Archive for the ‘Testing’ Category

Patients Want Canadians to Know About Lesser-Known Tick-Borne Diseases

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/be-vigilant-patients-want-canadians-to-know-about-lesser-known-tick-borne-diseases

‘Be vigilant’: Patients want Canadians to know about lesser-known tick-borne diseases

While these infections are indeed spreading, it has nothing to do with the climate.  Faulty climate change maps which have been used to push a ‘climate change’ agenda have been debunked, with many experts finally coming forth and denying that man has anything to do with the climate at all.
Important to note: neither of these spreading pathogens are listed as a nationally notifiable disease in Canada, which simply means nobody has a clue as to their prevalence.  This is true for many of the “lesser  known” tick-borne diseases as well, and is a real problem.  You can’t state how big a problem is if you aren’t even looking for it.
One of the patients sent her tick to a private lab and paid out of pocket for tests that look for a wide range of pathogens. 
This is another real problem that needs to be addressed.  Since everyone and their brother knows ticks are spreading everywhere and are often infected with pathogens transmitted to animals and humans, tick testing should be widely available and FREE.  There is no tick testing for the public right here in Wisconsin, an epicenter for Lyme, Powassan, and other infections.  This simply shouldn’t be.
Rather than fund more faulty, erroneous climate change research, how about we fund labs for something practical like testing ticks and all the pathogens they carry?
Since so many patients slip through the cracks, testing ticks directly would help us know what pathogens are in an area and an idea about prevalence.

This information; however, should never be used against patients, which has happened historically.  The lunacy of telling someone they can’t have Lyme disease because certain ticks don’t exist there or “there aren’t any recorded cases,” is shear madness and defies all sound logic.  Ticks travel everywhere due to migrating birds and other animals that don’t understand borders.

For more:

To be clear, a test only picks up what it is created to pick up.  To this day, many strains of of the pathogens infecting humans do not have testing, and those that do aren’t accurate.

Category:

Activism, Babesia, Rickettsia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

Molecular Detection of Anaplasma, Babesia odocoilei, Babesia spp. & Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Songbirds

https://www.jelsciences.com/articles/jbres1619.pdf

Molecular Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia odocoilei, Babesia species and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Songbirds

John D Scott1 *, Elena McGoey2, Ana Morales3 and Risa R Pesapane2,4 1 Upper Grand Tick Centre, 365 St. David Street South, Fergus, Ontario, N1M 2L7, Canada 2 School of Environmental and Natural Resources, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA 3 McGill Bird Observatory, Ste Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada H9X 0A6 4 Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1920 Coffey Rd., Columbus, OH 43210, USA

Abstract

The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is known to carry various tick-borne zoonotic pathogens with the potential to cause debilitating human and animal diseases. Juvenile I. scapularis parasitize songbirds and, perhaps, these avifauna are competent hosts of common microbial pathogens. We extracted brachial venous blood from 18 groundforaging passerine birds that were parasitized by I. scapularis larvae and nymphs. Using molecular identification, namely PCR, DNA sequencing, and Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), we targeted Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Overall,

  • 15 (83%) of 18 passerine birds were positive for 3 microbial zoonotic pathogens that comprised of A. phagocytophilum (n = 8), Babesia odocoilei (n = 6), Babesia spp. 20-5A74 (n = 1), and B. burgdorferi sensu lato (n = 9).
  • The pathogen load consisted of 8 singles, 5 doubles, and 2 triples.
  • One novel Babesia sp. (Babesia spp. 20-5A74) was found, and the remaining Babesia infections were B. odocoilei.

Our findings reveal that ground-foraging, passerine birds are avian hosts of zoonotic pathogens. We provide the first-ever documentation that songbirds are hosts of B. odocoilei. Based on our data, B. odocoilei outnumbered other Babesia spp., and elucidated the authentic fact that B. odocoilei is the predominant Babesia sp. in North America. As avian hosts, passerine birds play a significant role in the enzootic transmission cycle of B. burgdorferi sensu lato, A. phagocytophilum, and Babesia species.

Important excerpts:

In the USA, tick researchers have reported B. odocoilei in Indiana [41-43], Michigan [44] Maine [42,43], Massachusetts [41-43], New York [45], Oklahoma [46,47], Pennsylvania [48,49] Texas [50,51], Virginia [52], and Wisconsin [42,43]. As well, B. odocoilei has been detected in I. pacificus in California [53]. In Canada, B. odocoilei has been detected in Saskatchewan [54], Ontario [7,15,55-59], and Quebec [55,57,58]. And yet, acarologists and ecologists have not reported B. microti in these three provinces [7,15,21,55-59]. Babesia odocoilei, which is a sequestering Babesia sp., can be recalcitrant to treat in human patients [7].

