Archive for the ‘Testing’ Category

Two Cases of Babesia

Severe Babesia microti infection presenting as multiorgan failure in an immunocompetent host.

Ripoll JG, Rizvi MS, King RL, Daniels CE.
BMJ Case Reports, online first 2018 May 30.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2018-224647https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2018-224647

Abstract

A previously healthy 67-year-old farmer presented to an outside hospital after a 2-week history of non-specific respiratory symptoms. A certain diagnosis was not initially apparent, and the patient was discharged home on a regimen for presumed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation.

He re-presented to the emergency department with shock and hypoxaemic respiratory failure requiring prompt intubation and fluid resuscitation. He was then transferred to our institution due to multiorgan failure.

On arrival, the patient demonstrated refractory shock and worsening acute kidney injury, severe anaemia and thrombocytopaenia. The peripheral smear revealed absence of microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia. A closer review of the smear displayed red blood cell inclusion bodies consistent with babesiosis.

The patient was started on clindamycin and loaded with intravenous quinidine, and subsequently transitioned to oral quinine. A red cell exchange transfusion was pursued with improvement of the parasite load.

The patient was discharged home on clindamycin/quinine and scheduled for outpatient intermittent haemodialysis.

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A Walk in the Park: A Case of Babesiosis in the South Bronx

Hajicharalambous C, Rattu M, Leuchten S.
Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine. 2018 Jan 11;2(1):61-63. eCollection 2018 Feb.

https://doi.org/10.5811/cpcem.2017.8.35924

Abstract

Babesiosis, mainly endemic within the Northeastern and upper Midwestern regions of the United States, is a zoonotic disease that invades and lyses red blood cells, which can result in hemolytic anemia. Its decreased incidence in comparison to Lyme disease is often attributed to the greater asymptomatic infection proportion and insufficient physician awareness or suspicion of this disease. Here we describe a case of undifferentiated febrile illness with hemolytic anemia that yielded the diagnosis of babesiosis.

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**Comment**

What mainstream medicine as YET to acknowledge and learn is that Lyme patients are typically coinfected with a plethora of pathogens that all demand attention and treatment.  I find the statement in the second abstract telling:  “Its decreased incidence in comparison to Lyme disease is often attributed to the greater asymptomatic infection proportion and insufficient physician awareness or suspicion of the disease.”

What happens in treatment is symptoms disappear one by one only to be replaced by new ones that the patient never noticed before.  My husband and I both had Babesia but didn’t really know it until some of the Lyme symptoms began to abate with treatment.  I was told, and it certainly is true, that treating for tick borne illness is like peeling an onion layer by layer.  This was our exact experience.

Physicians desperately need education on all things TBI as throwing all the doxy in the world at this isn’t going to help many people.  Babesia is a cousin to malaria and requires anti-malarial drugs.  Babesia is also extremely persistent and Dr. Horowitz recommends 9 months to a year of solid treatment.  We treated with Mepron, Arthemisinin (Allergy Research Brand), and an intracellular for a year.  All Babesia symptoms are gone.

http://www.wildcondor.com/dr-horowitz-on-babesiosis.html Dr. Krause published in the New England Journal of Medicine that when a patient has Lyme and Babesia, Lyme is found three-times more frequently in the blood, proving Babesia suppresses the immune system. https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/28/concurrent-babesiosis-and-lyme-in-patient/.  It also means you are sicker than a dog.

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

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/31/widespread-babesiosis-in-canada/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/20/babesia-and-heart-issues/

 

Category:

Babesia, Lyme, research, Testing, Treatment

Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Found on Ticks on Migratory Birds

https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-06-migratory-birds-newly-hemorrhagic-fever.html

Ticks on migratory birds found to carry newly discovered hemorrhagic fever virus

June 1, 2018
Uppsala University
Ticks on migratory birds found to carry newly discovered hemorrhagic fever virus
Credit: Uppsala university
In a new study, researchers at Uppsala University and other institutions have identified genetic material from the recently identified Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus in the tick species Hyalomma rufipes. The discovery was made after thousands of ticks were collected from migratory birds captured in the Mediterranean basin. The results indicate that birds could contribute to spreading the virus to new geographical areas.

The Alkhurma  (a.k.a Alkhumra) was first found in Saudi Arabia in the mid-1990s, in patients with typical hemorrhagic fever symptoms. The condition resembles diseases like Ebola but seems to be spread by contact with cattle and camels or from tick bites and not directly between humans. The knowledge about this relatively novel virus is still limited, and it is not known exactly which animals can act as hosts for the virus and which insects or tick species transmit the disease. Previous research has pointed to camels and other domestic livestock as potential carriers of the virus, and to one or several tick species possibly spreading the disease between mammals, including humans. The virus is a close relative to another tick-borne virus (Kyasanur Forest Disease virus) found in India. So far, the Alkhurma virus has only been seen on the Arabian Peninsula and in (article cut off for some reason)

In a multi-national collaboration, researchers at Uppsala University have detected Alkhurma virus RNA in several ticks that were removed from  migrating from Africa to Europe. The purpose of the study is to find out which tick-borne diseases that could potentially spread to new regions with . Thousands of ticks were removed from migrating birds at seven different bird observatories in the Mediterranean basin.

