Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Lab Acquired Infections: Lyme

https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/24414377?cs_tk=AvrO18-

LABORATORY-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS: Borrelia burgdorferi

APR 11, 2019 — 

Please see the correspondence below identifying deaths from LABORATORY-ACQUIRED Borrelia burgdorferi in 1976 before Lyme was formally identified.

——– Original Message ———-

From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: brett.giroir@hhs.gov, tickbornedisease@hhs.gov
Cc: (96 Undisclosed recipients)Date: April 11, 2019 at 10:43 AM

Subject: The spirochete responsible for Lyme disease was not formally identified until 1982 by Willy Burgdorfer

April 11, 2019

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Attn: ADM Brett P. Giroir, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health

Dr. Giroir,

Please see the attached PDF published in 1999 by the Canadian Office of Biosafety Information which was edited by the Colorado State University Office of Biosafety.  https://www.dropbox.com/s/pjqxu42638071sq/Infectious%20Agent.pdf?dl=0

Excerpt:

SECTION I – INFECTIOUS AGENT

NAME: Borrelia burgdorferi

Date prepared: October 11, 1997 Prepared by- Canadian Office of Biosafety

Information edited by the Colorado State University Office of Biosafety; June 16, 1998.

From section VI:

LABORATORY-AQUIRED INFECTIONS: 45 reported cases up to 1976 with 2 deaths.

________________________________________

Discussion…..

The spirochete responsible for Lyme disease was not formally identified until 1982 by Willy Burgdorfer so how did laboratory personnel become infected (and with two reported deaths) prior to 1982?

Notice that “modes of transmission” identified are other than vector borne.
Were these infections acquired at Pathogen Detection Laboratories or bio-warfare facilities?

What is most disturbing here is a reported death rate of 4% for this group. The CDC recently estimated an annual 329,000 Lyme disease cases occur yearly in the U.S. and a 4% death rate would equate to 13,160 deaths annually.

Reference:

How many people get Lyme disease?
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/humancases.html

“In this study, researchers estimated that 329,000 (range 296,000–376,000) cases of Lyme disease occur annually in the United States.”

How prevalent is death from complications of Lyme disease if no one is looking for the pathogen at the time of death? Wouldn’t it make sense to screen still births, the hearts from cardiac deaths or the brains from patients who pass from Alzheimer’s disease for Borrelia infections?

If no one is looking then no one is counting.

For example: Take a look at the Microbiology Laboratory page for Brigham and Woman’s Hospital which is located in one of the highest Lyme endemic regions in America. Do you see any mention of testing for the causative agent of Lyme disease; Borrelia burgdorferi?

Brigham and Woman’s Hospital Microbiology Laboratory
https://www.brighamandwomens.org/pathology/clinical-pathology/microbiology-laboratory

It’s as if this disease is of no concern for the medical community and that needs to change Dr. Giroir as patient testimony continues to describe a disease that is destroying lives, ending careers while leaving its victim in financial ruin.

Carl Tuttle
Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH

_____________________

**Comment**

This 2005 video with transcript of Dr. Lida Mattman states Bb transmission can happen in numerous ways – not just by a tick:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/02/transmission-of-lyme-disease-lida-mattman-phd/

Excerpt:

We know now it’s in tears and people wipe their eyes and then you shake hands with them. Or we don’t laugh so hard about the physician we had in the hospital who wouldn’t touch the doorknobs in the hospital without taking his white coat and handling the doorknob through a coat. Maybe he wasn’t so insane after all.

So we think this is spread by what is called fomites (an inanimate objector substance that is capable of transmitting infectious organisms fromone individual to another) which is the pencil in the bag as you pick up a pen to write a check or anything you handle. So it’s in urine and in tears and it’s also spread by mosquitoes and who hasn’t had a mosquito bite?  We’ve tested the mosquitoes in Michigan and sure enough they can carry the Lyme spirochete.  

Together with her collegue JoAnne Whittacker, Mattman did groundbreaking work on Lyme testing. Her Gold Standard Culture Method has disappeared thanks to the concerted suppression on microscopy. In 2004 she already claimed that she could not find any uninfected blood in the USA anymore.

Mattman isolated living Borrelia spirochetes in mosquitoes, fleas, mites, semen, urine, blood, plasma and Cerebral Spinal Fluid. She discovered that this bacteria is dangerous because it can survive and spread without cell wall (L shape). Because L-forms do not possess cell wall, they are resistant to antibiotics that act upon the cell wall.

