Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Pregnancy, Breast Feeding & Lyme

https://danielcameronmd.com/pregnancy-breast-feeding-and-lyme/

PREGNANCY, BREAST FEEDING AND LYME

By Dr. Daniel Cameron

Welcome to another selection from my book “An Expert’s Guide on Navigating Lyme disease.” The book highlights the findings of my first 600 Lyme disease Science blogs.  In this episode, I will discuss pregnancy, breast feeding, and Lyme disease.

Pregnancy and breast feeding are particularly concerning topics for Lyme disease patients and their doctors. Here are few findings to help with discussions.

Pregnancy and Lyme.

If a woman is bit by a deer tick or contracts Lyme disease (LD) while pregnant, she must immediately alert her treating physician. Poor outcomes have been described for newborns whose mothers contracted Lyme disease during pregnancy.
 Studies have found that stillbirths occurred when LD was contracted during the first trimester. Markowitz et al., 1986, Schlesinger et al., 1985, and MacDonald et al., 1987) Gestational Lyme borreliosis has been described in 5 of 19 pregnancies (26%) resulting in “syndactyly, cortical blindness, intrauterine fetal death, prematurity, and rash” (Markowitz et al., 1986).

A newborn died at 39 hours of life with a left-sided hypoplastic heart and the presence of spirochetes consistent with Bb [Borrelia burgdorferi] “in the spleen, kidneys, and bone marrow” (Schlesinger et al., 1985). Bb was also cultured from fetal liver tissue in 4 stillborn infants (MacDonald 1986). 
There was insufficient evidence to determine the risk to a child if their mother contracted Lyme disease before pregnancy (Mylonas 2011). A study of 2,000 women with a history of LD did not show an increased risk of fetal death, decreased birth weight, or length of gestation at delivery. There was an increase in the number of congenital defects but the risk may have been by chance alone (Strobino et al., 1993).

Choosing an antibiotic regimen for pregnant women with Lyme disease can be a complex challenge. Amoxicillin, cefuroxime, azithromycin, and IV ceftriaxone have been prescribed for pregnant women (Maraspin et al., 2009).

Author’s note: More studies will be needed to understand pregnancy and breast feeding concerns.

Breast feeding and Lyme.

The CDC addressed the question “Can Lyme disease be transmitted through breast milk?” They announced, “No reports of breast milk spreading Lyme disease to infants exist” (CDC 2022).
There is insufficient data to determine if breastfeeding can transmit Bb to the child. 
Certain antibiotic classes, such as tetracyclines, should not be used in breastfeeding women being treated for Lyme disease to avoid the risk of side effects, such as tooth discoloration. The child’s clinician can help guide treatment options for a breastfeeding mother. Read more.

Diversity of clinical presentations of Lyme and pregnancy.

Doctors followed 11 pregnant women with Lyme disease from 2008 to 2020. “In the present study, we report our case series, which includes 11 pregnant women, 6 of whom developed erythema migrans during pregnancy (between weeks 8 and 34), 3 had monoarticular or neurological symptoms, and 2 had positive serology but did not develop any clinical symptoms” (Trevisan et al., 2020).

All mothers were treated with amoxicillin 1g 3x/ day for 14 days. One child was born prematurely at seven months. Another child was born with angiomatoid patches that regressed spontaneously 18 months later. One of the pregnant women with Lyme disease, confirmed by spinal tap and labs, experienced articular and neurologic involvement and improved with amoxicillin. However, she required treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone because of persistent symptoms. Read more.

Two mothers transmit Lyme to their babies.

Babesia can be contracted from the bite of a deer tick, a blood transfusion, or during pregnancy. This podcast reviews a case in which Babesia was transmitted from mothers to their babies during pregnancy.

Questions raised in the podcast include: 
• How often do mothers contract Babesia from a tick bite during pregnancy?
• Is there an effective and safe treatment for Babesia in pregnant women?
• How does a mother or doctor recognize Babesia in a pregnant mother?
• Should doctors follow pregnant mothers with a tick bite or Lyme disease for Babesia and what evidence should be investigated? 
• Will the mothers develop complications of Babesia in the future if not treated?
• Should the two mothers have been treated for Babesia? Read more.