“Our findings of the Alkhurma virus in ticks collected in Turkey and Greece are the first in the tick species Hyalomma rufipes, which is common in large parts of Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula. These findings mean that we have identified one more tick species that have carried RNA from this virus and shows that there is a risk of spread of the virus to new geographical areas,” says Tove Hoffman, leader of the study and Ph.D. student at the Department of Medical Sciences and the Zoonosis Science Center at Uppsala University.

A clearer understanding of the ecology of Alkhurma virus and continuing surveillance is important, both for populations in areas where it is already found as well as in regions in the Mediterranean basin, to where the virus could spread, since Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever is a potentially fatal disease and there is no effective treatment at present.

“We see that infectious diseases can spread to new geographical areas and that is why it is necessary to understand the role of different animal species in the dynamics of these diseases,” says Tove Hoffman.

More information: Tove Hoffman et al. Alkhurma Hemorrhagic Fever Virus RNA in Hyalomma rufipes Ticks Infesting Migratory Birds, Europe and Asia Minor, Emerging Infectious Diseases (2018). DOI: 10.3201/eid2405.171369

Provided by: Uppsala University

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More on the role of birds in spreading TBD’s:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/17/of-birds-and-ticks/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/10/02/the-role-of-birds-in-tickborne-illness/

Viruses spread by ticks:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/23/cdc-warns-about-7-new-tick-viruses/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/08/novel-viruses-found-in-lone-star-american-dog-black-legged-ticks/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/06/14/tacaribe-virus-found-in-ticks/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/11/death-from-tick-borne-virus-sfts/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/02/22/newly-found-virus-linked-to-kansas-death-after-tick-bite/

 

Category:

Activism, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Viruses

Lyme Education for Healthcare Professionals

https://globallymealliance.org/education-awareness/physicians-training-program/

LYME EDUCATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

There is an increasing risk for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases across the country. GLA recognizes the importance of patients having access to physicians who are trained to properly diagnose and treat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. We are committed to educating the medical community by providing educational programming and training opportunities focused on diagnosing and managing Lyme disease, other tick-borne co-infections, and Lyme comorbidities.

CME-Accredited Education

GLA provides CME-accredited educational programs for healthcare professionals to learn more about diagnosing and treating Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

On Demand CME
Pediatric Tick-Borne Disease: Diagnosis and Management
Patricia DeLaMora, MD, FAAP discusses the proper diagnosis and management of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in children.This educational activity was developed to teach pediatricians and other healthcare professionals who want to learn:

-Limitations of current Lyme disease testing
-Recognition of some co-infections
-Antibiotic management of tick-borne diseases

Earn your CME credits now. Global Lyme Alliance developed this educational activity in partnership with Global Education Group. Global Education Group designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

Physician Training Grants

Each year, GLA provides grant support to physicians and other healthcare professionals to attend the International Lyme and Associated Diseases (ILADS) Annual Conference. GLA has funded hundreds of clinicians to attend this major conference to learn about the latest clinical updates. These clinicians gain important Lyme disease knowledge and information to treat patients in their communities.

Physician Training Program

Over the years, the GLA Physician Training Program has provided grants to hundreds of clinicians to study alongside physicians experienced in treating Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. This peer-to-peer training program provided clinicians an opportunity to learn how to properly diagnose and treat Lyme and other co-infections from experts in the field. This program helped equip clinicians with the necessary skills to effectively treat and care for Lyme patients in their community.

ON DEMAND CME PEDIATRIC TICK-BORNE DISEASE: DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT
Certified CampEarn credits now

  • Our ImpactOUR IMPACTGLA has awarded over $9 million for research, and our GLA-funded projects have led to unprecedented advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne illnesses.

    LEARN MORE

  • Published ResearchPUBLISHED RESEARCHGLA funds innovative research projects. View research articles published in peer-reviewed journals.

    LEARN MORE

  • scientific advisory boardSCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARDThe Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) plays a key role in directing GLA’s grant funds into programs judged to have exceptional prospects of delivering measurable advances.

