Archive for the ‘Ticks’ Category

House Passes Chris Smith Measure To Probe if Government Turned Ticks Into Bioweapons

https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/smith-tick/?


Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton).

House passes Chris Smith measure to probe if government turned ticks into bioweapons

New Jersey congressman wants GAO to investigate whether diseased ticks were ‘accidentally or intentionally’ released

By David Wildstein, July 21 2020

Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton) says there are credible assertions that government researchers at Ft. Detrick and Plum Island turned ticks into bioweapons.

Now the 20-term New Jersey Republican wants the government to investigate whether ticks were ever weaponized with Lyme disease or other hazardous pathogens.

Smith’s congressional colleagues agree with him.

Last night, the House approved an amendment sponsored by Smith that requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to determine if ticks were ever weaponized with Lyme disease or other hazardous pathogens.

This is Smith’s second bid to get his proposed law passed.  In 2019, he sponsored a similar measure giving the job to the U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General. (See link for article)

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**Comment**

After a year of silence and waiting we find out the inspector general at the Pentagon didn’t have the bandwidth to launch an investigation. (Translation – I don’t have any balls and I’m passing the football to someone else)

Now it heads to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Want to place bets on us having to wait another year or more to find out the GAO also doesn’t have bandwidth to launch an investigation?

Sigh….you gotta love government bureaucracy.

 

 

Category:

Activism, Ticks

Ticks & Lyme Disease: Information For Families

https://globallymealliance.org/videos/webinar-ticks-and-lyme-disease-information-for-families/

Global Lyme Alliance and Ranger Ready Repellents recently hosted a webinar, “Ticksand Lyme Disease: Information for the Family.” The webinar is part of GLA & Ranger Ready Repellents partnership & combined mission to stem the alarming increase of Lyme disease through education and awareness.

Mayla Hsu, Ph.D., Director of Science and Research for GLA joined Ranger Ready Founder and CEO, Chris L. Fuentes, to give helpful tips on how the whole family can safely enjoy the outdoors.

Dr. Hsu & Fuentes addressed common misconceptions regarding ticks and Lyme disease.

“Your backyard is probably the most likely place to be bitten by a tick or bring a tick into your house,” said Fuentes.

View the full webinar below.

Approx. 36 Min.

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**Comment**

So thankful they discussed migrating birds as research has shown they are prolific carriers of ticks:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/ticks-on-the-move-due-to-migrating-birds-and-photoperiod-not-climate-change/

They recommend against having bird feeders in your yard due to this.

They also mention gardening and the need to where permethrin on your clothing and things like picaradin on your skin.

They state ticks can be located higher up on trees and bushes because squirrels and birds bring these ticks with them. This man states he got infected on a patio deck due to an overhanging tree:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/13/tv-anchor-speaks-out-about-lyme-disease/

They also mention pets.  They call dogs “tick taxis.”  Never allow them on your bed and furniture.  Also consider car seats:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/12/pet-owners-have-nearly-2-times-the-risk-of-finding-ticks/

I appreciated the video on how to apply repellent. Wearing a tucked in undershirt is smart (albeit hot!) as well as long white socks, tucking pants into the socks.  Make sure to also spray shoes. I make everyone strip clothing off in garage, and then put all clothing into dryer on high for 20 min.  Then, take a shower when coming indoors.  You will need to apply permethrin onto clothing the day before use so there is plenty of time to dry. Spray ALL clothing, hats, socks, pants, shirts, etc.  Picaradin is for your skin that you apply before you head outside.  You need both types of repellents.

When talking about ticks – she states, “you can squash it.”  Please, do not touch the tick if you squash it as you could potentially become infected this way.  Many recommend testing the tick.  Some states will do this free for residents.  Unfortunately, Wisconsin does NOT do this.

More on Tick Prevention:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/12/tick-prevention-2019/

More on Ranger Ready:  https://rangerready.com  They state their product lasts for 12 hours against ticks and mosquitoes. (I have no affiliation with this company)

https://globallymealliance.org/education-awareness/be-tick-aware/

5 steps in removing a tick:  https://globallymealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GLA_5-steps_when-you-find-a-tick-attached.pdf

Tick testing:  https://lymediseaseassociation.org/about-lyme/tick-removal-a-testing/tick-testing-2/

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Prevention, research, Ticks

Tick-Borne Pathogens Detected in Blood of Immunosuppressed Norwegian Patients Living in a Tick-Endemic Area

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa971/5871078?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Tick-Borne Pathogens Detected in the Blood of Immunosuppressed Norwegian Patients Living in a Tick-Endemic Area

Hanne Quarsten, Tore Salte, Åslaug R Lorentzen, Inger J W Hansen, Runar Hamre, Kristine J N Forselv, Øivind Øines, Christine Wennerås, Sølvi Noraas
Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciaa971, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa971
Published:  14 July 2020
Excerpt:

The predominant pathogen was:

  • Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis (12/14), which was carried in the blood of infected patients for 10-59 days until treatment with doxycycline.
  • Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato
  • Rickettsia spp. were detected in one patient each. The B. burgdorferi-infected patient presented with fever, whereas the remaining patients were judged to have subclinical infections.
  • Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia spp. were not detected in any patient.