Others have found various ways Bb is transmitted as well:

THE CDC/IDSA/NIH STILL HAVEN’T RECEIVED THE MEMO or they are ignoring it

 

 

 

Category:

Uncategorized

CDC to Start Monitoring Tick Distribution & Their Diseases

https://www.webmd.com/arthritis/news/20190327/cdc-to-start-tracking-ticks-as-diseases-rise  See link for full article which includes a slide show and prevention tips

CDC to start monitoring tick distribution and their diseases

CDC to being tracking ticks and their diseases

WebMD, March 27, 2019

by Bara Vaida

The CDC for the first time will be monitoring the nation’s tick population and the diseases the pests may be carrying.

The effort comes as the number of people diagnosed with serious diseases caused by things like ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes has more than doubled over the past few decades. Ticks caused the vast majority of those diseases.

Its aim is to assess where Americans might be most likely to get a tick-borne illness.

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Ticks, Uncategorized

Save the Date – May is Lyme Awareness Month: Free Showing of ‘Under Our Skin,’ Best Primer on Lyme Disease

Mark Jason Lim

Please spread the word.

I will be bringing posters for you to take & distribute at the next Lyme support meeting on Saturday April 13. Details on the meeting here:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/11/april-2019-lyme-support-meeting/. A person from group has agreed to share practical tips on diet/nutrition. Bring a notebook and pen to take notes and ask questions.

Our last meeting until fall will be the May 4 viewing of “Under Our Skin” with a Q & A following.  Please bring family, friends, co-workers, anyone who needs to learn about this 21st century plague that is a pandemic.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Uncategorized

LYME SCI: Nerve Damage Shown in Patients With Chronic Lyme Symptoms

https://www.lymedisease.org/nerve-damage-chronic-lyme/

LYME SCI: Nerve damage shown in patients with chronic Lyme symptoms

By Lonnie Marcum

Nerve pain and Lyme Disease

Many Lyme disease patients report severe chronic pain, numbness and tingling, even after they have supposedly “completed” treatment for Lyme disease.

But up until recently, there hasn’t been an objective way to measure those symptoms. You had to report them to the doctor, hoping he’d take you at your word about what you were feeling.

New research suggests such sensations may be caused by nerve damage. Additional findings show that decreased blood flow in the brain may also be contributing to “dysautonomia.” That’s dysfunction of the system that regulates bodily functions such as blood pressure, digestion, and sweating.

Now, a groundbreaking study provides quantifiable, physiological reasons for these chronic symptoms that continue to plague a subset of patients despite treatment for Lyme disease. (I wrote about another recent study showing measurable inflammation in the brains of Lyme patients here.)

Small fiber neuropathy

This new study is from Dr. Peter Novak and colleagues at Harvard Medical School. They set out to determine whether symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive impairment and widespread pain that remain following treatment for Lyme disease are associated with a condition called small fiber neuropathy (SFN).

SFN is caused by damage to nerves that convey pain and temperature sensations from the skin to the brain, as well as those involved in breathing, heartbeat, digestion and bladder control.

Even when Lyme is treated early, the CDC states that 10% – 20% of patients will be left with prolonged, sometimes disabling, symptoms. If not treated until later in the illness, the recovery rate is even worse, with estimates of up to 50% of patients remaining ill.

When such symptoms as brain fog, widespread pain, and fatigue continue for longer than six months after treatment, some researchers call it post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS).

[Editor’s note: LymeDisease.org recommends dropping PTLDS as a diagnostic term. Read more here.]

How does Lyme affect the nervous system?

Borrelia, the spirochete that causes Lyme disease, can invade the nervous system, creating a condition called Lyme neuroborreliosis.

In the central nervous system, the infection can cause meningitis (swelling of the brain), and damage various nerves in the brain or brainstem. In the peripheral nervous system, the infection can result in pain that radiates along sensory nerves.

The exact reasons why some patients get better with treatment and other patients remain ill is unclear. The potential mechanisms may include permanent damage from infection, neuroinflammation, autoimmune reactions, or persistent infection.

As Professor Holly Ahern explains, the main problem with research into so-called “PTLDS” is the absence of an accurate blood test or biomarker. Researchers have no way to determine if persisting infection is the cause of the continuing symptoms.

Dr. Novak and his team set out to find objective measures.

“We know these patients are suffering. The next question is how do we treat them?” says Novak.

“The most valuable studies are those that give us a biomarker, something we can measure, so that when we treat them, we can look objectively to see if they get better or not.”