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**Comment**

For more on how to become educated on Lyme/MSIDS:  

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/19/calling-all-doctors-please-become-educated-regarding-tick-borne-illness-heres-how/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/22/new-lyme-cme-course-available-lyme-carditis-more-than-blocked-beats/

There are also annual conferences in which practitioners can obtain CME’s.  For info:

http://www.ilads.org

Friday-Saturday, June 15-16, 2018
Warsaw, Poland
The ILADS 2018 European Conference will be held June 15-16, 2018 at the Sheraton Warsaw Hotel. The theme is Chronic Borreliosis – Infection, Inflammation, Immunity.

and

Thursday-Sunday, November 1-4, 2018
Chicago, IL
ILADS’ 2018 fall meeting venue will be held in Chicago, IL at the Sheraton Grand Chicago

https://www.lymediseaseassociation.org

LDA/Columbia University – 19th Annual
Lyme/TBD CME Scientific Conference
October 27 & 28, 2018
Marriott Providence Downtown
Providence, RI

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Treatment

Lyme Advocate Tuttle’s Response to Paul Auwaerter

https://www.change.org/p/1120418/u/22825670?utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_campaign=345148&sfmc_tk=GM

PETITION UPDATE

TBDWG May 15-16, 2018 – Written Public Comment

Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH
JUN 2, 2018 — Please see the following letter sent to the Tick Borne Disease Working Group regarding comments from Paul Auwaerter, president of the IDSA.

Anyone wishing to contact the Lyme Disease Working Group can send an email to:

tickbornedisease@hhs.gov

———- Original Message ———-
From: Carl Tuttle
To: tickbornedisease@hhs.gov
Cc:
Date: June 2, 2018 at 9:17 AM
Subject: TBDWG May 15-16, 2018 – Written Public Comment

TBDWG May 15-16, 2018 – Written Public Comment
https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/meetings/2018-05-15/written-public-comment/index.html

To the Tick Borne Disease Working Group,

I would like to call attention to Paul Auwaerter’s comment which is the second one listed from the link above.

Auwaerter is the current president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

1. Mr. Auwaerter’s statement:

“We have great sympathy for patients—and their loved ones—who suffer from both short- and long-term effects of Lyme disease or other conditions.”

FACTS:

Auwaerter is the lead author of the deplorable Lancet “Antiscience and ethical concerns” opinion piece written by the IDSA guideline authors. This article bashes the horribly sick Lyme patient population desperately seeking to restore their health and the courageous clinicians attempting to help these people:

Antiscience and ethical concerns associated with advocacy of Lyme disease
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(11)70034-2/abstract

Six of the seven authors of this Lancet article have been named in the Shrader & Associates racketeering lawsuit:

Through an elaborate racketeering scheme the disease has been downplayed because it became “too expensive to treat” as outlined in the SHRADER & ASSOCIATES, LLP court document.

You can read the court document here: https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/LymeDisease.pdf

2. Mr. Auwaerter’s statement:

Pathogenesis, Transmission, and Treatment

“IDSA acknowledges that some patients who are successfully treated for Lyme disease continue to suffer from persistent symptoms after treatment.”

FACTS:

We have no laboratory test to gauge treatment failure or success so this statement is just plain garbage upheld for thirty years by those supporting Wormser’s racketeering scheme.

Auwaerter then states in the same paragraph…..

“Currently available serology inherently is not able to distinguish active versus past infections.”

FACTS:

Serology is the ideal lab test for concealing persistent infection so direct detection methods must be avoided at all costs to maintain the thirty-year-old dogma.

3. Mr. Auwaerter’s statement:

“Conversely, there is not a pressing need for additional federally supported research on antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease.”

FACTS:

I would like to call attention to the attached pilot study recently identifying chronic Lyme disease in twelve patients from Canada.

Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease
http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/6/2/33

All of these patients were culture positive for infection (genital secretions, skin and blood) even after multiple years on antibiotics so there was no relief from current antimicrobials. Some of these patients had taken as many as eleven different types of antibiotics.

Persistent Lyme disease has been intentionally/deceitfully suppressed for decades as described in the attached letter to past CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald, MD:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xaul84dqmqgbre0/Brenda%20Fitzgerald%20MD%20Director%20CDC.docx?dl=0

The dishonest science and racketeering scheme here in the U.S. has denied chronic Lyme which stifled much needed research to find a curative approach. Now the rest of the world is suffering.

4. Mr. Auwaerter’s statement:

“Important strides have been made to support the development of new diagnostic testing procedures. The NIH and CDC initiated a Serum Reference repository in 2008 and, at the end of 2011, began making standardized Lyme disease cases with serum samples available to the scientific community on a broad basis for testing and comparison of new diagnostic tests.”

FACTS:

Dr. Sin Lee of Milford Molecular Diagnostics received those serum samples as described by Auwaerter and when Lee identified a case of chronic Lyme and published his findings all communication with the CDC came to an abrupt end.

