Archive for the ‘Transmission’ Category

N-of-1 Trials: The Only Hope for Lyme Patients & the Vaccine Injured

https://johncatanzaro.substack.com/p/n-of-1-trials-the-only-hope-for-long?

N-of-1 Trials: The Only Hope for Long COVID, Spike Protein Complications, and Vaccine-Injured Patients

Signal-Based Medicine | N-of-1 Trials

Decision Junction

Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

Feb 03, 2025

The Current Dilemma

The current medical system is failing those suffering from Long COVID and vaccine injuries—patients are gaslit, dismissed, and left to deteriorate without real solutions. The reason? Our healthcare model is built around randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which were never designed for individualized treatment.

What Is an N-of-1 Trial?

An N-of-1 trial is a personalized, single-patient clinical study that aligns treatment based on the individual’s unique biomolecular response. Instead of relying on population-based statistics, this method uses real-time molecular surveillance, patient-specific peptide therapeutics, and adaptive treatment adjustments to achieve true precision medicine.

Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all drug development, N-of-1 trials are built around the patient—tracking their unique exome, transcriptome, and proteome to correct faulty molecular signaling at the source.

We do not have time to wait for mass-scale trials designed for bureaucratic approval pipelines rather than real-world recovery. Lives are deteriorating daily, careers are lost, and families are crumbling. The answer is clear: we need a personalized, adaptive medical model that responds to the patient in real-time—not a slow-moving, industry-driven system.

A Stark Illustration:

Recent breakthroughs in gene-based therapies have demonstrated impressive success in conditions like spinal muscular atrophy, sparking renewed hope for addressing complex neurogenetic diseases. However, many of these interventions are designed to target specific genetic variations, and the rigid structure of traditional clinical trials has created a severe bottleneck in innovation.

Economic and bureaucratic barriers ensure that commercial development is prioritized only for high-prevalence druggable genetic variants— those deemed profitable and feasible for large-scale trials. As a result, countless patients with rare or individualized molecular disruptions are left without viable treatment options, reinforcing the urgent need for N-of-1 trials that bypass these restrictive models and deliver precision-driven solutions in real-time.

Unfortunately, this progress has not extended to Long COVID and vaccine-related injuries, where patients are suffering from Spike-protein-induced immune dysregulation, severe cardiac damage, neuroinflammation, and persistent spike-related organ damage with no viable path to treatment.

The reason is clear: traditional clinical trial models prioritize druggable conditions with large, commercially profitable patient populations while existing N-of-1 trials are still shackled by the same flawed system, failing to deliver the personalized, compassionate care that patients with complex, individualized needs urgently require. The solution is simple: individualized N-of-1 trials must operate independently, untainted by the dysfunction of the current medical research model.

The Catastrophic Failure of RCTs in Chronic Disease

RCTs were designed for standardized drug testing, not complex, multi-systemic conditions like Long COVID and vaccine injuries. These illnesses vary drastically between individuals, yet the medical system continues to force them into rigid study parameters that discard individualized responses.

Why the System Is Broken:

• Deliberate Exclusion of the Suffering – Long COVID and vaccine-injured patients don’t fit neatly into RCT parameters, so they are ignored.

• Slow, Bureaucratic Approval Processes – Years-long trials mean patients deteriorate while waiting for an answer.

• Generalized Data Over Personalized Care – RCTs focus on “majority response,” discarding those who don’t fit the mold.

This isn’t science—it’s systemic neglect.

A System Rigged Against Individualized Care

We don’t see this approach in mainstream medicine because it threatens the financial strength of the pharmaceutical industry.

• Precision-targeted treatments mean fewer mass-produced drugs—which cuts into Big Pharma’s profit margins.

• A truly individualized medical system means fewer hospitalizations, fewer unnecessary interventions, and fewer chronic patients dependent on expensive lifelong medications.

• RCT-based gatekeeping ensures only patented, billion-dollar drugs get approval—while peptide and precision small molecule therapeutics remain buried under regulatory red tape.