The study

The researchers screened 132 Lyme patients. Of these, only 10 participants (5 women, 5 men) met the criteria for PTLDS used by the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center. These criteria include:

  • A documented history of Lyme disease that satisfies the CDC criteria,
  • A combination of fatigue, cognitive complaints and chronic widespread pain that persists for six months or more, after completing treatment for Lyme disease,
  • An absence of other disorders that could explain the complaints associated with PTLDS

All 10 patients in Novak’s study had received three weeks of oral doxycycline. Because of persisting symptoms, all 10 had also been treated with additional antibiotics.

To establish whether SFN might be causing continuing symptoms, study participants were given skin biopsies and other evaluations.

The most commonly reported symptoms were:

  • Aching pain (10:10)
  • Numbness, pricking sensations, lightheadedness, dry mouth or eyes (8:10)
  • Feet colder than the rest of body (7:10)
  • Pale or blue feet, burning pain, lancinating (stabbing) pain (6:10)
  • Decreased sweating at feet (both at rest & after exercise or hot weather) (5:5)

The results

The results of the study are striking. All 10 participants tested positive for SFN and decreased blood flow to their brains.

Notably, all 10 participants were shown to have normal large nerve fiber functions. This means that standard nerve conduction velocity tests—which measure how fast an electrical impulse moves through a nerve—will not be a good diagnostic tool for these patients.

Dr. Novak says he had anticipated finding some SFN, but was surprised by the reduced velocity in cerebral blood flow found in all 10 participants.

Based upon the “horrible pain” reported by these patients, Novak explains,

“we expected them to have damage of the nerves. But we were surprised with the low cerebral blood flow measured with the Doppler test, which was significant.”

What this means for patients

The symptoms of chronic Lyme overlap with many other illnesses, like multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia. So, it’s important to have tests that can detect all stages of Lyme and differentiate it from other conditions.

In the future, the SFN biopsy may be a good biomarker for Lyme disease. Typical symptoms of SFN include numbness, tingling or “pins-and-needles,” electric shock-like pain, burning/freezing sensations, or reduced sensation to touch.

Likewise, low cerebral blood flow, as measured by the Doppler, may be a good biomarker for Lyme patients with postural orthostatic hypotension (POTS) and dysautonomia.

The search for better diagnostics

While the results of this study were remarkable, Dr. Novak cautions,

“It was a small group.”  He explains, “We want to do the study again… We have many more patients that don’t meet the CDC criteria. Next time we will look at these patients. The next question will be how do we treat them.”

I and many other within the Lyme community are encouraged to see so many talented researchers devoting themselves to finding answers. The discovery of more sensitive and accurate biomarkers for Lyme is an important step towards better treatments for people with tick-borne illnesses.

LymeSci is written by Lonnie Marcum, a Licensed Physical Therapist and mother of a daughter with Lyme. Follow her on Twitter: @LonnieRhea  Email her at: lmarcum@lymedisease.org .

References

Novak P, Felsenstein D, Mao C, Octavien NR, Zubcevik N (2019) Association of small fiber neuropathy and post treatment Lyme disease syndrome. PLoS ONE 14(2): e0212222. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0212222

Personal communication, March 12, 2019. Peter Novak, MD, PhD, Division Chief, Autonomic Neurology, Director, Autonomic Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School.

________________

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/12/small-fiber-neuropathy-ptlds/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/06/new-scan-technique-reveals-brain-inflammation-associated-with-post-treatment-lyme-disease-syndrome/

Regarding the PTLDS moniker:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/25/medical-stalemate-what-causes-continuing-symptoms-after-lyme-treatment/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/16/counterpoint-hitting-the-wall-of-denial-with-chronic-lyme/

POTS:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/07/qbs-wife-has-lyme/

Dysautonomia:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/20/tick-borne-diseases-causing-autonomic-dysfunction/

 

Category:

Lyme, Pain Management, Uncategorized

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is Not the Only Rickettsiosis

https://www.galaxydx.com/rickettsiosis_rocky_mountain_spotted_fever/

written on

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is not the only Rickettsiosis

Rickettsia species cause moderate to severe symptoms ranging from fever to internal hemorrhaging.