A baby girl with Lyme disease.

Slovenian researchers investigated whether Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, the pathogen causing Lyme disease, might impact pregnancy outcomes. 
Pregnancy outcome was unfavorable in 13.8% (42/304) of patients. They found that the outcome of pregnancy in Lyme disease patients was not significantly worse.

There were 22 pre-term births, 10 fetal/perinatal deaths, and/or 15 anomalies. Several mothers had potential explanations for their unfavorable pregnancy outcomes. The poor outcome for Lyme disease patients was not significantly different compared to the general population (Maraspin et al., 2020).

Author’s note: The study did not follow the 262 women who gave birth with a favorable outcome for any long-term problems. Nor did the authors describe the outcome for women who were not treated for early Lyme disease. Read more.

Little information on treatment of tick bites during pregnancy.

Smith et al., (2020) argue that “high-level evidence” supports using a single 200 mg dose of doxycycline for tick bites during pregnancy. The evidence they cited is not high-level. Instead, they focused on a small Meta-Analysis study.
 Regrettably, there is no evidence that a single 200 mg dose of doxycycline prevents other manifestations of Lyme disease, such as heart block, 7th nerve palsy, Lyme arthritis, Lyme encephalopathy, or Neuropsychiatric Lyme disease. Read more.

Congenital transmission of Babesia to a 5-year-old twin.

A baby girl was born to a mother who showed no evidence of Lyme or a related tick-borne illness during her pregnancy (Walker et al., 2022). The 5-week-old female diamniotic dichorionic twin was born at 36 5/7 weeks by C-section and diagnosed with Babesia. Her twin brother was asymptomatic.
The mother described several trips to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, an area endemic to Lyme disease.

“The patient’s mother had one febrile illness during pregnancy, occurring at approximately 23-24 weeks of gestation, associated with a maculopapular rash that resolved spontaneously” (Walter et al., 2022). 
The daughter was treated with a blood transfusion, intravenous atovaquone twice daily, and azithromycin daily. The authors of the article pictured a blood smear with intraerythrocytic inclusions consistent with Babesia microti. Read more.

Delayed onset Babesia in two newborns.

A study from the Mayo clinic described two newborn infants diagnosed with Babesia several weeks after the mothers were treated for Lyme disease (Hoversten and Bartlett, 2018).
 Infant 1:
 A baby boy was diagnosed with Babesia at 4-1/2 weeks. His mother had been diagnosed and treated for early Lyme disease at 32 weeks gestation.  
Infant 2: 
A baby girl was diagnosed with Babesia at 18-days-old. Her mother had been diagnosed and treated for early Lyme disease at 37 weeks gestation.
 Neither mother was treated for Babesia during their pregnancy. Read more.

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**Comment**

Lyme/MSIDS has recognized for over 40 years, yet very little has been done relating to pregnancy, breastfeeding, effective treatments, persistence, and transmission.  The fact so much work on supposed ‘climate change’ should prove to anyone with a functioning brain that something isn’t right.  While thousands suffer, the only thing we have to show for it is mountains of data on ticks and the climate, despite independent research proving ticks are marvelously ecoadaptive as well as pointing out erroneous, biased, shoddy research being used to support a faulty model to push a climate narrative.

The fact that infected moms have had babies die, and the fact they have cultured spirochetes in the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, and bone marrow of infants should raise alarming red flags.

Regarding the CDC’s statement on breastfeeding – just because something hasn’t been reported, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

Any red flags simply get buried under climate data.  

For more:

Category:

Babesia, Lyme, Pregnancy, research, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

Japanese Study: ALL COVID Variants Made In a BioLab

https://expose-news.com/2023/08/31/all-covid-variants-have-been-made-in-a-lab/

New Study finds all Covid Variants have been made in a BioLab

BY RHODA WILSON ON 

In the USA, covid hospitalisations are up because of variant EG.5.1 and there’s a scary new variant dubbed BA.X from Denmark and Israel, we’re told.  Because of the BA.X variant “scientists” are demanding rules from lockdown be reimposed on Britain.