(See link for article)

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**Comment**

Considering testing is abysmal, and the PCR was never intended to diagnose patients, chances are great that more patients had tick-borne illness than what is recorded in this study:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/05/07/was-the-covid-19-test-meant-to-detect-a-virus/

Key quote:

I’m skeptical that a PRC test is ever true.

Notice the observation of “subclinical” infections.  I would add that many cases are subclinical as well as atypical, meaning they don’t fit the textbook description.  To date nobody has really discovered what being coinfected does to the human body in terms of symptom manifestation. Some studies have found that coinfected cases are more severe:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/09/05/babesia-subverts-adaptive-immunity-and-enhances-lyme-disease-severity/

From experience I can state that many of the coinfections I had didn’t surface until I’d been in Lyme treatment for a while.  Then, other non-Lyme symptoms reared their ugly heads and finally abated with appropriate treatment.  This isn’t even considered by mainstream medicine which continues to view this as a one-pathogen, one-drug issue which it clearly is not for many patients:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/

Another issue with this study is once again it assumes 10-60 days of treatment is sufficient.  Big assumption that’s been killing people or making their lives miserable.  Thromboembolic complications is hardly the only thing these poor people could have.  The list of possible complications is virtually endless.

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

research, Testing, Ticks

Tick Disease With Coronavirus-Like Symptoms Is On A Rise in Michigan

https://www.petoskeynews.com/featured-pnr/tick-disease-with-coronavirus-like-symptoms-is-on-a-rise-in-michigan/

Tick disease with coronavirus-like symptoms is on a rise in Michigan

Chanel Stitt, Detroit Free Press

tick
An adult deer tick is shown.

As if we don’t already have already have enough worries, health officials are warning Michiganders to guard against a tick borne disease that mimics COVID-19 symptoms.

Anaplasmosis is still rare in Michigan but the number of cases reported yearly in the state is on the rise.

There were 12 documented cases of anaplasmosis in Michigan reported to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in 2019. Michigan has seen an increase over the last six years, with only four cases reported in 2014.

The symptoms are very much like those reported with the coronavirus: fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headaches and maybe a little fatigue. People experiencing those range of symptoms are advised to seek medical attention.

(See link for article)

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For more on Anaplasmosis:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/03/08/anaplasmosis/

For more on COVID & Lyme:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/05/30/a-tale-of-two-pandemics-lyme-covid-19-dr-bransfield/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/11/the-disease-thats-mistaken-for-covid-19/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/02/lyme-disease-symptoms-could-be-mistaken-for-covid-19-with-serious-consequences/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/06/09/bishops-stortford-woman-blogs-about-life-with-lyme-coronavirus/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/04/23/another-lyme-patient-with-covid-19-speaks/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/03/29/corona-with-a-twist-of-lyme/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/04/19/lyme-patients-speak-out-on-having-covid-19/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/07/experts-fear-bad-tick-season-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/07/covid-19-could-lead-to-increase-in-tick-borne-illness-experts-say-heres-why/

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Ticks, Viruses

Can Lyme Be Sexually Transmitted or Passed on to a Fetus?

https://rawlsmd.com/health-articles/can-lyme-be-sexually-transmitted?

Can Lyme Be Sexually Transmitted or Passed on to a Fetus?

by. Dr. Bill Rawls
Updated 7/27/18

The official word from experts is that Borrelia burgdorferi, the microbe commonly associated with Lyme disease, cannot be spread sexually. However, whole families (including small children) testing positive for the microbe would suggest otherwise.

Experts base their assumptions on the fact that Borrelia burgdorferi concentrations in semen in people known to have Lyme disease are typically quite low. In addition, trans-utero spread (across the placenta during pregnancy) has not been scientifically documented.

This is in line with traits of the microbe. Host-dependent microbes can spread from host to host through a variety of different pathways, but they typically specialize in primarily one pathway. Borrelia’s preferred pathway of spread is by way of biting insects, most commonly ticks. It has honed this pathway over millions of years.

Other corkscrew-like bacteria, however, do specialize in sexual and congenital transmission. The most well known is Treponema pallidum, the microbe that causes syphilis. It’s interesting that Lyme disease and syphilis share many common symptoms and the two microbes are actually similar in many ways — except that Treponema has been honing the sexual transmission pathway for about as long as Borrelia has been taking advantage of ticks.

The fact that the two microbes are so similar might suggest that Borrelia could transmit sexually or congenitally. Borrelia is a master opportunist; if an easy opportunity arose to spread sexually or cross through the placenta into a new host, it probably would. Using its corkscrew shape, it can bore through any tissues in the body and show up almost anywhere.

The bottom line is that sexual and congenital propagation of Borrelia is possible, but much less likely than other microbes that typically spread by sexual transmission. If it were to occur, it would probably be from an infected male passing Lyme disease to a female via semen. Passing the microbe from infected female to male partner is much less likely. An infected female who became pregnant, however, could also pass the bacterium along to the fetus through the placenta.

To reduce the possibility of transmission, men suspected of having Lyme disease should use condoms during intercourse. If pregnancy is desired, antibiotics or antimicrobial herbs should be administered to reduce concentrations of the microbes before unprotected intercourse. Ideally, attempts for pregnancy should be deferred until Lyme disease symptoms have subsided.

For a pregnancy complicated by Lyme disease, the mother should undergo antibiotic treatment, especially for acute Lyme disease — but always under a doctor’s supervision. Tetracyclines, including doxycycline, should be avoided during pregnancy. Herbal therapy can be a good option if antibiotics are not tolerated.

 

REFERENCES:
1. Stricker RB, Middelveen MJ. Sexual transmission of Lyme disease: challenging the tickborne disease paradigm. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2015;13(11):1303-6.
2. Hercogova J, Vanousova D. Syphilis and borreliosis during pregnancy. Dermatol Ther. 2008 May-Jun;21(3):205-9.
3. Williams C et al. Maternal Lyme disease and congenital malformations: a cord blood serosurvey in endemic and control areas. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 1995 Jul;9(3):320-30.
4. Strobino B et al. Lyme disease and pregnancy outcome: a prospective study of two thousand prenatal patients. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1993 Aug;169(2 Pt 1):367-74.
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**Comment**
I find it highly interesting that even though mother and baby can test positive for Lyme disease, the CDC still states congenital transmission rarely occurs, even though nobody’s counting cases:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/19/how-can-mother-to-fetus-transmission-of-lyme-disease-be-rare-when-no-one-is-counting/
In a nutshell, researchers collected specimens and then tested them.  They point out that initial tests did not find the virus but further sampling of the placenta showed virus-positive results.
There’s a few important points:
  1. If researchers tested Lyme patients multiple times in many different places within the body like they did for these babies who supposedly have COVID, they would find Lyme too.  This just doesn’t happen.  This is a perfect example of research bias.
  2. Testing for COVID is abysmal and shouldn’t be trusted on its own:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/05/07/was-the-covid-19-test-meant-to-detect-a-virus/
  3. People are equating a positive COVID test result with illness, yet many are testing positive and have ZERO symptoms which means they aren’t sick.  They just show antibodies. This can happen with Lyme too.  My dog tested positive for Lyme and had ZERO symptoms. My vet told me he would forever test positive for Lyme. Meanwhile my husband and I both test negative on the arbitrary and unscientific 2-tiered CDC testing but positive on a more sensitive antibody test by IGeneX.  This issue of flawed testing is a real fly in the ointment:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/03/01/study-cdcs-2-tier-lyme-testing-inaccurate-in-more-than-70-of-cases/, https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/12/lyme-testing-problems-solutions/
  4. The babies testing positive for COVID are fine, yet one continued to test positive.  I wrote about this before when a friend kept testing positive despite being completely healthy.  This person was detained in the hospital for weeks on end entirely due to a continuing positive test, but he had ZERO symptoms.  This should be a wake-up call.
  5. The best article on this is here:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/10/coronavirus-why-everyone-was-wrong/  This expert immunologist explains that it’s highly likely most people testing positive for COVID is purely due to viral debris (which is NOT infectious).

As to sexual transmission of Lyme, a recent study by Scott had some interesting findings: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/06/12/formidable-evidence-for-sexual-transmission-of-lyme-disease-first-study-to-document-aca-rashes-in-canadian-patients/

Excerpt:

  • Case 4 provides confirmation for an ACA rash and gestational Lyme disease (club feet at birth).  Both parents tested positive for Bbsl.

Not only did the parents have definitive proof of chronic Lyme, THEY HAD SYMPTOMS – unlike these COVID positive babies, and many others testing positively without ANY symptoms whatsoever (which simply means they are NOT sick).  

I’m not sure what has happened in the world of science but it is riddled with this sort of nonsense.  The two diseases couldn’t be handled more differently.  I guarantee you that if researchers kept poking, prodding, and retesting chronic Lyme patients, they too would eventually find Bb, but this just doesn’t happen.  Frankly, with Lyme, they aren’t looking hard or long enough.

It’s quite clear to me that researchers are rewarded for positive COVID findings while they are demoted for positive Lyme findings.
Lyme just isn’t sexy.  
Lyme/MSIDS has become the ugly wall-flower in the corner of the room – which BTW is truly a world-wide pandemic that isn’t going away.

BTW: I’m nearly 99.9% certain I got Lyme sexually from my husband.  To read about my story as well as other research on it:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/02/24/pcos-lyme-my-story/  All my initial symptoms were gynecological but I didn’t know then what I know now….

Category:

Lyme, Testing, Ticks, Transmission