This system is not designed to heal people—it is designed to sustain an industry. We Can’t Afford to Wait—Patients Are Deteriorating Now  (See link for article)

Further reading:

  1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01519-y
  2. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2829260?guestAccessKey=37236d8c-7c7d-4581-b9a3-a0bc7166de92&utm_source=silverchair&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=article_alert-jamaneurology&utm_content=olf&utm_term=012725&adv=004812881201
  3. https://ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cpt.2425

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**Comment**

I was struck with how this article directly pertains to many of the problems in Lymeland.  RCTs have been the bane of research for Lyme/MSIDS.  Because mainstream medicine denies this complex illness can be chronic with persistent pathogen infection, and the inclusion of numerous coinfections, RCTs only include those who test positive on a test that misses nearly 90% of cases, and have a rash that is highly variable.  Maternal-fetal transmission was identified in 1985, but it took 27 years to recognize and investigate. While ‘the powers that be’ acknowledge it can be transmitted congenitally, they still claim it’s rare.  Due to this stance, doctors continue to fail to acknowledge and treat it.

Everything’s rare, until it isn’t.

The sickest patients are not represented in the research.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Transmission

Lyme & Herxheimer Reaction in Newborn

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-herxheimer-reaction-newborn/

Lyme disease and herxheimer reaction in newborn

Newborn with lyme disease and herxheimer reaction being examined by doctor.

The Herxheimer reaction, also referred to as a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, is “a transient clinical phenomenon that occurs in patients infected by spirochetes who undergo antibiotic treatment.”¹ It was first described in patients with syphilis but has also been associated with other spirochetal infections including leptospirosis, Lyme disease, and relapsing fever. The reaction is associated with the onset of new symptoms or a worsening of existing symptoms in patients receiving antibiotic treatment.

By 

In 2020, investigators published a case involving a 13-year-old boy with Lyme arthritis, a common manifestation of Lyme disease, who developed a Herxheimer reaction when treated with doxycycline. On the 7th day of treatment, the boy developed a low-grade fever and severe arthralgias with intense hip, ankle and cervical spine pain and myalgias.

You can read more about the 13-year-old boy’s case in an earlier blog “Herxheimer reaction in a 13-year-old boy with Lyme disease.” 

Newborn with herxheimer reaction

In their article “Lyme disease in a neonate complicated by the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction,”  Prodanuk and colleagues² describe the case of a 21-day-old infant who was admitted to the hospital with decreased activity, poor feeding and abdominal distension.

The parents removed an engorged tick from the infant’s forearm 5 days earlier. An EM rash was present at the site of the tick bite.

“Given the erythema migrans lesion at the site from which the engorged tick was removed, we made a presumptive diagnosis of Lyme disease and administered IV ceftriaxone,” the authors write.

Two hours after treatment began, the infant developed a fever, tachycardia and other symptoms consistent with the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction.

Testing for Lyme disease was negative.

Clinicians should also “be aware of the possibility of the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction during the initial phase of treatment.”²

Several studies, they warn, indicate “newborns with findings consistent with early localized disease may also be at higher risk for disseminated disease.”

“Given the limited data for neonates and the possible predisposition of this population to disseminated Lyme disease, clinicians should strongly consider administering IV antibiotics to target Lyme disease,” the authors suggest.

Patients can experience a broad range of symptoms resulting from a herxheimer reaction, explains Nykytyuk and colleagues, including fever, severe polyarthralgias, myalgias, chills, hypotension, nonpruritic, nonpalpable rash, tachycardia, nausea, headache, strengthening of existing or occurrence of new symptoms of the underlying disease.¹

The exact cause of Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions is still unknown. “At first, the role of an endotoxin in the development of JHR was suggested, but later experimental studies showed that spirochetes do not have biologically active endotoxins,” the authors explained.¹

References:
  1. Dhakal A, Sbar E. Jarisch Herxheimer Reaction. [Updated 2022 Apr 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557820/
  2. Prodanuk M, Groves H, Arje D, Bitnun A. Lyme disease in a neonate complicated by the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. CMAJ. 2022 Jul 18;194(27):E939-E941. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.220112. PMID: 35851530; PMCID: PMC9299745.