Mark Steyn pointed out a recent Japanese study showing that all previous SARS-CoV-2 variants were not naturally occurring and were made in a laboratory.  Based on this we can make the presumption that the new EG.5.1 and BA.X variants have been as well, irrespective of which country is claiming the variant as its own.

For their study, Atsuki Tanaka and Takayuki Miyazawa, of Osaka Medical University and Kyoto University, wanted to trace the historical evolution of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV2 by studying viral sequences found “in the wild” and deposited in public databases.

In doing this they found around 100 separate omicron subvariants that could not conceivably have arisen through natural processes. The existence of these variants seems to provide definitive proof of large-scale lab creation and release of covid viruses.

Moreover, the variants appear to form comprehensive panels of mutations typical of those used in “reverse genetics” experiments to systematically test the properties of different parts of viruses, Substacker PSMI wrote.  (See link for article)

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Important excerpt from PSMI’s Substack:

Conclusion: this changes everything

If the observations and inferences in this paper are correct – and barring a pure hoax, involving fraudulent depositions to sequence databases, they certainly seem to be – then they provide indisputable evidence that the entire history of SARS-CoV2, at least subsequent to the emergence of the original strain, is artificial.

Someone, somewhere, really is doing all this deliberately.

The origins of COVID ping-pong match is truly comedic. A Chinese whistleblower has already stated COVID was made in a lab.  Medical witnesses have already stated COVID looks exactly like what you’d expect with ‘gain of function’ research.  And prominent virologists have gone on record stating COVID is manipulated and has components of HIV inserted into the viral sequence.

The CDC finally admits on its website that variant BA.2.86 is most likely to hit the “vaccinated,” yet the current administration continues to prepare to bring back full Covid lockdowns, masking, and strict vaccine mandates as the 2024 election looms.

It’s important to zoom out for the bigger picture.

The problem with this tact of course is that it failed abysmally the first time around and has been proven to be unscientific and dangerous:

  • The COVID gene therapy injections developed by the DOD are linked to more adverse reactions and death than any other vaccine in the history of VAERS, yet HHS just awarded $1.4 Billion under Project NextGen for COVID shots and therapeutics.
  • There is definitive proof the shots have directly caused deaths and it’s pretty much bad news all around including the fact they don’t stop transmission or infection, yet the unvaccinated have been treated as lepers and second class citizens.
  • U.S. suicide rate in 2022 is the highest ever recorded and lockdowns played a role. One in three adults reported anxiety and depression during the ‘pandemic.’
  • Study shows a large number of children have been severely affected by the COVID lockdowns which includes: clinical depression, babies less likely to speak, weakened immunity causing more sickness including hepatitis, and brain infections, and excess deaths.
  • China’s “Zero COVID” policy (stringent social distancing, lockdowns, mass testing, mandatory quarantining in government facilities, and more) resulted in 1.87 Million excess deaths and was a complete and utter failure.
  • A new study which bolsters results from an earlier paper, proves once again that asymptomatic (no symptoms) people infected with COVID (test positive) very rarely infect others.  This completely upends the theory behind wearing masks and locking down society.  
  • Stanford researchers had a simple test available as early as early as May 2020 that can determine if an asymptomatic person who tests positive will infect others but the CDC and Fauci simply ignored it.  This is an important point because they want to be able to control the narrative and that can only happen if they control testing.  Have you ever asked yourself why only one type of PCR nasal swab is allowed to test for COVID?
  • The implementation of masks is built upon pixie dust, yet Fauci et al. are still pushing them despite:
    • Korean Mask study shows N95 masks expose people to 8 times the recommended safety limit of toxic volatile organic compounds.
    • “No study in the world that shows that masks work that well.”  White House COVID Advisor, Dr. Jha
    • Meta-analysis on 78 studies by Cochrane determined masks probably make little to no difference in the outcome of influenza-like illnesses like COVID. The analysis also reported: “Harms were rarely measured and poorly reported.”
    • Out of 18 studies:
      • 9 with no statistically significant benefit of masks
      • 4 with no unmasked control
      • 0 with a positive result vs. unmasked control
      • 2 with a negative result vs. unmasked control
      • 3 with “may help” vs. unmasked control (but not a statistically significant result)
    • In several studies, the rate of diagnosed illness is higher in the mask group even though lab confirmed influenza isn’t. These people aren’t faking it – they really have fevers and sore throats, it’s just not from influenza virus. And it’s often a statistically significant result, which means the masks are somehow making them sick.  Source
    • The CDC refuses to fix it’s horribly flawed mask study which is being still being used to set public health policy.
    • Epidemiologists calling for a retraction of a PNAS paper on masking due to easily falsifiable claims and methodological design flaws.
    • COVID spreads through floors and walls.

