Archive for the ‘Testing’ Category

Borrelia Antibodies Found in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease & Case Report on Lyme Presenting as Complete Heart Block

https://danielcameronmd.com/borrelia-antibodies-found-in-patients-with-coronary-heart-disease/

BORRELIA ANTIBODIES FOUND IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE

borrelia-antibodies-coronary-heart-disease

Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, can be associated with cardiovascular complications. This is known as Lyme carditis, and occurs when the spirochete bacteria penetrate the heart tissue. The infection can lead to heart block and other complications, as it disrupts the heart’s electrical signals.

By 

How many patients who underwent surgery for coronary heart disease (CHD) had evidence of a prior infection with Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacterium which causes Lyme disease)?

A study by Pietruszka and colleagues, “Serologic Status of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Patients with Cardiovascular Changes,” sought to answer that question.¹ The authors examined the level of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi IgG antibodies in the blood serum of patients with advanced coronary heart disease.

The study participants included 70 patients – 22 women and 48 men – between the ages 50-82, who required surgery for coronary artery disease. An ELISA test for Lyme disease was positive in 34% of these patients and ‘borderline’ in 17% of patients.

The study found, “more than a third of the patients had elevated IgG levels against Borrelia as detected by a screening test, indicating previous contact with spirochetes,” the authors wrote.

These individuals were asked whether they had noticed a tick bite during their lifetime and if they ever exhibited typical Lyme disease symptoms.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, can be associated with cardiovascular complications.

More than half (57%) had recalled a tick bite but had not been diagnosed or treated for Lyme disease. The majority (85%) did not notice an erythema migrans rash.

“We found a link between antibody levels and tick bites but not with other risk factors for the development of CHD,” the authors wrote.

“These findings support the idea that, as one of many factors, the contact with spirochetal antigens may indicate a potential positive correlation with the formation of cardiovascular changes,” they added.

“… infectious agents such as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes, which cause Lyme disease, may also play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease.”

Cardiac complications due to Lyme disease typically occur a few weeks to a few months after infection, the authors point out. Symptoms include loss of consciousness, dizziness, palpitations, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

“The most common symptoms are conduction disorders (which manifest as various degrees of heart block), atrial fibrillation (AFib), and tachycardia,” the authors wrote.

Additionally, an infection with B. burgdorferi may “lead to changes in arteries, and CAD as a result,” the authors point out. Astherosclerosis, an inflammatory condition, is associated with a build-up of plaque in the arteries.

Plaques have been found to include a variety of bacteria. One study concluded “that exposure to infectious pathogens such as spirochetes increases the risk of atherosclerosis in tick-endemic areas.”

References:
  1. Pietruszka K, Reagan F, Stążka J, Kozioł MM. Serologic Status of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Patients with Cardiovascular Changes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(3):2239. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032239

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214250923001233?via%3Dihub

Lyme disease presenting as complete heart block in a young man: Case report and review of pathogenesis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idcr.2023.e01799Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Abstract

Lyme carditis is a serious complication of Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne infection in both the United States and Northern Europe. It is a rare manifestation of Lyme disease that primarily affects young adults with a marked 3:1 male-to-female predominance. The presentation of Lyme carditis is heterogenous and often non-specific, although the most common clinical manifestation is AV block, which can be acute in onset and can rapidly progress to complete heart block. We discuss the case of a young adult male with complete heart block as a complication of Lyme infection, presenting with two episodes of syncope without prodromal symptoms months after tick bites. There are several pathogen, host and environmental factors that can play an important role in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of this serious condition that is reversible if treated in a timely manner. It is important for clinicians to be familiar with the presentation and treatment of this infection that is now being observed in a wider geographic distribution so as to avoid serious long-term complications and unnecessary permanent pacemaking implantation.

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**Comment**

The ‘powers that be’ continue to state that these manifestations are ‘rare’ when testing, which has a sordid history, misses over 70% of all cases, leaving a majority of patients undiagnosed and untreated.

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Category:

Heart Issues, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks

Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato & Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infections in German Horses

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/12/1984

Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infections in German Horses

by 1,*,1, 2, 1, 3, 1 and 3
Received: 15 April 2023 / Revised: 30 May 2023 / Accepted: 10 June 2023 / Published: 14 June 2023