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For more:

Category:

Lyme, Pregnancy, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

Wisconsin DHS Reports Presumptive Positive Human Case of H5N1. Meanwhile Congress Looks to Bankroll More Biolabs to Experiment on Dangerous Pathogens

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/news/releases/121824.htm

For Immediate Release
December 18, 2024
Contact
Elizabeth Goodsitt, 608-266-1683
Jennifer Miller, 608-266-1683

DHS Reports Presumptive Positive Human Case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has detected the first presumptive positive human case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1), also known as bird flu, in Barron County. The human case follows an infected flock of commercial poultry identified in Barron County. The person had exposure to the infected flock. The case was identified through testing at the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene (WSLH) and is pending confirmation at CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

DHS, in coordination with Barron County Health and Human Services, is monitoring farm workers who may have been exposed to the virus and has provided them with information to protect their health. The risk to the general public in Wisconsin remains low. People who work with infected animals, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk.

The H5N1 HPAI virus has continued to circulate in both wild and domestic birds in North America since December 2021. H5N1 HPAI viruses are highly contagious and often fatal to domestic poultry. Caused by influenza type A viruses, the disease can cause illnesses ranging from very mild to severe depending on the strain and species affected. The disease can spread from infected birds to people by contact with infected birds, commingling with wild birds or their droppings, equipment, or clothing worn by anyone working with the animals.

The virus does not spread easily from animals to people. People who have gotten sick with bird flu have been in direct contact with infected animals.

Symptoms of bird flu in people include:

  • Sore throat
  • Fever
  • Muscle aches
  • Cough
  • Eye infections (Conjunctivitis)

Anyone who develops symptoms of flu or an eye infection and has been in contact with animals who may have been infected should stay home (not go to work, school, shopping, or use public transportation) and call their doctor’s office or clinic before visiting so they can take precautions to ensure other patients are not exposed to the virus. Treatment for bird flu may include hospitalization, supportive care, and/or the use of antivirals.

It is safe to eat eggs, poultry, and meat that has been fully cooked. Pasteurized milk and milk products, such as cheese and yogurt, are also safe to eat and drink. General precautions should always be taken when handling any raw meat, including raw eggs, to avoid possibly spreading germs. These measures include:

  • Washing hands and surfaces before and after food preparation.
  • Avoiding using the same utensils on raw meat as on other foods, even cooked meat.
  • Cooking raw meat thoroughly.

Additional case counts will be posted to Outbreaks, Recalls, and Investigations in Wisconsin. Prevention information for farmworkers or others who have close contact with birds, dairy cows, or other relevant animals can be found under Protective Actions for People.

Category:

Activism, Transmission, Treatment, Viruses

Letter Breaking Down Timeline & Deception of Lyme Disease: No Studies Have Ruled out Sexual Transmission

https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/

Question for Aaron Siri, Managing Partner Siri & Glimstad

Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH, United States
Dec 18, 2024

If antibiotic resistance was acknowledged early on by our Public Health Officials as it was by Dr. Allen Steere in 1977 the focus would have been on developing new antimicrobials (or different combinations) as seen in the treatment of Brucellosis but the potential money grab from a Lyme vaccine was far too lucrative to pass up. Everything about Lyme from that point forward had to support vaccine development. A chronic relapsing SERONEGATIVE disease did not fit the vaccine model. The money orgy produced by vaccines could not be more obvious through recent Covid events. The rest of the world now has a bird’s eye view of what our Public Health Officials are capable of when a false narrative has been dictated. The disabled Lyme community has been shouting from the rooftops for decades and everyone reading this knows of someone severely affected from Lyme disease; shame on you for not speaking up!

The following letter to Aaron Siri, Managing Partner of Siri & Glimstad breaks down the timeline and deception. Attorney Siri recently exposed the truth/facts about childhood vaccines through the depositions of Stanley Plotkin world’s leading authority on vaccines and Dr. Kathryn Edwards world’s leading vaccinologist.

Letter to Attorney Siri:

———- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: “aaron@sirillp.com” <aaron@sirillp.com>
Cc: “mbarney@sirillp.com” <mbarney@sirillp.com>, “ebrehm@sirillp.com” <ebrehm@sirillp.com>, “ddisabato@sirillp.com” <ddisabato@sirillp.com>, “lconsidine@sirillp.com” <lconsidine@sirillp.com>, “wmoller@sirillp.com” <wmoller@sirillp.com>, “mconnett@sirillp.com” <mconnett@sirillp.com>, “ahaskins@sirillp.com” <ahaskins@sirillp.com>, “cxenides@sirillp.com” <cxenides@sirillp.com>
Date: 12/13/2024 12:29 PM EST
Subject: Question for Aaron Siri, Managing Partner Siri & Glimstad

Siri & Glimstad
Aaron Siri, Managing Partner

Dear Attorney Siri,

When and who ruled out sexually transmitted Lyme disease?

