred over vaccination as vaccinating flocks creates a number of complications. Vaccinated birds could shed the virus to unprotected birds, although they may not appear sick and, therefore, may not be isolated from unprotected birds. Also, testing may not be able to differentiate between antibodies from infection and antibodies from the vaccine and evidence has shown that birds in countries that vaccinate have developed a more endemic strain that does not ever get totally eliminated.17

Yuko Sato, DVM, associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University warned:

The vaccine is not a silver bullet. This is not going to prevent infection of the birds, so in order to have an exit strategy as the country, you would have to make sure that if you vaccinate, if you still have positive birds, you have to be able to make sure that you could stamp out the virus. Otherwise, we’ll never be looking at eradicating the virus from the United States.18

The U.S. does not currently accept chickens from countries that vaccinate for bird flu. The National Chicken Council is against the vaccination of chickens for bird flu because the vaccine can mask the presence of the infection. They are concerned that should U.S. chickens be vaccinated, the U.S. broiler industry, which is the second largest exporter of chickens in the world, would lose out in the very valuable export world valued at more than $5 billion annually.19

Clinical Trial of mRNA Bird Flu Vaccines for Humans Also Underway

With much of the poultry community against vaccinating birds, the focus may turn to human vaccinations for the bird flu. The CDC have been conducting clinical trials of experimental mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) bird flu vaccines  for humans. One study, which showed  mRNA vaccines are immunogenic in mice and ferrets and prevent morbidity and mortality in ferrets for a strain of bird flu, was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Penn Institute for Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases.20

The study on experimental mRNA bird flu vaccine for humans stated:

Our laboratory and others previously demonstrated that mRNA-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccines encoding influenza virus HA induce potent immune responses in mice, rabbits, and ferrets, and clinical trials confirm their safety and immunogenicity in humans.21

References:

1 Lardieri A. REVEALED: US is collaborating with Chinese scientists to make bird flu strains more infectious and deadly as part of $1m project – despite fears similar tests unleashed Covid. Daily Mail Feb. 15, 2024.
2 U.S. District Court D.C. White Coat Waste Project, Inc. v. National Institute of Health et al. 1:22-cv-00006 Aug. 2, 2023.
3 Lardieri A. REVEALED: US is collaborating with Chinese scientists to make bird flu strains more infectious and deadly as part of $1m project – despite fears similar tests unleashed Covid. Daily Mail Feb. 15, 2024
4 Ibid.
5 Research Service. Research Project: US-UK-China Collab: Predictive Phylogenetics For Evolutionary and Transmission Dynamics of Newly Emerging Avian Influenza Viruses. USDA agriculture. Feb. 15, 2024.
6 Nieves A. WCW Investigation: $1M USDA-CCP Program Souping Up Bird Flu with Wuhan Experimenter; Sen. Ernst Demands Answers. White Coat Waste Project Feb. 15, 2024.
7 Christenson J. Sen. Joni Ernst demands answers on Biden USDA’s $1M ‘dangerous bird flu experiments’ in China. The New York Post Feb. 15, 2024.
8 Wattles, B. U.S.-China Bird Flu Research Funding Stirs Biosecurity Concerns. Business Times Feb. 16, 2024.
9 Christenson J. Sen. Joni Ernst demands answers on Biden USDA’s $1M ‘dangerous bird flu experiments’ in China. The New York Post Feb. 15, 2024.
10 Ibid.
11 Christenson J. Sen. Joni Ernst demands answers on Biden USDA’s $1M ‘dangerous bird flu experiments’ in China. The New York Post Feb. 15, 2024.
12 Parpia R. Bird Flu Outbreak in Oregon Leads to Mass Euthanization of Poultry. The Vaccine Reaction Feb. 5, 2024.
13 Douglas L. US to spend $502 million on future bird flu response. Reuters June 23, 2023.
14 Wattles B. U.S.-China Bird Flu Research Funding Stirs Biosecurity Concerns. Business Times Feb. 16, 2024.
15 Wat Douglas L. US is ’18 months or so’ away from finding bird flu vaccine, says agriculture secretary. Reuters Feb. 15, 2024.
16 Ibid.
17 Christensen J. US government is testing avian flu vaccines for birds, but ending the historic outbreak isn’t that simple. CNN May 5, 2023.
18 Ibid.
19 Christensen, J. US government is testing avian flu vaccines for birds, but ending the historic outbreak isn’t that simple. CNN. May 5, 2023.
20 Furey C, Ye N, Kercher L. Development of a nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine against clade 2.3.4.4b H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. bioRxiv Apr. 30, 2023.
21 Ibid.

Category:

research, vaccines, Viruses

NYC Ticks Found to Carry 5 Different Infections

https://www.lymedisease.org/nyc-ticks-found-to-carry-5-different-infections/

NYC ticks found to carry 5 different infections

People often associate ticks with being in rural or suburban areas. But the infection-carrying arachnids can be found in densely populated cities as well.

In a study recently published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, researchers collected 2500 ticks from parks in four New York City boroughs—Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Brooklyn.