Abstract

There are limited data on Lyme borreliosis (LB), a tick-borne disease caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, in horses. Seropositivity is not necessarily associated with clinical disease. Data on seropositivity against Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in German horses are sparse. Therefore, serum samples from horses (n = 123) suspected of having Lyme borreliosis and clinically healthy horses (n = 113) from the same stables were tested for specific antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The samples were screened for antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi (ELISA and an IgG line immunoblot assay). Furthermore, the samples were examined for antibodies against B. burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum with a validated rapid in-house test (SNAP® 4Dx Plus® ELISA).
The clinical signs of suspect horses included lameness (n = 36), poor performance (n = 19), and apathy (n = 12).
Twenty-three percent (n = 26) of suspect horses and 17% (n = 18) of clinically healthy horses were seropositive for having a Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection (p = 0.371), showing that the detection of specific antibodies against B. burgdorferi alone is not sufficient for a diagnosis of equine LB. Anaplasma phagocytophilum seropositivity and seropositivity against both pathogens was 20%/6% in suspect horses and 16%/2% in the clinically healthy population, showing only minor differences (p = 0.108). Unspecific testing for antibodies against B. burgdorferi without clinical suspicion of Lyme borreliosis is not recommended since the clinical relevance of seropositivity against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato remains to be elucidated.
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Category:

Anaplasmosis, Lyme, research, Testing

Study: Oral NAD+ & NMN Increases Intracellular NAD+ & Lowers Triglycerides

https://www.townsendletter.com/e-letter-17-nad_plus-supplementation-and-cellular-energy/

Case Study: Oral Supplementation with the NAD+ Precursor Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN)—Effects on Intracellular NAD+ and Triglycerides.

Alan Miller, ND

Abstract

NAD+ is a coenzyme that is essential in numerous metabolic reactions, the most important involving energy production. In the cellular respiration process, NAD+ is required for the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the primary energy currency of cells. NAD+ transfers electrons from molecules including glucose during glycolysis and the citric acid cycle. These electrons are then transferred to the electron transfer chain, where NAD+ acts as an essential mediator in energy production, ensuring the efficient functioning of cells. NAD+ is also critically involved in DNA repair and healthy aging sirtuin enzymes.

Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) is the most direct biochemical precursor to NAD+ and thus supplementation of this molecule is an efficient method of increasing intracellular NAD+, which can improve cellular energetics and markers of aging. NMN may also lower triglycerides. In a study of intravenous dosing of 300 mg NMN in 10 healthy individuals, researchers discovered a significant reduction in serum triglycerides.

One concern with NMN is that when taken in an oral dose this molecule might be damaged or otherwise metabolized by stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes, or first pass hepatic enzymes. In other studies, we have shown that a liposomal powder preparation can protect other molecules, such as glutathione, from this type of degradation and significantly increase blood levels of the whole molecule.

We performed a small case study in which individuals were given 1000 mg of an oral liposomal NMN preparation (powder in a capsule) once after a baseline blood test. Serial triglyceride tests were performed hourly for five hours. Participants had an average of 15% decrease in triglycerides at hour five, compared to baseline. Another group was tested at baseline for intracellular NAD+ (Jinfinity Labs), then was given 1000 mg of a liposomal powder NMN daily for 15 days. An intracellular NAD+ test was then performed after 15 days. NAD+ levels increased 100 percent over this period.

This is the first case series that has demonstrated a rapid triglyceride-lowering effect of oral liposomal NMN (over 5 hours), along with a 100-percent increase in intracellular NAD+ over a 15-day period.

(See link for full article)

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Category:

Heart Issues, research, Supplements, Testing, Treatment

As Lyme Disease Expands Its Reach, New Research Offers Hope (But Not Really)

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2809395

Medical News & Perspectives
Climate Change and Health
September 6, 2023

As Lyme Disease Expands Its Reach, New Research Offers Hope

Anita Slomski
JAMA. Published online September 6, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.15358
JAMA Medical News

Public health warnings about vector-borne diseases in the US are heating up. In a May editorial, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made a plea for a vaccine against West Nile virus, which is spread by mosquitoes and has no treatment. By midsummer, the CDC reported that as many as 450 000 people in the US may have a meat allergy from the bite of the lone star tick, while other CDC scientists warned that mosquitoes are becoming resistant to the insecticides used in abatement efforts. Mosquitoes struck in August, when public health officials reported 11 cases of locally acquired dengue fever in Florida and Maryland’s first known case of locally acquired malaria in more than 40 years.

Meanwhile, the most common vector-borne disease in the US, Lyme disease, is on the rise.

“Lyme disease is definitely increasing in the US as the environmental niche of the deer tick and deer populations expand,” John N. Aucott, MD, director of the Lyme Disease Research Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told JAMA in an interview. The incidence of Lyme disease in the US nearly doubled from 1991 to 2018, from 3.74 cases to 7.21 cases per 100 000 people, based on confirmed cases reported to the CDC. But the true numbers are believed to be much higher.

According to the nonprofit organization Fair Health, US private insurance claims with a Lyme disease diagnosis increased 357% in rural areas and 65% in urban areas from 2007 to 2021. Using insurance claims, the CDC estimates that as many as 476 000 people in the US are diagnosed with and treated for Lyme disease each year.

