Archive for the ‘Testing’ Category

Antinuclear Antibodies in Infectious Diseases

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31718355

2019 Nov 12:1-9. doi: 10.1080/23744235.2019.1690676. [Epub ahead of print]

Antinuclear antibodies in infectious diseases.

Im JH1, Chung MH2, Park YK3, Kwon HY1, Baek JH1, Lee SY4, Lee JS1.

Abstract

Introduction: Antinuclear antibody (ANA) tests are widely used for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases, but ANAs are also commonly found in patients with various infections. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the relationship between infections and ANA status.

Methods: Patients that visited the Department of Infectious Diseases at Inha University Hospital between January 2007 and July 2018 were investigated. We analysed their ANA test results and reviewed rheumatic and infectious diagnoses of patients with positive ANA findings.

Results: Of the 9,320 patients during the study period, 1,111 underwent ANA testing and 110 tested positive. Seven of the 110 patients were previously diagnosed with ANA-positive disease, and 21 were diagnosed with autoimmune disease during the present study. Of the remaining 82 patients, 43 were confirmed with infectious disease. The most common pathogen was Mycobacterium tuberculosis (n = 10), followed by Treponema pallidum (n = 5), Orientia tsutsugamushi (n = 5), Escherichia coli (n = 5), Bartonella henselae(n = 3), and human immunodeficiency virus (n = 3). Of the 39 patients without a confirmed pathogen, 7 were seropositive for O. tsutsugamushi, B. henselae, or Rickettsia spp. Patients were observed at an average of 24 weeks in our hospital. One patient developed systemic lupus erythematosus after being diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus-induced infectious mononucleosis, and another patient developed adult-onset Still’s disease after being diagnosed with scrub typhus.

Conclusion: This study showed that various relationships exist between infections and rheumatic diseases. In particular, several patients with a positive ANA test result were found to have intracellular infections such as mycobacterial infections, syphilis, or scrub typhus.

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/22/1st-report-of-anaplasma-found-in-thai-bartonella-rickettsia-leptospira-scrub-typhus-in-humans-as-well-even-more-found-in-ticks/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/03/tick-bite-in-ear-gave-uk-teacher-rickettsial-typhus-infection/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/18/study-finds-q-fever-rickettsia-typhus-in-australian-ticks-and-people/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/24/human-bartonellosis-an-underappreciated-public-health-problem/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/11/04/24514/ EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS: A KEY PLAYER IN CHRONIC ILLNESS and TIPS TO TREAT REACTIVATED EBV

 

 

 

Category:

Bartonella, research, Rickettsia, Testing, Viruses

Being a Sexual Health Doctor in ‘Chlamydia Capital’ of New Zealand

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/love-sex/114848305/being-a-sexual-health-doctor-in-chlamydia-capital-of-new-zealand  Video and full article here

Being a sexual health doctor in ‘chlamydia capital’ of New Zealand

Libby Wilson, Nov 06 2019
Excerpt:

“She got interested in sexual health field in her first year as a doctor when one of her patient’s joint problems were a complication from chlamydia.

‘I had no idea – until that point – that was a thing,’ she said. ‘There’s the slightly nerdy bit of seeing something interesting and fascinating. But also the shame that young person had, that really touched me.'”

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**Comment**

I include this information because Chlamydia and borrelia mixed biofilms have been found in infected skin tissue: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/19/first-study-showing-borrelia-chlamydia-mixed-biofilms-in-infected-human-skin-tissues/ Excerpt:

Chlamydia antigen and DNA in 84% of Borrelia biofilms. Confocal microscopy revealed that Chlamydia locates in the center of Borrelia biofilms, and together, they form a well-organized mixed pathogenic structure.

Chlamydia-like organisms are in ticks:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/10/07/chlamydia-like-organisms-found-in-ticks/

Here, researchers identify chlamydia along with other pathogens in Alzheimer’s:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/09/researchers-identify-herpes-1-chlamydia-pneumoniae-several-types-of-spirochaete-as-major-causes-of-alzheimers/

CHLAMYDIA IS BEST DEFINED FROM THE LATIN WORD: CLOAK. YEP. ANOTHER STEALTH PATHOGEN.

Great read on the types of chlamydia:  https://articles.mercola.com/chlamydia/types.aspx The first two are mentioned in the abstract:

  • Chlamydia trachomatis can be passed from one person to another via unprotected sexual intercourse. Pain English: this is a STD.
  • Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae), a nonsexually transmitted disease that infects the lungs and causes bacterial pneumonia.
  • Chlamydia psittaci is another chlamydia strain that can lead to a rare condition called psittacosis, aka “parrot fever.”

Category:

Testing, Ticks

Why Test Neurotransmitters & Hormones?

Dr. Kathleen O’Neil-Smith: Why Test Neurotransmitters and Hormones?

November 20, 2019

Why test neurotransmitters and hormones in complex chronic conditions?
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Category:

Testing

C6 Peptide Test For Lyme Disease May Indicate Borrelia Miyamotoi Infection

https://danielcameronmd.com/c6-peptide-test-lyme-disease-borrelia-miyamotoi-infection/

C6 PEPTIDE TEST FOR LYME DISEASE MAY INDICATE BORRELIA MIYAMOTOI INFECTION

The C6 enzyme immunoassay (EIA) is often used to diagnose Lyme disease. The test is based on the C6 peptide of the Borrelia burgdorferi sl VlsE protein. But a recent study suggests the C6 peptide test may also indicate an infection with Borrelia miyamotoi, another tick-borne disease.