Not only do groundfrequenting songbirds transport ticks, they may also be hosts for tick-borne, zoonotic pathogens. Migratory songbirds widely disperse zoonotic pathogens across North America and, therefore, one does not have to frequent or live in an endemic area to contract human babesiosis caused by B. odocoilei.

For more:

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks

Genes As Biomarkers for Chronic Lyme?

https://www.lymedisease.org/35-genes-biomarkers-lyme/

Could these 35 genes be used as biomarkers for chronic Lyme?

Nov. 15, 2022

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York have identified 35 genes that are particularly highly expressed in people with long-term Lyme disease.

These genes could potentially be used as biomarkers to diagnose patients with the condition, which is otherwise difficult to diagnose and treat.

The findings, published November 15 in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, may also lead to new therapeutic targets.

The study is the first to use transcriptomics as a blood test to measure RNA levels in patients with long-term Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that is not well understood. Approximately 30,000 diagnosed cases are reported to the CDC each year, but the estimated real number is closer to 476,000 cases, carrying an annual healthcare cost of about $1 billion in the United States. While most patients are diagnosed and treated with antibiotics at the earliest stages of Lyme disease, about 20 percent of the patients develop long-term complications, which could include arthritis, neurologic symptoms, and/or heart problems.

“We wanted to understand whether there is a specific immune response that can be detected in the blood of patients with long-term Lyme disease to develop better diagnostics for this debilitating disease. There still remains a critical unmet need, as this disease so often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed,” said Avi Ma’ayan, PhD, Professor, Pharmacological Sciences, and Director of the Mount Sinai Center for Bioinformatics at Icahn Mount Sinai, and senior author of the paper. “Not enough is understood about the molecular mechanisms of long-term Lyme disease.”

Image above: Researchers at Icahn Mount Sinai in New York identified 35 genes that could be used as biomarkers to potentially diagnose patients with long-term Lyme disease. Image credit: Cell Reports Medicine

As part of the study, RNA sequencing was conducted using blood samples from 152 patients with symptoms of post-treatment Lyme disease to measure their immune response.

Differences in gene expression

Combined with RNA sequencing data from 72 patients with acute Lyme disease and 44 uninfected controls, the investigators observed differences in gene expression. They found that most of the post-treatment Lyme disease patients had a distinctive inflammatory signature compared with the acute Lyme disease group.

In addition, by analyzing the differentially expressed genes in this study along with genes that are differentially expressed due to other infections from other published studies, the researchers identified a subset of genes that were highly expressed, which have not been previously established for this Lyme-associated inflammatory response.

Using a type of artificial intelligence called machine learning, the researchers further reduced the group of genes to establish an mRNA biomarker set capable of distinguishing healthy patients from those with acute or post-treatment Lyme disease. A gene panel that measures the expression of the genes the investigators identified could be developed as a diagnostic to test for Lyme.

A new diagnostic for Lyme?

“We should not underestimate the value of using omics technologies, including transcriptomics, to measure RNA levels to detect the presence of many complex diseases, like Lyme disease. A diagnostic for Lyme disease may not be a panacea but could represent meaningful progress toward a more reliable diagnosis and, as a result, potentially better management of this disease,” said Dr. Ma’ayan.

Next, the investigators plan to repeat the study using data from single-cell transcriptomics and whole blood, apply the machine learning approach to other complex diseases that are difficult to diagnose, and develop the diagnostic gene panel and test it on samples from patients.

The paper is titled “Gene set predictor for post-treatment Lyme Disease.” Additional co-authors are Daniel J.B. Clarke, MS (Icahn Mount Sinai, New York), and Alison W. Rebman, MPH, Jinshui Fan, MD, PhD, Mark J. Soloski, PhD, and John N. Aucott, MD, all from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine in Baltimore.

The project was partially supported by funds from the Cohen Lyme & Tickborne Disease Initiative and the National Institutes of Health.

SOURCE: MountSinai.org

Category:

Inflammation, Lyme, research, Testing

Study Shows Expanding Tick Populations in Colorado

https://www.lymedisease.org/study-ticks-colorado/

Study shows expanding tick populations in Colorado

A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases shows that ticks capable of carrying diseases pose an emerging threat in Colorado.

The results demonstrate that American dog ticks are present in 16 Colorado counties where they had not been previously identified by the CDC.

