Archive for the ‘Transmission’ Category

As the Threat of Lyme Disease Rises, Why Hasn’t Research Funding Followed Suit?

https://undark.org/2018/09/06/lyme-research-funding/

As the Threat of Lyme Disease Rises, Why Hasn’t Research Funding Followed Suit?

The tick-borne illness now costs Americans up to $1.3 billion a year in medical expenses. It’s time for politicians to mount a response.
/ By Rocky Kistner Federal funding for Lyme disease research has stagnated in recent years.  Visual: NIH NIAID/Flickr
In 1987, Sherrill Franklin was pregnant and living in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, when she discovered a rash on her leg as big as a dinner plate. She had been bitten by a tick. She soon began to suffer fatigue, a sore throat, and severe arthritis that made her hands feel “like claws.” It took almost two years, and a three-week course of intravenous antibiotics, for her to get back on her feet.
Two decades later, Franklin got a second tick bite, and this time she developed more extensive neurological symptoms. She lost weight, experienced heart complications, and had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. She was eventually diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an immune disorder that her endocrinologist said could have been triggered by Lyme disease. Today, Franklin is still experiencing symptoms. After countless visits to health care experts, she says she’s spent $50,000 of her own money on medical help.

 

“The best thing about Lyme disease is you usually don’t die,” Franklin says. “The worst thing about it is that you don’t die.”

Franklin is not alone. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), annual cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in the U.S. have skyrocketed to more than 300,000 — up from just 50,000 three decades ago. And those totals are thought to underestimate the true tally of patients who suffer from chronic tick-borne illnesses. A Johns Hopkins study estimates that Americans now spend up to $1.3 billion a year battling Lyme disease alone. Yet, the research that could help us better understand, treat, and prevent the disease remains woefully underfunded. That needs to change.

The recent explosion in Lyme disease cases stems from a perfect storm of climate and environmental change: Global warming has made northern latitudes more hospitable to the tiny blacklegged ticks that transmit the disease, and rapid deforestation and development have left large populations exposed to the wooded areas that harbor the ticks. The CDC reports that the number of tickborne illnesses in the U.S. has doubled from 2004 to 2016, and a new study finds that Lyme disease, once primarily a scourge of the northeast, has now spread to all 50 states. Economist Marcus Davidsson predicts that as many as one million Americans will be infected in 2018. And experts say it will only get worse.  (Please see my comment after article)

The growing medical crisis has exacted not only a physical but a financial toll as well. Policy experts say that, after accounting for lost productivity and hard-to-detect chronic conditions, the real costs of Lyme disease could be many times more than the $1.3 billion estimated in the Johns Hopkins study.

Laurie Johnson, executive director of the Climate Cost Project, and co-founder Sieren Ernst are working to home in on the true societal costs of Lyme disease. The team has been collecting surveys from Lyme disease patients to create a database of the patients’ medical expenses. So far, the results are astounding. Half of the respondents reported more than $30,000 in out-of-pocket expenditures on Lyme disease treatments, with some reporting more than $200,000.

“We believe the data is just the tip of the iceberg,” Ernst says.

What’s more, the rising threat of tick-borne disease has led Americans to take fewer trips outdoors — up to a billion fewer trips annually in the northeastern U.S. alone, according to a Yale study published last year. The authors of that study estimate that the economic burden associated with the lost trips could amount to as much as $5 billion annually.

As the societal costs of Lyme disease soar, funding for Lyme disease research remains in a rut. An unpublished draft report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Tick-Borne Disease Working Group finds that, while the National Institutes of Health and the CDC spend $53,571 and $14,054 respectively for each new case of HIV/AIDS, they spend just $90 and $35 per new case of Lyme disease.

“Federal funding for tick-borne disease today is orders of magnitude lower, compared to other health threats, and it has failed to increase as the problem has grown,” the report states.

Dr. John Aucott, chair of the working group and director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center, says the federal research community is not doing enough to find an accurate test and a cure for Lyme disease. He adds that the problem is compounded by controversies surrounding the symptoms of chronic Lyme disease, which makes it difficult for patients to get proper medical care.

In late August came a ray of hope from Capitol Hill. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer announced that, after five years of stagnant funding, the Senate had authorized a 12 percent increase for the CDC’s research on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses for the 2019 fiscal year. The measure would raise allocations from $10.7 million to $12 million.

Still, patients like Sherrill Franklin say that’s sorely inadequate, and that the measure would do little to address chronic conditions that afflict millions like her. As the planet warms and populations grow, tick-borne illnesses are skyrocketing. It’s time for politicians to mount a serious response to the rising threat.