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Koetsveld and colleagues examined C6 reactivity in sera from both mice infected with Borrelia miyamotoi and from 46 patients with PCR-positive Borrelia miyamotoi disease (BMD).

They found, “Cross-reactivity against the C6-peptide was confirmed in 21 out of 24 mice experimentally infected with B. miyamotoi.” And a C6 antibody response was present in 39 of 46 patients. ¹

Interestingly, another recent study “showed that in a set of 43 sera from 24 patients with [Borrelia miyamotoi disease] from the United States the C6 ELISA was also positive in the vast majority (>90%) of convalescent phase serum samples.” ²

Koetsveld warns, however, that since “BMD [Borrelia miyamotoi disease] and Lyme borreliosis are found in the same geographical locations, caution should be used when relying solely on C6-reactivity testing.”

According to a new study, the C6 peptide test used to diagnose Lyme disease may also be helpful in identifying Borrelia miyamotoi. CLICK TO TWEET

They recommend further testing if the Western blot is negative.

“We propose that a positive C6 EIA with negative immunoblot, especially in patients with fever several weeks after a tick bite, warrants further testing for B. miyamotoi.”

Testing for the glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (GlpQ) gene may be helpful in detecting B. miyamotoi infection.

“Our results demonstrate that cross-reactive antibodies against the C6 peptide regularly occur in patients with [Borrelia miyamotoi disease],” writes Koetsveld.

He adds, “with as much as 90% (95% CI 68.3–98.8) of patients being C6-reactive in samples taken 10 to 19 days after onset of disease.”

Editor’s note: It is also possible that the patients could have seronegative Lyme disease concurrent with B. miyamotoi.  In fact, 10 of their 39 patients were reactive by Western blot for Lyme disease.
Related Articles:

The best antibiotics to treat Borrelia miyamotoi?

Blood smear not reliable in diagnosing Borrelia miyamotoi

Doctors face challenges in diagnosing Borrelia miyamotoi

References:
  1. Koetsveld J, Platonov AE, Kuleshov K, et al. Borrelia miyamotoi infection leads to cross-reactive antibodies to the C6 peptide in mice and men. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2019.
  2. Molloy, P.J., Weeks, K.E., Todd, B., and Wormser, G.P. Seroreactivity to the C6 peptide in Borrelia miyamotoi infections occurring in the northeastern United States. Clin Infect Dis. 2018; 66: 1407–1410

Category:

Borrelia Miyamotoi (Relapsing Fever Group), Lyme, research, Testing

Could Advanced Imaging Reveal Cognitive Impairment in Lyme Patients?

https://danielcameronmd.com/advanced-imaging-cognitive-impairment-lyme-patients/

COULD ADVANCED IMAGING REVEAL COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN LYME PATIENTS?

Clinicians can now measure neurotransmitter levels in the brains of patients with mild cognitive impairment using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) with advanced 7 Tesla technology. MRS, also referred to as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), shows the “levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutathione and other neurotransmitters in brain regions of interest with greater precision than previous, lower-strength imaging systems,” explains Oeltzschner and colleagues. ¹

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Multiple studies indicate that neurotransmitter levels can be “related to measures of behavioral outcomes, such as memory, reaction timing,” writes Oeltzschner in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.“These relationships can be region-specific.”

Measuring these levels, he adds, “could be a promising way to find out more about the inner workings of the disease and how it proceeds.”

Tognarelli agrees, writing, “Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides a non-invasive ‘window’ on biochemical processes within the body.”²

“The clinical use of in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has been limited for a long time, mainly due to its low sensitivity,” explains Marinette van der Graaf.³

“However,” she points out, “with the advent of clinical MR systems with higher magnetic field strengths such as 3 Tesla, the development of better coils, and the design of optimized radio-frequency pulses, sensitivity has been considerably improved.”

A study by Oeltzschner and colleagues looked at 13 people with mild cognitive impairment and found significant differences in several neurotransmitter levels relative to total creatine (tCr) when compared to healthy controls.

Results indicated patients with mild cognitive impairment had:

  • Decreased levels of g-aminobutyricacid (GABA);
  • Decreased levels of glutamate (Glu);
  • Decreased levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA);
  • Increased levels of inosito (mI).

Oeltzschner from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine recommended additional studies “to improve the understanding of the regional specificity of brain metabolite changes and their effects on different domains of cognitive function.”

Editor’s Note: How about measuring the neurotransmitter levels in the brain of Lyme disease patients?
Related Articles:

Oppositional behavior in children with Lyme disease

Can we measure the brains exaggerated response to pain and sensory input?

What happens to the brain during acute Lyme neuroborreliosis?

References:
  1. Oeltzschner, G. et al. Neurometabolites and associations with cognitive deficits in mild cognitive impairment: a magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 7 Tesla. Neurobiol Aging. 2019 Jan;73:211-218.
  2. Joshua M. Tognarelli. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: Principles and Techniques: Lessons for Clinicians. J Clin Exp Hepatol. 2015 Dec; 5(4): 320–328.
  3. Marinette van der Graaf. In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy: basic methodology and clinical applications. Eur Biophys J. 2010 Mar; 39(4): 527–540.

 

 

 

 

Category:

Lyme, Testing