Once again, for the record I will state: Serology is the ideal lab test for concealing persistent infection so direct detection methods must be avoided at all costs to maintain the thirty-year-old dogma.

It is no secret that the US Centers for Disease Control has aligned itself with the seven defendants identified in the racketeering lawsuit.
Dr. Lee has filed a $57.1 million dollar lawsuit in federal court against the CDC:

Case No. 18-686C
https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/22752033

We are dealing with a life-altering/life-threatening infection with faulty/misleading antibody tests, inadequate treatment, no medical training and absolutely no disease control; a public health disaster. And to make things worse, our blood supply is most likely riddled with Lyme disease.

Lyme disease belongs in the same health threat category as AIDS.

A plague denied; essentially classifying this disease/plague as a low-risk and non-urgent health threat. Lyme disease is spreading across the globe through migratory birds with no continental boundaries while patient experience has been describing an illness destroying lives, ending careers, causing death and disability and leaving its victims in financial ruin.

Lyme must be escalated to HIGHEST ALERT and prioritized with a Manhattan Project to understand the pathogenesis of this disease to determine how it disables its victim.

Lyme Disease: Call for a “Manhattan Project” to Combat the Epidemic
Raphael B. Stricker, Lorraine Johnson
Published: January 02, 2014DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.100379
http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003796

Question for Auwaerter:

What is the motivation behind the downplaying of a disease destroying countless lives nationwide?

My Personal Opinion:

Auwaerter and the authors of the Lancet “Antiscience” opinion piece are a disgrace to the medical/scientific profession.

Sincerely,

Carl Tuttle
Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH

Cc: The Honorable Chris Smith, United States House of Representatives
Daniel R. Dutko, HANSZEN LAPORTE
TBDWG May 15-16, 2018 – Written Public Comment
TBDWG, I am alarmed by the Vaccine and Therapeutics Subcommittee’s one sided report especially in regard to the ANTI-TICK Vaccine which in the opinion of many is a far better…
https://www.hhs.gov

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Testing

Clinicians in Foreign Countries Should Consider LD With Symptomatic Travellers

http://danielcameronmd.com/clinicians-in-foreign-countries-should-consider-lyme-disease-with-symptomatic-travellers/

CLINICIANS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES SHOULD CONSIDER LYME DISEASE WITH SYMPTOMATIC TRAVELLERS

A report published in Infection and Drug Resistance reviews the case of a 44-year-old woman who visited a neurological outpatient clinic in Japan complaining of fatigue and partial mouth paralysis. (She was unable to open her mouth.) The symptoms had persisted for 2 months.

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD, MPH

The patient had been living in New York for the past 10 years and only recently returned to Japan to visit family. “The neurologist initially suspected mild tetanus with lockjaw caused by Clostridium tetani infection, which is relatively common in our area,” writes Seki from the division of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital in Japan. [1]

However, “She could open her mouth about 1.5 cm, but her left side of the mouth sagged unilaterally, and she could hardly close her left eye,” writes Seki. So, infectious disease physicians diagnosed her with facial paralysis rather than lockjaw.

When questioned further, the woman recalled being bitten by a tick while camping in Pennsylvania 3 months earlier. She described having “skin changes [flat red rash] with slight itching and pain on her right limb about 1 week after camping,” explains Seki. The rash persisted for 1 to 2 weeks.

She also had a slight fever of 37.2°C (99°F). A fever of unknown origin (FUO) typically includes infectious, rheumatologic and cancer causes. “Lyme disease is not generally considered a common cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO) in Japan,” writes Seki, “although it is very common in North America and Europe.”

The woman was tested and found to be positive for Lyme disease. After 2 weeks of oral minocycline, her symptoms of fatigue, mouth sagging, and a slight inability in opening the eye disappeared.

The patient was treated successfully with antibiotics despite the doctors’ reservations about the legitimacy of chronic Lyme disease. “She had a relatively mild, chronic status,” writes Seki, “suggested of the chronic type of Lyme diseases, which is a poorly defined term that describes the attribution of various atypical syndromes to protracted B.burgdorferi infection.”

Given that there are sporadic and transported cases of Lyme disease in mainland Japan, the authors recommend that clinicians consider Lyme disease in their differential diagnosis when a patient presents with a fever of unknown origin (FUO).

“Thus, Japanese ID [infectious disease] physicians should consider this disease as one of the possible causes of FUO and carefully ask patients about their living conditions and past histories,” notes Seki, particularly when presenting with a combination of FUO and facial palsy.

 

References:

  1. Seki M, Watanabe Y, Kawabata H. A case of Lyme disease in a Japanese woman. Infect Drug Resist. 2018;11:625-628.

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Testing, Treatment