Hold that thought for one moment please….

Weren’t we told by IDSA/Eugene Shapiro that there has never been one case of congenital Lyme? WRONG! WRONG!

Weren’t we told by the New York Times that Lyme is “hard to catch and easy to halt”? WRONG!

Weren’t we told by Wormser that persistent symptoms are nothing more than the aches and pains of daily living? WRONG!

Weren’t we told by Mainstream media that LYMErix was taken off the market due to poor sales? WRONG!

Weren’t we told by the CDC/IDSA that the bulls-eye rash appears 80% of the time?  WRONG!

Weren’t we told by the CDC/IDSA Paul Auwaerter that the two-tier Lyme test is a good test?  WRONG! WRONG!

Weren’t we told by Wormser that single dose Doxycycline as a prophylaxis after tick bite is sufficient in stopping the disease? WRONG!

Weren’t we told by the CDC/IDSA that there’s no Lyme disease in the south?  WRONG!

Weren’t we told by the CDC/IDSA that it takes 48hrs of tick attachment before the disease can be transmitted. WRONG! WRONG!

Weren’t we told by the (CDC/IDSA/ALDF) that there is no toxin involved in Lyme disease? WRONG! Again.

So what else have they gotten wrong??

Getting back to my original question: “sexually transmitted Lyme disease” ...

The 2014 study below found culture positive evidence of Borrelia spirochetes in the genital secretions of these patients:

Culture and identification of Borrelia spirochetes in human vaginal and seminal secretions
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5482345/

Conclusions:  The culture of viable Borrelia spirochetes in genital secretions suggests that Lyme disease could be transmitted by intimate contact from person to person. Further studies are needed to evaluate this hypothesis.

Here is the CDC’s stance on sexually transmitted Lyme disease:

About other modes of transmission
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/causes/index.html

There is no credible scientific evidence that Lyme disease is spread through touching, kissing, or sexual contact. Published studies in animals do not support sexual transmission (Moody 1991; Woodrum 1999), and the biology of the Lyme disease spirochete is not compatible this route of exposure (Porcella 2001).

Carl Tuttle’s comment: ONE SINGLE PUBLICATION 23 YEARS AGO! This is not an actual study proving or ruling out sexual transmission; this is one man’s perspective using the words “suggest/suggests/suggesting.”

Don’t look!  That assures you won’t find!

Isn’t that exactly what you just exposed Attorney Siri in the depositions of Stanley Plotkin and Dr. Kathryn Edwards regarding the vaccine and autism debate? There have been no autism studies for the childhood vaccine schedule to challenge the mantra “Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism because we say so.”

There have been no studies to rule out sexually transmitted Lyme disease so how much sexually transmitted Lyme has been circulating in the public for the past three decades or more?

In 2003 Texas physicians Harvey and Salvato tested their chronically ill patients for Lyme disease via CDC Western blot criteria finding all patients positive for the infection in a state where the prevalence of Lyme infected ticks is only about 1-2%. “No history of bull’s-eye rash or illness following tick bite was reported by these patients.” The CDC defines “Lyme disease” exclusively as a zoonotic illness. Congenital and gestational transfer cases have been disregarded for reasons not evident to us.”

Here is an example of how other infections have been managed:

Chronic Brucellosis and Persistence of Brucella melitensis DNA
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Chronic+Brucellosis+and+Persistence+of+Brucella+melitensis+DNA

After acute brucellosis infection, symptoms persist in a minority of patients for more than 1 year. Such patients are defined as having chronic brucellosis. Since no objective laboratory methods exist to confirm the presence of chronic disease, these patients suffer delays in both diagnosis and treatment.

Why haven’t we done this with Borrelia burgdorferi infection…..

1. Administration of a triple versus a standard double antimicrobial regimen for human brucellosis more efficiently eliminates bacterial DNA load.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25246401

The doxycycline-streptomycin-rifampin regimen eliminates Brucella DNA more efficiently than doxycycline-streptomycin, which may result in superior long-term clearance of Brucella.