The symptoms and their severity depend on which species is present and how long the patient has been infected. Like Bartonella and Ehrlichia, Rickettsia species are intracellular bacteria, which means that they can live inside cells in the host.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is perhaps the most notorious of the rickettsioses (Rickettsia-related illnesses) reported in the United States. The CDC started tracking cases back in the early 20th century because of patients’ high fatality rate. Researchers soon found that the causative agent was R. rickettsii, which was transmitted primarily by Dermacentor ticks like the American dog tick.

The fatality rate for RMSF has decreased tremendously since the invention of doxycycline in the 1940s. However, reported cases have risen since CDC criteria for reporting expanded in 2010 to include Rickettsia species that cause similar yet milder symptoms. Our new Rickettsia species webpage is designed to give you an overview of rickettsioses found around the world and how Galaxy Diagnostics tests can detect the spectrum of species that cause them.

Figure 1: Reported cases and case fatality rates of spotted fever rickettsioses

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever became a nationally notifiable disease in the United States in the 1920s. In 2010, the criteria expanded to include additional Rickettsia species that cause spotted fevers (CDC).

The rise in reported cases of rickettsiosis and newly discovered species has created a need for diagnostics with increased specificity. R. parkeri, R. philipii, and R. akari cause similar symptoms, but conventional tests that are available often cannot discern which species is present.

Serology is the most common method used for laboratory evidence of a Rickettsia species infection. Labs will use antigens from a certain species to test for an immune response in a blood sample, but the chances of cross-reactivity are high because the bacteria are closely related. This means that the test for a certain species could be positive, but it actually may be a different species that is present. Furthermore, serology results can be hard to interpret because antibodies could indicate current or past infection.

Galaxy Diagnostics offers highly sensitive and specific PCR testing for pathogenic Rickettsiaspecies. If DNA from Rickettsia is detected, the sample is DNA sequenced and the exact species is determined.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/index.html

___________________

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/14/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever-rmsf/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/16/new-tick-causes-epidemic-of-rmsf/  It’s usually spread by the American dog tick and the closely related Rocky Mountain wood tick. But in recent years the bacterial infection has also been spread by the brown dog tick — a completely different species.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/12/georgia-mom-warns-others-after-son-contracts-rocky-mountain-spotted-fever-after-tick-bite/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/10/first-rmsf-death-in-wisconsin/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/?s=rickettsia

  • 1st detection of Rickettsia Africae & Tropical Bona Tick Found in France
  • Rickettsia found in ticks on Brazilian snakes
  • Tick bite in ear gave UK teacher Rickettsia Typhus infection
  • 30% Finnish ticks carry at least 1 pathogen & Candidas Rickettsia Tarasevichiae found for the 1st time
  • Study finds Q Fever & Rickettsia (Typhus) in Australian Ticks & people

 

 

Category:

Rickettsia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Testing, Ticks, Uncategorized

Vaccine Court & Autism

https://www.brighteon.com/embed/6015470979001

10 Minute Video

Vaccine Court and Autism…

Truth in Media with Ben Swann
  • In 1986 Congress passed a law called the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act that gives vaccine manufacturers a blanket exemption from any medical liability.
  • Those injured by vaccines can not sue vaccine manufacturers but instead must petition the U.S. government in the Federal Claims Court called the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).
  • The Learned Intermediary Doctrine gives manufacturers no liability for giving or failing to give accurate or complete information regarding vaccinations.
  • 30 Years later the vaccine schedule has tripled while the table of injuries has become far more restrictive forcing 90% of petitioners into “off table” litigation
  • Mark Blaxill, father of a vaccine injured child, is part of The Canary Party, a social movement that stands up to industry.

_________________________

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/02/the-cdc-is-the-fox-guarding-the-henhouse-regarding-vaccines/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/07/the-vaccine-debate-top-government-expert-states-vaccines-can-cause-autism-in-some-children/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/08/acip-vote-yes-for-new-vaccine-despite-no-safety-studies-on-cumulative-effect-with-other-vaccines/  This is how brand new vaccines are approved to the pediatric immunization schedule. Basic dialogue before they voted:

Q: Is it dangerous to use this vaccine with other vaccines?

A: We have no data on that. Once approved, it will be given along with other vaccines but we have no clue whether that’s safe or not.

Somehow approving a new vaccine with no data on the accumulated cocktail effect is OK to them IF you put them in different limbs……scientifically, this is quite a head scratcher.  By nature, vaccines are systemic.

Q: Do we at least have any data from other countries that used this vaccine in combination with other vaccines?

A: Not to my knowledge.

Sounds good to me. Lets vote yes!

Only after they vote, one guy voices concern over 16 heart attack deaths in the safety trials.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/02/mic-drop-at-the-acip-cdc-meeting-vaccine-science-not-settled/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/15/medical-doctor-of-50-years-current-measles-hysteria-not-based-on-science-but-scientism-a-quasi-religious-faith-in-vaccines/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/22/bill-gates-former-doctor-says-billionaire-refused-to-vaccinate-his-children/

 

Category:

Uncategorized

Global Lyme Alliance Announces New Partnership With Delaware Lyme Board to Help Educate Physicians About Lyme Disease

https://globallymealliance.org/press-releases/global-lyme-alliance-announces-new-partnership-delaware-lyme-board-help-educate-physicians-lyme-disease/

MARCH 12, 2019

lyme disease

CURRICULUM CREATED FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS TO AID IN DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF TICK-BORNE DISEASES

STAMFORD, CONN and DOVER, DEL (March 12, 2019)—Global Lyme Alliance (GLA), the leading 501(c)(3) dedicated to conquering Lyme and other tick-borne diseases through research, education and awareness, today announced it has partnered with the state of Delaware’s Lyme Disease Education Oversight Board (LDEOB) and launched an online Lyme disease course for physicians and other healthcare professionals.

This Continuing Medical Education (CME) certified activity presents and discusses recent advances in the management of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses. Among the topics covered are the epidemiology of Lyme, diagnostic challenges, common co-infections and routine recommendations for the testing and treatment of Lyme disease infections based on current guidelines.

“The incidence of Lyme and tick-borne disease in Delaware and nationwide is alarming and causes so much suffering,” said Sara Tyghter, GLA Director of Education and Outreach. “GLA was delighted to work with Delaware’s LDEOB to determine the learning objectives for this educational activity and help select its faculty members.”

Serving as faculty for the course, “A Clinical Guide to Diagnosing and Treating Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Illnesses,” are GLA Scientific Advisory Board member Charles Chiu, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and Elena Frid, M.D. a board-certified neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist in private practice in New York.

The course eventually came about after Delaware House Speaker Peter C. Schwartzkopf, State Senator Ernesto B. Lopez, and other Delaware state lawmakers became aware of the high incidence of Lyme and the consequent suffering it caused constituents. In 2014 lawmakers sponsored the Delaware Senate Joint Resolution 10 which was signed into law and established Delaware’s Lyme Disease Prevention Task Force. Two years later Delaware House Bill 291 created the LDEOB and reached out to GLA since it already offered CME-accredited programs. Members worked with GLA, Drs. Chiu and Frid, pictured, in collaboration with the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and RedMedEd, an e-learning entity, to bring the Lyme disease course to fruition.

“We feel that this program is essential to help educate healthcare professionals on the complexity of Lyme disease as a multi-systemic infection that can have the potential for long-term illness if diagnosed late or inadequately treated,” said Dr. Krista Griffin, a LDEOB member. “We wanted to impress upon healthcare providers that Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis; rash presentation or lab testing can confirm a diagnosis but should not be solely relied upon.”

Speaker Schwartzkopf added, “Delaware is right in the middle of a hotspot for Lyme disease which is misunderstood and sometimes misdiagnosed. . . Continuing Medical Education classes like this will help physicians identify Lyme early and take action quickly to limit its effects and treat patients quickly.” Senator Lopez noted, “The Delaware General Assembly values and appreciates this meaningful step forward on behalf of all affected by this illness.”

GLA is committed to providing CME-accredited educational programs for healthcare professionals to learn more about diagnosing and treating Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. For information on all its educational programs, go to GLA.org.

To access this course free of charge, visit https://globallymealliance.org/education-awareness/physicians-training-program/.

About Global Lyme Alliance
Global Lyme Alliance is the leading 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to conquering Lyme and other tick-borne diseases through research, education and awareness. GLA has gained national prominence for funding some of the most urgent and promising research in the field, while expanding education and awareness programs for the general public and physicians. We support those around the globe in need of information about tick-borne diseases. Learn more at GLA.org.

_____________________

Please spread the word to doctors that there are accredited CME’s they can obtain to become better educated on Lyme/MSIDS.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/06/lyme-education-for-healthcare-professionals/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/19/calling-all-doctors-please-become-educated-regarding-tick-borne-illness-heres-how/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/20/help-doctors-get-educated-on-lyme-and-tick-borne-illness/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/22/new-lyme-cme-course-available-lyme-carditis-more-than-blocked-beats/

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Uncategorized