When they tested the ticks, they found pathogens for five human diseases:

  • Lyme disease
  • ehrlichiosis
  • babesiosis
  • anaplasmosis
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever

You can read the open-access journal article here.

For more:

Category:

Activism, Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, research, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

How Safe Are Topical NSAIDs Like Voltaren Gel?

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/how-safe-are-topical-nsaids-like-voltaren-gel

How Safe Are Topical NSAIDs Like Voltaren Gel?

FDA’s warning on doctor-prescribed topical NSAIDs like Voltaren Gel is scary. Are gels as dangerous as oral NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen?
Joe Graedon
February 20, 2024
 
When the FDA allowed drug companies to sell NSAIDs over the counter we were concerned. That’s because drugs like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, etc) and naproxen (Aleve) came with some pretty serious side effects including stomach irritation and bleeding ulcers. Given that tens of millions of Americans use such drugs every day, the potential problem worried us. When the FDA gave the green light to topical NSAIDs like Voltaren Gel (diclofenac), we thought it was probably a good idea. It seemed to suggest that people could get localized relief for arthritic fingers, knees, shoulders and hips without as many systemic side effects. Were we wrong?

Oral NSAIDS Come With Other Worrisome Side effects:

Americans are in a lot of pain! Medscape provides physicians and other healthcare professionals up-to-date medical news and information. It offered this overview of “Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Toxicity” on Sept. 15, 2023:

“More than 70 million prescriptions for NSAIDs are written each year in the United States. With over-the-counter use included, more than 30 billion doses of NSAIDs are consumed annually in the United States alone.”

(See link for article)

_____________

**Comment**

Important article for Lyme/MSIDS patients who deal with excruciating pain.

Many oral NSAIDs can cause heart attacks and strokes, hypertension, irregular heart beats, dizziness, blood clots, fluid retention, heart failure, tinnitus, and liver or kidney damage.

Regarding topical NSAIDs, a Cochrane review for ACUTE pain showed that they provide similar relief as orals with minimal adverse events. So topical NSAIDs used for a short period of time appear to work and are fairly safe; however, less than a year later some of the same authors published a new review for CHRONIC pain which found they only worked for 10% more people than those who got a placebo for osteoarthritis and that there is no evidence for other conditions. While the authors admit the quality of evidence was low, the side-effects were wide ranging but supposedly mild and included:

  • headache
  • diarrhoea
  • drowsiness
  • dyspepsia [heartburn]

Some patients wrote in that they experienced more serious side-effects like stomach pain, abdominal cramps, and high blood pressure.

The article author is puzzled as to why the FDA took so long to allow topical NSAIDs to be sold over the counter when orals have been available OTC despite scary warnings.

For more:

 

Category:

Activism, Pain Management, research, Treatment, Uncategorized

Immunosuppression Has Doubled & Immune Compromised Mice More Susceptible to Bartonella

https://lymediseaseassociation.org/news/increased-immunosuppression-in-us-adults/

Increased Immunosuppression in US Adults

JAMA Network (Martinson, M.L. and Lapham, J.) 02.15.2024, published “Prevalence of Immunosuppression Among US Adults.” In this study, researchers found that immunosuppression in adults has increased in the past 8 years (2013-2021) through self-assessment reporting. The previous national estimate from 2013 was 2.7%, while the 2021 national estimate increased to 6.6%. Authors suggest that COVID 19 may have played a role in this increase.

The patterns in the distribution were similar in 2013 and 2012 for immunosuppression by sex, race, and age. Immunosuppression prevalence for women (7.9%) was higher than for men (5.2%). The highest rates of immunosuppression were found for American Indian or Alaska Native respondents (8.4%); White respondents (7.4%); and aged 60 to 69 years respondents (9.5%).

Authors note, as this population is at increased risk from viral and bacterial infections, increase of prevalence is an important consideration for public health in the US that would benefit from further study.

For More Information: 

Read JAMA Network Article

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297280

A comparison of Bartonella henselae infection in immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice

Rebekah L. Bullard, Mercedes Cheslock, Shiva Kumar Goud Gadila, Ricardo G. Maggi, Edward B. Breitschwerdt, Ahmad A. Saied, Monica E. Embers

Published: February 12, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297280

Abstract

Bartonellosis refers to disease caused by the Bartonella genus of bacteria. The breadth of disease manifestations associated with Bartonella is currently expanding and includes regional lymphadenopathy, rheumatic, ocular, and neurological disorders. The dearth of knowledge regarding diagnosis, treatment and pathogenesis of this disease can be partially attributed to the lack of a reliable small animal model for the disease. For this study, Bartonella henselae, the most common species associated with human disease, was injected into Swiss Webster (SW) mice. When the outcome indicated that productive infection did not occur, SCID/Beige (immune compromised) mice were inoculated. While SW mice may potentially harbor an acute infection, less than 10 days in length, the SCID/Beige model provided a sustained infection lasting up to 30-days. These data indicate that SCID/Beige mice can provide a model to study Bartonella infection, therapeutics, and vector dynamics in the future.

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Category:

Bartonella, research