Furthermore, Rocky Mountain wood ticks are found in 38 of the 64 Colorado counties, whereas they had only been identified in 33 previously.

The study leveraged several sources for the study, including ticks collected by citizen scientists as part of a free tick testing program offered by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

“The critical takeaway from this study is that Coloradans need to take preventative measures against ticks when outdoors, such as tick checks, and doctors should be more vigilant for symptoms of tick-borne diseases including those carried by Rocky Mountain wood ticks and American dog ticks,” said Linda Giampa, executive director, Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

Citizen science

“This ecology study illustrates the power of leveraging citizen science, and we are grateful for the more than 20,000 ticks that were submitted to our national program and made this study possible.”

Conducted by researchers from Colorado State University and funded by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, the study aimed to quantify the current county-level distribution of Rocky Mountain wood ticks, Dermacentor andersoni, and American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis.

The study evaluated data from ticks collected by citizen scientists and evaluated  at Northern Arizona University as part of Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s Free Tick Testing program, distribution data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, veterinary surveillance at Oklahoma State University, and literature data.

“It was interesting to us to see American dog ticks in unexpected counties in Colorado which appear to be invading from nearby states or traveling with people and pets. And also to show that Rocky Mountain wood ticks appear, for the most part, to inhabit counties at higher elevations than American dog ticks,” said co-author Daniel Salkeld, PhD, Colorado State University.

A red flag

“This study is a red flag that, on the county-level, it is necessary to increase tick surveillance locally, and, on an individual level, to take precautions and know the symptoms of tick-borne diseases.”

Rocky Mountain wood ticks and American dog ticks are both known carriers of Rickettsia rickettsii, which causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a disease that is on the rise in the US. They also carry Francisella tularensis which causes tularemia, a potentially life-threatening disease that has seen a spike in incidence in recent data.

According to this study, both species of tick were found on humans and dogs. Rocky Mountain wood ticks appear to be more attracted to humans, with this tick representing 58% of ticks attached to humans, compared to the American dog tick, which represented 92% of ticks attached to dogs.

“The citizen science approach has been critical to supporting our efforts as widespread active surveillance programs in Colorado have had difficulty due to the state’s diverse terrain and no Colorado counties regularly conduct these,” said lead author Elizabeth Freeman, MPH, Colorado State University.

More surveillance needed

“With the knowledge that there is a risk of encountering both the Rocky Mountain wood tick and American dog tick in Colorado, there should be more motivation to further enhance surveillance studies to fully understand the public’s risk of disease.”

Citizen scientists collected and provided the ticks evaluated in the study as part of Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s Free Tick Testing program, which collected more than 20,400 ticks, of which 8,954 are Ixodes ticks capable of carrying the most common tick-borne pathogens.

This new study expands on previous research identifying ticks capable of carrying Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in 83 counties (in 24 states) where these ticks had not been previously recorded.

Some of the new county reports are likely due to travel-associated exposures (e.g., Montana), but many counties, such as those in Colorado, are in close proximity to previously known locations, illustrating either spreading range of ticks or the need for expanded on-the-ground surveillance.

The research was conducted through a partnership between Bay Area Lyme Foundation, Northern Arizona University, Colorado State University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

Interactive maps show the distribution by county of the tick species collected, including western blacklegged tick, blacklegged tick, American dog tick, lone star tick. Prevalence of Rocky Mountain wood ticks in this study were not previously evaluated and reported.

Ticks sent to the initiative from January 2016 through August 2019 were tested free of charge. These data were categorized, mapped, and recorded, as well as provided to the submitter. Ticks were submitted from every state except Alaska. The program received a six-fold increase in tick submissions over initial estimates, representing unprecedented national coordination of a ‘citizen science’ effort and diagnostic investigation.

Click here to read the study.

SOURCE: Bay Area Lyme Foundation

________________

For more:

I am ever grateful they did not blame the climate.  Independent research has shown the climate is a nothing burger when it comes to tick and disease proliferation despite the continued narrative by corrupt science, politics, and climate alarmists.

Experts continue to speak out to deaf ears.

Category:

Lyme, research, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Testing, Ticks, Tularemia

Examining Babesia

http://  (Approx. 51 Min)

Examining Babesia

Project Lyme

Dec. 6, 2022

Dr. Henry Lindner got involved with tick-borne illness after removing two ticks from his 10 year old daughter.  After a delayed diagnosis and under prescribed prophylactic treatment, his daughter now suffers with a chronic infection that has physically and mentally disabled her.

For more:

Category:

Babesia, Testing, Ticks, Treatment