“In the last 20 years, the numbers of Lyme disease have really exploded,” said Linden Hu, MD, director of the Lyme Disease Initiative at Tufts University School of Medicine. “We’ve seen people get Lyme disease just from stopping at a rest stop in Massachusetts. So the number of people at risk is greater than it was before.”

(See link for article)

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**Comment**

There is very little hope within this article.

Summary:

  • Climate change clap trap continues to be regurgitated and blamed for what we are experiencing, despite ticks being ecoadaptive and the last species to die on planet earth.
  • PTLDS is emphasized only due to the fact there is “no known treatment,” so vaccines can be pushed.
  • The article gives false hope by stating the NIH has announced $3.2 Million in funding to support research on PTLDS; however, what isn’t mentioned is this money will do NOTHING to help patients.  It will simply line the pockets of biased, bought out researchers who will continue with the accepted, politically motivated narrative.
  • The falsely low number of 10-20% who continue with lingering symptoms is regurgitated when the number is upwards of 40-60%.
  • Hu managed to mention the fact that persistent infection after treatment is one hypothesis for PTLDS along with immune responses and autoantibodies.
  • And Aucott also managed to mention that due to his magnetic imaging studies which showed there is underlying biology to explain patients’ symptoms, it is not psychosomatic.
  • Of course nothing would be complete without a huge section on vaccines. (This is getting very old)  It’s also a good time to reflect upon the conflict of interest disclosures:

Dr Hu reported having financial relationships with Moderna and Tarsus. Dr Fikrig reported that he is funded by the NIH, the Cohen Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Emerging Pathogens Initiative. Dr Wormser reported receiving research grants from Biopeptides Corp and Pfizer Inc; being an expert witness in malpractice cases involving Lyme disease; and serving as an unpaid board member of the nonprofit American Lyme Disease Foundation.

  • The article made Lymerix seem like the answer to all of life’s ills when in fact it was yanked off the market for causing Lyme-like symptoms.  To those who tout the narrative, Lymerix, like all other vaccines, is “safe and effective.”  (This too is getting extremely old)
  • But, there’s a new vaccine to save humanity in the pipeline! Yay! This “antitick vaccine” encodes a cocktail of 19 proteins in tick saliva.  What could possibly go wrong?! 
  • Hu is developing lotinaner, used in the veterinary world, of which the FDA has given an alert about potential neurological adverse events, muscle tremors, ataxia, and seizures.
  • Aucott mentioned that the “classic” bullseye rash is a myth as only 20-30% have a bullseye pattern, and that many have no rash at all.  So, sorry all you suckers that didn’t fit in the box, were told you had a spider bite, and sent home empty-handed to suffer in silence.  Oops!
  • Aucott mentons testing problems: test results take 4-8 weeks before an antibody test is definitive, and following treatment – serology results will remain positive.
  • Wormser of course dissuades from prophylactic treatment unless a confirmed deer tick has been attached for 36 hours – the notion of which has been proven to be false.  He’s more worried about staph than people getting Lyme/MSIDS and living a nightmare. Plus, there are other antimicrobials in the toolbox that can be used that wouldn’t promote resistance.
  • Alpha Gal meat allergy is all the rage now because of The Great Reset and the desire to eliminate meat and get us all eating bugs.  A report has even predicted that the next ‘pandemic’ will conveniently come from meat.  It’s a win, win for ‘the powers that be.’
  • The article falsely blames climate change and the Lone Star tick when other ticks are involved, or even NO ticks at all. They have only discovered that tick saliva contains trace quantities of the sugar alpha-gal a known human irritant that many believe induces an allergic response.
  • But alpha-gal is also is used in the manufacture of foods, personal care products, medical devices and drugs — including vaccines.  Source
  • The questions begging to be asked are: why are they putting this known human irritant in things that humans ingest?  And why the sole emphasis on ticks when it’s in plenty of other things including vaccines, and is only believed to be caused by ticks?
It should come at no surprise whatsoever that the media is suddenly pushing a fear narrative over a meat allergy.
Again – right on time.

Category:

Alpha Gal Meat Allergy, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Treatment

First Case Report of Pancreatitis in Lyme Disease

https://researchopenworld.com/first-case-report-of-pancreatitis-in-lyme-disease/

First Case Report of Pancreatitis in Lyme Disease

Publication history

Received: November 14, 2019
Accepted: November 21, 2019
Published: November 25, 2019

Citation

A Baisse, S Parreau, A Abdeh, N Pichon (2019) First Case Report of Pancreatitis in Lyme disease. Internal Med Res Open J Volume 4 (2): 1–2. DOI: 10.31038/IMROJ.2019423

Short Abstract

We report a case of Lyme disease, revealed by pancreatic damage in a 49-year-old man without any medical history. The Lyme disease was revealed by repeated abdominal pain for 4 weeks, a skin lesion of quadricipital region, biological and radiological results showing pancreatic abnormalities.