William “Rocky” Kistner is a multimedia journalist who writes about environmental issues and climate change. He publishes stories at www.TheRockyFiles.com and lives near Washington, D.C.

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**Comment**

Once again, according to independent tick researcher John Scott, the climate has absolutely nothing to do with the spread of ticks and therefore Lyme/MSIDS:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/13/study-shows-lyme-not-propelled-by-climate-change/ A recent study shows that warm winters are lethal to I. scapularis (black-legged) ticks. In fact, overwinter survival dropped to 33% when the snow melted. This has been substantiated by other researchers as well. Scott & Scott, 2018, ticks and climate change, JVSM

This is an important distinction for a number of reasons:

  1. Earmarking tick/MSIDS research with the moniker “climate change” will divert precious money to the wrong subject matter when issues like accurate testing, education on how to clinically diagnose, settling the matter of pathogen persistence once and for all, and the need for research studying the cumulative effects of ALL of the pathogens involved on the human body would get a great start in helping patients.  But, there are hundreds of other topics as well.  
  2. Scott goes as far as to state the climate change issue is a “red herring” to divert attention away from the fact nothing has been done to help patients in over 40 years and is actually part of a “nefarious plot.”  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/14/canadian-tick-expert-climate-change-is-not-behind-lyme-disease/
  3. Scott, infected himself, has determined black legged ticks require 14 hours to molt to the next stage, something he dubs “photo period.”  Light has much more of an impact on ticks than climate as ticks are marvelous ecoadaptors and will seek out leaf litter and snow when conditions become harsh.
  4. Scott offers that yearly bidirectional, songbird migration in spring and fall is behind tick expansion and that the climate change model actually reflects migratory flight not warmer futuristic temperatures.
  5. Research on migratory birds and their impacts on tick expansion would be a far better topic to spend money on than more climate data.
  6. We need to know if other insects can transmit this.  To date, researchers smugly point to a 30 year old study and say it can’t, yet patients all over the world have far different experiences:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/01/strides-in-lyme-research-links-to-mosquitos-as-carriers/.  The potential for ALL blood sucking insects to transmit all or some of the pathogens commonly blamed on ticks is very real.  And just because it can’t be seen doesn’t mean it isn’t there.  These are notoriously stealthy pathogens who thrive on hiding and avoiding detection.
  7. We all know that MS, Lupus, Fibro, ALS, dementia, and Alzheimer’s can be undiagnosed Lyme as well as the fact that according to a prominent Wisconsin Lyme doctor, 80% of his PANS/PANDAS patients have Lyme/MSIDS as well.  Research on these topics would again, be far more helpful than the same – o- same-o climate data that’s been collected for years.
  8. Since many couples are infected and they’ve actually found borrelia in semen and vaginal secretions, we need to know if this is a STD:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/02/24/pcos-lyme-my-story/  We also need the medical community to admit it’s congenital and spread via breast milk https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/19/33-years-of-documentation-of-maternal-child-transmission-of-lyme-disease-and-congenital-lyme-borreliosis-a-review/ and https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/24/new-berlin-mom-given-life-altering-lyme-disease-diagnoses-after-pregnancy/  These are practical day to day issues that require answers.  Knowledge is power and we need it!  I literally could go on and on to infinity here but these 7 issues are screaming for research.  Nobody is touching this with a 10 foot pole yet life marches on with the very real probability we are transmitting this is far more ways than the dastardly black legged tick.  We need to know.
We needed to know these answers 40 years ago.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

Ocular Manifestations of Bartonellosis

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/30124532/

Ocular manifestations of bartonellosis.

Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2018 Aug 18. doi: 10.1097/ICU.0000000000000522. [Epub ahead of print]

Authors
Mabra D1, Yeh S2, Shantha JG2.
Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the systemic and ocular complications of Bartonella spp. infections specifically cat scratch disease, encompassing epidemiology, laboratory diagnostics, ophthalmic imagining, and treatment.

RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies have shown that ocular manifestations occur in approximately 4.4% of cat scratch disease patients. The annual prevalence is lower than previously reported to be approximately 12 500 cases annually. Mainstay treatment continues to be oral antibiotics with and without corticosteroids and is dependent on associated systemic manifestations, age, and patient immune status. More recently anti-VEGF agents have been used for complications such as cystoid macular edema and choroidal neovascularization.

SUMMARY: Bartonella spp. infections continue to be a common cause uveitis with ophthalmic manifestations ranging from neuroretinits, vascular occlusions, to choroidal granulomas. Review of associated risk factors including contact with feline reservoirs will aid in recognition and diagnosis of this disease entity. Laboratory diagnostics continue to improve to help with the diagnosis of this entity.