For more scientific reasons against failed COVID measures:

It’s seriously time to stand up to tyranny.  Free the faces!

Category:

Activism, research, vaccines, Viruses

Case Report: Substantial Improvement of Autism in Child By Using Treatment For Vector Borne Infections

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1205545/full

Case report: Substantial improvement of autism spectrum disorder in a child with learning disabilities in conjunction with treatment for poly-microbial vector borne infections

CASE REPORT article

Front. Psychiatry, 18 August 2023
Sec. Autism
Volume 14 – 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1205545
Amy Offutt1* Edward B. Breitschwerdt2
  • 1Heart and Soul Integrative Health, Marble Falls, TX, United States
  • 2Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, and the Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States

Poly-microbial vector-borne infections may have contributed to neuropsychiatric symptoms in a boy diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Targeted antimicrobial treatment resulted in substantial improvement in cognitive (such as learning disabilities, focus, concentration) and neurobehavioral (such as oppositional, defiant, anti-social, disordered mood, immaturity, tics) symptoms.

Conclusion

This teenage boy had a drastic improvement in his neuropsychiatric symptoms and in his academic standing, moving from special education services with accommodations to grade level academic standing without accommodations, to college acceptance. Progressive symptomatic improvement occurred only following targeted administration of antimicrobial agents directed at suspected, underlying, chronic infectious pathogens, namely the causative agents of bartonellosis and borreliosis. Further research is clearly needed to define if or the extent to which occult infections can contribute to neuropsychiatric illness, such as ASD.

(See link for full article)

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For more:

Category:

Autism, Bartonella, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research, Treatment, Uncategorized

The Use of Natural Bioactive Nutraceuticals in the Management of Tick-Borne Illnesses

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/7/1759

The Use of Natural Bioactive Nutraceuticals in the Management of Tick-Borne Illnesses

By Samuel M. Shor and Sunjya K. Schweig

Microorganisms 2023, 11(7), 1759; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11071759
Received: 14 May 2023 / Revised: 29 June 2023 / Accepted: 29 June 2023 / Published: 5 July 2023

Abstract

The primary objective of this paper is to provide an evidence-based update of the literature on the use of bioactive phytochemicals, nutraceuticals, and micronutrients (dietary supplements that provide health benefits beyond their nutritional value) in the management of persistent cases of Borrelia burgdorferi infection (Lyme disease) and two other tick-borne pathogens, Babesia and Bartonella species. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the pathophysiology and mechanisms of persistent infections. These advances have increasingly enabled clinicians and patients to utilize a wider set of options to manage these frequently disabling conditions. This broader toolkit holds the promise of simultaneously improving treatment outcomes and helping to decrease our reliance on the long-term use of pharmaceutical antimicrobials and antibiotics in the treatment of tick-borne pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia, and Bartonella.  (See link for full article)
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Go here for an excellent article on the above study which breaks it down for the lay person.  The following graph is within the article and will interest you:

For a full list of all 30+ bioactive nutraceuticals, see Appendix A. Summary of Clinical Impact.

For more:

Category:

Babesia, Bartonella, Herbs, Lyme, research, Supplements, Treatment

1 in 5 Shelter Dogs Infected With Lyme, Co-Infections and/or Heartworm

https://www.lymedisease.org/shelter-dogs-infected-with-lyme/

1 in 5 shelter dogs infected with Lyme, co-infections and/or heartworm

By Leigh Beeson, University of Georgia

Aug. 23, 2023

Long the bane of pet owners’ existence, ticks and mosquitoes are expanding their geographic range due to warming temperatures, frequently bringing disease with them.