Case Report

A 49-year-old man, non-alcoholic forest worker, with no past medical history, consulted to the Emergency Department for fever and persistent abdominal pain for a week. The biological results including, C – reactive protein (CRP), lipase, hepatic assessment were normal as well as contrast-enhanced abdominal Computed Tomography (CT). On the day after, the evolution was favorable under symptomatic treatment including nefopam and paracetamol and the patient was discharged from the hospital. One week later, the patient was admitted to the Emergency Department with an identical symptomatology. A posterior quadricipital peeling skin lesion, appeared two weeks earlier according to the patient, was observed (Figure 1a.) A gastroscopy, a colonoscopy, other abdominal CT and biological tests were performed. An inflammation biomarker elevation was observed (CRP: 180 mg/L and hyperleukocytosis: 13.3 G/L) without other biological abnormalities (lipase: 48 UI/L, ALAT: 48 UI/L). The endoscopic examinations and abdominal CT were normal. The patient was discharged from the hospital without any treatment. Half a month later, the patient was admitted to the Emergency Department for the third time and recurrence of the abdominal pain. The clinical examination found a hemodynamic stability, an abdominal pain of the left hypochondrium associated with a cutaneous ulcerative and non-progressive skin lesion in the same region as previously mentioned (Figure 1b.). The biological assessment found a very mild inflammatory syndrome (CRP 86 mg/L, Procalcitonin < 0.2 ng/mL, leukocytes 9.5 G/L), a high lipase level at 1714 IU/L without hepatocellular abnormalities. The third abdominal CT revealed an aspect of pancreatic necrosis with a pseudocyst (6 cm) at the tail of the pancreas, in contact with the splenic hile and the posterior wall of the stomach (Figure 1c.). The patient was hospitalized in Intensive Care Department with the diagnosis of pancreatitis.

On admission, the work-ups looking for the usual causes of pancreatitis (alcohol, gallstones, medications induced, hypercalcemia, traumatic, chemical exposures, hereditary diseases, infections) were negative. Regarding the skin patient’s lesion and anamnesis, the diagnosis of Lyme disease was evoked. His Lyme serology was strongly IgM positive and confirmed by Western Blot. He was treated with ceftriaxone associated with effective analgesic therapy. The clinical and biological course was uneventful and the patient was discharged from the hospital after 3 weeks. The relationship between Lyme disease and acute pancreatitis was strongly suspected.

Discussion

Lyme disease is an endemic zoonosis, transmitted to humans by a tick bite causing a multisystemic impairment due to a Gram-negative bacillus, Borrellia burgdorferi [1]. The disease schematically includes two phases and a polymorphism in clinical manifestations: a primary phase with chronical migrans erythema and articular signs (80% of cases), a secondary phase of heterogeneous and lymphatic dissemination, inaugurated by flu-like symptoms and associating neurological, cardiac or articular signs that could become chronic [2]. Each of these attacks could be inaugural or/and isolated [3]. Concerning the anamnesis, only 30% of patients remember a tick bite [4].

The heterogeneity of presentation in Lyme disease includes the serodiagnosis as a central investigation for confirmation [5]. Hepatic impairment due to Lyme disease, including hepatitis and hepatomegaly, is inconsistent, commonly found in early stage but often asymptomatic and with plasmatic manifestations [6]. A moderate hypertransaminasemia (2 to 3 N) could be noted, predominating on the ALAT. This hepatic biologic involvement is present in 27 to 66% of cases [7]. This can be explained by a systemic, lymphatic migration of the incriminated bacteria and a secondary hepatic sequestration [8]. To our knowledge, this physiopathological evolution to explain liver disorders has never been described for pancreas but is probably similar.

Regarding the treatment of Lyme disease, the cycline are recommended for the uncomplicated forms. An antibiotic treatment with cephalosporins could be considered for cardiac, neurological or complicated cases [2]. The evolution is favorable in 85% of patients, including hepatic acute injuries [9].

In our case, the skin lesion associated with a supposed tick bite, the anamnesis, the absence of other cause of pancreatitis, the favorable evolution under antibiotic treatment and especially the strong positivity of the serology are in favor of a Borrelia burgdoferi infection.

Conclusion

The authors report the first case of pancreatitis revealing a Lyme disease. Clinical, biological and evolutionary findings support the responsibility of Lyme disease in the pathogenesis of our pancreatitis case.  (See link for article and pictures)

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**Comment**

How many patients have had this or similar issues but didn’t have the rash, had negative serology and didn’t fit the other arbitrary standards that mainstream medicine has imposed that thousands of other patients don’t fit?  God only knows.

Category:

Lyme, research, Testing, Treatment