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**Comment**

Thankful that more is coming out on how Bartonella affects the eyes.  This crossed my desk just last year:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/23/opthalmic-manifestations-of-bartonella-infection/

As well as these:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/21/bartonella-and-neuroretinitis/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/04/06/ocular-bartonellosis/

What ISN’T coming across my desk is the fact many feel strongly that ticks carry and transmit Bartonella.  Mainstream medicine & researchers still mostly deny this to the demise of patients.  Bartonella alone is a formidable foe, but couple it with Lyme and other viruses and tick borne infections and you have a seriously ill patient on your hands.  Regardless if it is transmitted by ticks, there is also the potential of reactivating latent infections within the body when bitten by a tick.  So if the Bart is hanging around but the patient is asymptomatic, a tick bite could activate the latent Bart and cause a hail storm of symptoms.  In my experience testing is horrific in this area and wise doctors treat patients based upon clinical presentation.

Research is required in this area.  Doctors need to know about the potential for this pathogen to be in the mix of tick borne illnesses.  This is another reason why the mono therapy of doxycycline rarely works in patients.  They are often dealing with more than one pathogen/illness.

Until this changes people will not improve.

According to this doctor, Bartonella is the new Lyme:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/07/fox-news-bartonella-is-the-new-lyme-disease/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Bartonella, Eye Issues, research, Transmission, Treatment

Tick Bites in Switzerland Hit Record Levels

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/health_ticks-bites-in-switzerland-hit-record-levels/44319454

Tick Bites in Switzerland Hit Record Levels

A record 272 cases of infections with tick-borne encephalitis have been reported in Switzerland over the past 12 months, according to the Federal Office of Public Health.

Compared with the same period in 2016/2017, this is an increase of three cases.

The officeexternal link says the number of serious cases also reached record levels, to 5.39 per 100,000 people from 1.42 per 100,000 people in 2015.

The number of doctor’s appointments because of tick bites and bacterial infections were also up considerably in a long-term comparison.

The health authorities have recommended that people who live in at-risk areas, where the disease is endemic, get vaccinated against the virus.

About 1% of tick-borne encephalitis cases are fatal. Bacterial infections can be treated with anti-biotics, according to experts.

In Switzerland, the tick season starts in March and ends in November, depending on the weather. The health office says ticks are found mainly in deciduous forests with heavy undergrowth and at an altitude of up to 1,500 metres.

Video here:

swissinfo.ch with SDA-ATS; ug

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**Comment**

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Ticks, Transmission, vaccines

How to Spot the Symptoms of Lyme Disease in Dogs

https://www.thesprucepets.com/lyme-disease-in-dogs-3384701

How to Spot the Symptoms of Lyme Disease in Dogs

By Lianne McLeod, DVM

Updated 04/23/18

Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi and is spread by ticks. Ticks become infected with the bacteria by feeding on infected mice and other small animals. When an infected tick bites other animals, it can transmit the bacteria to these animals. Lyme disease is transmitted by the deer tick (black-legged tick) and a small group of other closely related ticks. The deer tick is small and may bite animals and people without being detected. Lyme disease affects a variety of species, including dogs, cats, and people. Up to 95 percent of dogs infected with B. burgdorferi do not develop symptoms (people are much more likely to become ill with Lyme disease).

There is no evidence that Lyme disease is spread by direct contact with infected animals. However, keep in mind that ticks can hitch a ride home on your pets and move on to the humans in the household. **Please see my comment at end of article**

Risk Factors

Dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors, especially in the woods, bush, or areas of tall grass are most commonly infected with Lyme disease. However, ticks can be carried into yards on other animals, and dogs can become infected anywhere ticks are found.

Infections occur during tick season (usually spring through early fall), but the time between infection and the appearance of Lyme disease symptoms can be up to 2-5 months. **Please see comment**

Lyme disease is seen across the US and in many other parts of the world. In the US. Lyme disease is most common in the northeastern US, along with the Pacific coast, and in the midwest.

Signs of Lyme Disease

When clinical signs do develop, they may be transient or recurrent, and can include:

  • Fever.
  • Decreased appetite.
  • Swollen, painful joints (dogs may be reluctant to move).
  • Lameness — limping which may be mild at first, then worsen, and may also shift from one leg to another.
  • Lethargy.
  • Swollen lymph nodes.

Some dogs with Lyme disease may develop kidney disease.

Signs of kidney disease may include depression, vomiting, loss of appetite, and increased thirst and urination (sometimes a lack of urination will develop). Dogs who develop kidney disease can become very ill and may not respond to treatment.

Neurological disease (behavioral changes, seizures) and heart complications, which are sometimes seen in humans, are rare in dogs.

Diagnosis of Lyme Disease

The diagnosis of Lyme disease must be based on a combination of factors, including history (tick exposure), clinical signs, finding antibodies to B. burgdorferi bacteria, and a quick response to treatment with antibiotics.

A positive antibody test is not enough to make a diagnosis on its own, because not all dogs that are exposed to B. burgdorferi get sick, and antibodies can persist in the blood for a long time after exposure.

Other diagnostic testing, such as blood and urine tests, x-rays, and sampling of joint fluid, may be done to check for signs of kidney disease and to rule out other conditions with similar signs and symptoms.

Treating Lyme Disease

Treatment with antibiotics usually produces rapid improvement in symptoms (antibiotics will be continued for a few weeks). Treatment may not be completely clear the bacteria, but produces a state where no symptoms are present (similar to the condition in dogs that don’t have symptoms from infection).

Kidney disease may develop some time after the initial infection, so is it a good idea to regularly check for excess protein in the urine of dogs that have had Lyme disease. Catching the kidney disease early in its course offers the best prognosis. If kidney disease is present, a longer course of antibiotics along with additional medications to treat the kidney disease is usually necessary.

Preventing Lyme Disease
  • Tick Control is extremely important for the prevention of Lyme disease (and many other diseases that can be transmitted by ticks). Check your dog daily for ticks and remove them as soon as possible, since ticks must feed for at least 12 hours (possibly 24-48 hours) before transmitting the bacteria causing Lyme disease. This is especially important in peak tick season and after your dog spends time in the bush or tall grass (consider avoiding these areas in tick season).  Products that prevent ticks such as monthly parasite preventatives (e.g., Frontline®, Revolution®) or tick collars (e.g., Preventic®) can be used; be sure to follow your veterinarian‘s advice when using these products. Keep grass and brush trimmed in your yard, and in areas where ticks are a serious problem, you can also consider treating your yard for ticks.  **Again, please see my comment at end of article**
  • Vaccines for Lyme Disease: Vaccination against Lyme disease is a controversial topic and is something that should be discussed in depth with your veterinarian. Many specialists do not recommend routine vaccination because so few dogs develop symptoms of Lyme disease, and when Lyme disease does occur in dogs, it is usually readily treated. Additionally, because arthritis and kidney problems associated with Lyme disease are at least partly related to the immune response to the bacteria (rather than the bacteria itself), there is concern that vaccination may contribute to problems. Vaccination is also not 100 percent effective, and it’s only helpful in dogs that have not already been exposed to B. burgdorferi. However, vaccination before exposure can help prevent dogs from getting Lyme disease and also prevent them from becoming a carrier of the bacteria. Where vaccines are used, it is usually recommended to start vaccinating dogs as young puppies (e.g., at around 12 weeks, with a booster 2-4 weeks later). The vaccine does not provide long-lasting immunity, so annual re-vaccination (ideally before tick season) is necessary. The recombinant form of the vaccine is considered to have less potential for side effects than the bacteria form of the vaccine.
Please note: this article has been provided for informational purposes only. If your pet is showing any signs of illness, please consult a veterinarian as quickly as possible.
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**Comment**
While there are many useful take-aways from this article, a number of myths continue to be propagated.  
  1. There is evidence that there is transmission by direct contact with animals.  http://www.lymerick.net/Transmission-Bb-contact.htm  (Here we see evidence of Bb in feces, urine, tick excretes, cow milk, food, in utero, transplacental, sexual, semen, and mucus membranes.)
  2. My vet treated my dog for longer than a couple of weeks.  I think that wise knowing the organism reproduces slowly.  They also have the canine equivalent of probiotics but they are designed for a dog’s micro biome so don’t give him yours.
  3. The fallacy of it taking 24-48 hours to be transmitted, is just that – a fallacy.  Please read more about transmission time here:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/04/14/transmission-time-for-lymemsids-infection/
  4. Transmission can occur at ANY TIME of the YEAR.  I have buddies pulling live ticks off their dogs in Northern Wisconsin in February.

Also, please note the comments about the vaccine.  They always want to state how great it is in animals but I see many comments that suggest extreme caution – similarly to the human Lyme vaccine.  First, it doesn’t provide lasting immunity, it causes obvious side-effects, it’s not 100% effective, and vaccination can make things worse for dog exposed to Bb.  Since this can be transmitted congenitally, it’s pretty hard to know what dogs already have Bb.  It’s Russian Roulette with dogs just as much as with humans.  Buyer beware.

Category:

Lyme, Lyme Vaccine, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

First Identification in China of Guertu Virus From Ticks

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29802259/

A novel tick-borne phlebovirus, closely related to severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus and Heartland virus, is a potential pathogen.

Shen S, et al. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2018.

Abstract

Tick-borne viral diseases have attracted much attention in recent years because of their increasing incidence and threat to human health. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome phlebovirus (SFTSV) and Heartland virus (HRTV) were recently identified as tick-borne phleboviruses (TBPVs) in Asia and the United States, respectively, and are associated with severe human diseases with similar clinical manifestations. In this study, we report the first identification and isolation of a novel TBPV named Guertu virus (GTV) from Dermacentor nuttalli ticks in Xinjiang Province, China, where TBPVs had not been previously discovered. Genome sequence and phylogenetic analyses showed that GTV is closely related to SFTSV and HRTV and was classified as a member of the genus Phlebovirus, family Phenuiviridae, order Bunyavirales. In vitro and in vivo investigations of the properties of GTV demonstrated that it was able to infect animal and human cell lines and can suppress type I interferon signaling, similar to SFTSV, that GTV nucleoprotein (NP) can rescue SFTSV replication by replacing SFTSV NP, and that GTV infection can cause pathological lesions in mice. Moreover, a serological survey identified antibodies against GTV from serum samples of individuals living in Guertu County, three of which contained neutralizing antibodies, suggesting that GTV can infect humans. Our findings suggested that this virus is a potential pathogen that poses a threat to animals and humans. Further studies and surveillance of GTV are recommended to be carried out in Xinjiang Province as well as in other locations.

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**Comment**

More and more research showing viruses in ticks is coming out.  I pray authorities are taking note.  While the viruses may or may not cause direct symptoms, they certainly must be considered in patient cases as the overall immune system will be impacted and have the potential to make cases more severe.  We desperately need research in this area.

Many practitioners find patients improve when anti-viral medications are used and the immune system is strengthened.

**For more on Thrombocytopenia Syndrome** https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/20/11/14-0888_article

(SFTS) is a newly emerging infectious disease. Symptoms and laboratory abnormalities are fever, thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), leukocytopenia (low white blood cell count), and elevated liver serum enzyme levels. Multiorgan failure occurs in severe cases, and 6%–30% of case-patients die. The syndrome is caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV) (genus Phlebovirus, family Bunyaviridae). SFTS case-patients were first reported in China (1) and more recently were reported in Japan (2) and South Korea (3). Two case-patients with symptoms consistent with a similar virus, Heartland virus, were reported in the United States (4).

Ixodid tick species are implicated as vectors of SFTSV (1,5,6). One study described a SFTSV prevalence in Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks, a major vector of SFTSV, of 0.46% minimum infection rate in South Korea (7); in another study, SFTSV was detected in ticks that had bitten humans (6). From these studies, we realized that SFTSV was common throughout the country. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of SFTS in South Korea and isolate the SFTSV to analyze its phylogenetic properties.
The major signs and symptoms of the 35 case-patients, including fever (100%), gastrointestinal symptoms (74%), fatigue (74%), thrombocytopenia (100%), and leukocytopenia (100%), were similar to those of case-patients in China and Japan (9).

It is mentioned that the “Asian” SFTSV and the “U.S.” HRTV have similar clinical manifestations.

Please know that ticks do not regard borders and are being transited everywhere by migrating birds and other mammals and even reptiles.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/08/hemorrhagic-fever-virus-found-on-ticks-on-migratory-birds/  An example of Hemorrhagic fever virus on ticks on migratory birds.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/19/monster-ticks-found-in-germany-threaten-europe-with-deadly-disease-crimean-congo-fever/  This recent article shows a tick with a disease that shouldn’t be in Germany but is.  They also found one tick to have a tropical form of tick typhus.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/11/death-from-tick-borne-virus-sfts/  1st recorded death in Japan from SFTS and the patient didn’t even have a tick bite but rather a cat bite demonstrating the first recorded mammal to mammal transmission.

The aforementioned haemaphysalis longicornis (Asian Longhorned tick or bush tick) tick is in now in at least 7 U.S. states:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/19/rutgers-racing-to-contain-asian-longhorned-tick/.  So again, although it’s considered an Asian tick it’s here which means the potential to transmit the diseases considered “Asian” could be here as well.

Category:

research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Viruses