A new study from the University of Georgia suggests shelter dogs in the Eastern U.S. may be bearing the brunt of that burden.

The researchers analyzed blood samples from 3,750 dogs from animal shelters in 19 states across the Eastern U.S. to determine the prevalence of heartworm and three tick-borne bacteria.

The study found more than one in 10 of the dogs were infected with heartworm. More than 8% of the dogs had been exposed to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. An additional 10% were infected with bacteria that cause anaplasmosis or ehrlichiosis, which are less well-known diseases contracted from ticks.

Almost 5% of the dogs had multiple infections, meaning many had been exposed to more than one disease-causing agent.

These diseases can easily avoided by using preventive medications. But that often requires access to veterinary care. Unfortunately, many neglected or stray animals that are brought to shelters haven’t received these preventatives for long periods of time, if they’ve had them at all.

For heartworm, infections may be treatable with medication and over even surgery, but it’s an expensive option. Unfortunately, many long-term infections are difficult to treat and may be fatal.

Corinna Hazelrig

Importance of prevention

“This study shows us how important those preventive medications are,” said Corinna Hazelrig, lead author of the study and a current doctoral student in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine. At the time of the research, Hazelrig was an undergraduate student in UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.

“Preventatives can be expensive, and some pet owners may not want to or be able to invest in them. However, these pathogens are common throughout the Eastern United States, and the best management strategy for your pet’s health is to use preventive medications on a regular basis.”

Climate change increasing range of disease-carrying mosquitoes, ticks

Diseases caused by ticks and mosquitoes pose a significant health risk to humans, their pets and wildlife.

Heartworms can cause lasting damage to the heart, lungs and other arteries in animals if left untreated. Lyme disease commonly results in loss of appetite, fatigue and lameness, but it can also damage the kidneys.

Heartworms aren’t a huge concern for people, but Lyme disease can lead to fever, a rash and joint and muscle aches. Symptoms of anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis in people range from fever and severe headaches to more severe conditions, such as brain damage and organ failure.

All three tick-borne bacteria require antibiotics to clear the infection.

Due to climate change, the ticks and mosquitoes carrying these diseases are expanding their geographic range.

“People in the Northeastern U.S. don’t think heartworm is in their region, and people in the Southeastern U.S. don’t think Lyme disease is in their region,” Hazelrig said. “However, we detected heartworm in Maine, and we detected exposure to the causative agent of Lyme disease in Virginia. The change in our climate is allowing the geographic range of ticks and mosquitoes to expand.”

Disease-carrying pathogens pose threat to people

Even for people without pets, the increasing presence of disease-carrying ticks and mosquitoes is concerning.

A previous UGA study in collaboration with Clemson University found that areas where more dogs are exposed to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease have higher rates of human infection as well.

Michael Yabsley

“Collectively, these studies highlight the importance of dogs as sentinels for some pathogens that infect humans, including the agent of Lyme disease,” said Michael Yabsley, a co-author on that paper and a corresponding author on the present study.

Yabsley is a professor with joint appointments in UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

“These data help us understand the distribution of these pathogens, how their distributions are changing and where we may expect human infections to occur.”

This work was conducted in collaboration with the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC), which has provided prevalence maps for multiple pathogens of domestic dogs and cats since 2012.

These maps are updated monthly and show what’s happening in every county, including areas where there may not have been a risk for some of these pathogens a decade ago. CAPC makes access to the monthly canine data available in its prevalence maps, a resource available free online.

With around a million test results collected monthly from dogs, these maps allow veterinarians, physicians, pet owners and travelers to assess the risk of exposure across the United States and Canada.

Click here to read the study.

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Please learn about so called ‘climate change,’ and the fact researchers must repeat this dogma in order to get government grants.  It is a fact that a lie repeated often enough becomes “truth.”

Similarly to erroneous modeling used to predict COVID deaths, researchers have used erroneous modeling to push a climate narrative regarding ticks and disease proliferation.  The media then regurgitates fake data as a stick to beat us all over the head to spread fear for a much larger, nefarious agenda.

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, mosquitoes, research, Ticks