2. Different Clinical Presentations of Brucellosis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27284398

It was once believed that rifampin was curative in treating Brucellosis but when symptoms returned doxycycline was added to the mix and when that too failed a third antibiotic, streptomycin was added to the current treatment regimen.

In contrast, oral amoxicillin or doxycycline remains the treatment of choice for treating Lyme disease for over thirty years regardless if debilitating symptoms return. Dr. Allen Steere knew that these antibiotics were not effective for all patients (see 1977 reference) but there has been no change in treatment or research to find more effective ways to eradicate the infection in all stages of disease.

Lyme arthritis: an epidemic of oligoarticular arthritis in children and adults in three connecticut communities. (1977)  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/836338/

Steere AC, Malawista SE, Snydman DR, Shope RE, Andiman WA, Ross MR, Steele FM.

Excerpt:

“The best treatment for this illness is not clear. Some physicians have reported that penicillin or tetracycline results in disappearance of the skin lesion (41,42), but others find antibiotics ineffective. Four of the patients with expanding skin lesions received penicillin but still developed arthritis.”

In contrast, the only action item we have in the pipeline after FORTY years for Lyme disease is a vaccine fast-tracked by the FDA in 2017. Since all the eggs have been put into the vaccine basket it would appear that our Health Agencies are in the shot business with annual revenue of $4.3 billion from the sales and patent royalties.

A chronic relapsing seronegative disease DOES NOT fit the vaccine model because you cannot prove vaccine efficacy in a disease where we don’t know who has or does not have the infection! So, deny the chronically infected by suppressing all evidence of antibiotic resistance, claim that the infection is easily treated because newer curative treatment for all stages of disease would give the public an excuse not to take the vaccine, reject all direct-detection methods that prove chronic infection and voila! move forward with patent royalties, vaccine development and pharmaceutical profits. The federal watchdog is no more. People suffering and dying and for what? Lyme for Profit.

The CDC has propagated this false Lyme disease narrative for decades and to this day refuses to recognize the disabling stage of the disease exposed in the documentaries Under our Skin and The Quiet Epidemic.

Suppressing evidence of antibiotic resistance for the sake of a vaccine is a crime Attorney Siri!

This is a criminal case that must be exposed as you have done with the childhood vaccine mantra; “Vaccines do not cause autism because we say so.”

Chronic Lyme does not exist because we say so! DO NOT QUESTION OUR PUBLIC HEALTH NARRATIVE, PERIOD!!! Or else…

We need your help Attorney Siri! We need your help!

Respectfully submitted,

Carl Tuttle
Independent Researcher
Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH

PS. Publication from our public health officials of Vector Borne Division of the CDC:

Post-treatment Lyme borreliosis in context: Advancing the science and patient care
Grace E. Marx*, Alison F. Hinckley, Paul S. Mead
Published 27 June 2021
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanepe/PIIS2666-7762(21)00130-7.pdf

Tuttle’s comment:

This is the same old garbage (junk science) regurgitated by the CDC/IDSA year after year, decade after decade while avoiding the elephant in the room.

Conclusion: “Fortunately, safe and effective vaccines for Lyme disease may be on the horizon which could both reduce LB incidence on a population scale while averting long-term patient suffering”  Voila and there you have it folks!!!!

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**Comment**

Our case is a perfect example of sexual transmission.  For our story:   https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/02/24/pcos-lyme-my-story/

Lida Mattman was able to culture spirochetes from tears, sweat, urine, CSF, blood, plasma, fleas, mites, mosquitoes, etc. and UW researcher Elizabeth Burgess could infect cats orally, ocularly, via IV, and via contact transmission in dogs:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/02/transmission-of-lyme-disease-lida-mattman-phd/  She almost lost her job over these findings because they didn’t want them found.

For more:

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Transmission, Treatment

Brazil Faces Same Problems With Lyme Disease As Seen in the USA

http://cameronmd.com/brazil-faces-problems-lyme-disease-seen-usa/

Brazil faces same problems with Lyme disease as seen in the USA

An article published in the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology entitled “Brazilian borreliosis with special emphasis on humans and horses” examines the growing number of cases in Brazil of Lyme disease, referred to, in that country, as the Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome (BYS).

By 

The authors take an in-depth look at BYS and how it compares to Lyme disease (LD) found in the United States. Although there are slight differences between the diseases, BYS and LD share similarities on many fronts. [1] “Despite the increasing number of suspect cases, this disease [BYS] is still neglected in Brazil by the medical and veterinary communities,” writes Basile and colleagues.

BYS causes some of the same symptoms seen in Lyme disease, such as erythema migrans, arthritis, neurological symptoms and cardiac disease. Both are difficult to diagnose.

“The disease is often unrecognized, especially at secondary or tertiary stages when patients do not remember what occurred months or years before the current disease,” stated Basile. “Certainly, many cases of unrecognized chronic neurological or articular disease are in fact cases of BYS not identified and treated at early stage.”

The capybaras, a popular Brazilian house pet, is a known reservoir for ticks infected with the Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome (BYS).

The Brazilian disease can also be multisystemic. “Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome has been reported to cause neurological, cardiac, ophthalmic, muscle, and joint alterations in humans.” Furthermore, it has been associated with a high morbidity “due to the presence of symptom recurrence, severe reactive manifestations such as autoimmunity, and the need for prolonged treatment.”

According to Basile and colleagues, the disease progresses with recurrences, “especially if antibiotic treatment is initiated later than three months after infection.” Thus, treating the disease in its early stages is critical.

Cystic forms have been described, as well. “Because motile and spiral spirochetes were never isolated or cultured in Brazil, researchers from LIM-17 assumed that the etiological agent in Brazil was present in cystic form.”

The Brazilian patients may also be suffering from co-infections, as investigators identified other microrganisms in the blood of BYS patients. Tests showed “the occurrence of microorganisms with morphological structures similar to Mycoplasma spp., Chlamydia spp., and non-flagellated spirochetes in the peripheral blood of patients with BYS who were seropositive for B. burgdorferi sensu lato,” according to Basile. “Those patients exhibited negative serology for Mycoplasma spp. and Chlamydia spp.”

Additionally, laboratory testing for BYS is unreliable. There is a low sensitivity and specificity with the ELISA, enzyme immunosorbent assay, or western blotting for B. burgdorferi, in part because these tests utilize antigens from B. burgdorferi stricto sensu from the Northern Hemisphere.

Domestic pets have been described as potential reservoirs for ticks carrying the disease. The capybaras, a large rodent and popular house pet in Brazil, has been identified as a likely reservoir and is thus a threat in spreading the disease.

Wild and domestic animals can be infected. “Studies indicate that LB [Lyme borreliosis] in horses has clinical signs similar to the disease in humans, including fever and lethargy, arthritis, polysynovitis, lameness, muscle stiffness, abortion, meningitis, cranial neuritis, radiculoneuritis and encephalitis, uveitis, and premature death of foals,” according to Basile.

The authors’ findings reminds us that the challenges faced in the United States in gaining recognition for a disease that is growing in numbers and has the potential to cause chronic, debilitating illness is not unique to our country. The Brazilian patients suffering from the Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome are struggling to conquer the same obstacles.

“Lyme disease is a condition of extreme importance because it is a zoonosis that causes physical and psychological sequelae in affected individuals. It remains poorly investigated in Brazil, especially in the field of veterinary medicine. Therefore, studies describing the unique aspects of the disease in Brazil and the etiological agents found are needed.”

References:

  1. Basile, R.C., et al., Brazilian borreliosis with special emphasis on humans and horses. Braz J Microbiol, 2016.

Update: Oliveira from the Ministry of Health, Brasilia, DF, Brazil was not able confirm Lyme-like borreliosis in Brazil in a letter in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease.1 “The interpretations of the results have not followed those recommended by the CDC.” writes Oliveira. Only three cases of Lyme-like borreliosis were identified. “This evidence reinforces the hypothesis that Lyme borreliosis does not occur in Brazil.” writes Oliveira.

  1. de Oliveira SV, Faccini-Martinez AA, Cerutti Junior C. Lack of serological evidence for Lyme-like borreliosis in Brazil. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2018.

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**Comment**

Another perfect example of why the CDC must go.

This corrupt, inept organization rules the world.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission