Wisconsin Girl Loses Battle With Lyme Disease

August 20, 2019

https://koepsellfh.tributes.com/obituary/show/Samantha-K.-Butterbrodt-107417544

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Obituary for Samantha K. Butterbrodt

February 20, 1995 – August 15, 2019
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin | Age 24

Loving Daughter, Sister, Granddaughter and Niece

Samantha K. Butterbrodt, 24, of Beaver Dam passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, August 15, 2019 at her father’s home after a lifelong battle with Lyme Disease.

Samantha was born the daughter of Bernard B. Butterbrodt and Diane K. Wolfgram on February 20, 1995. Samantha attended Beaver Dam High School. She enjoyed ice skating and watching the Packers, Brewers, and Bucks. She loved music and going to concerts, and was a big supporter of her friends. Birthday suppers with Grandma Stange were very special to her as well as Grandpa Stange’s chili.

Samantha is survived by her mother, Diane (John) Biel of Beaver Dam; her father, Bernie Butterbrodt of Beaver Dam; two sisters: Sophia and Stephanie Biel of Beaver Dam; maternal grandparents: Ken and Mary Stange of Beaver Dam, paternal grandparents: Raymond and Sue Butterbrodt of Burnett; and maternal grandparents: Vernon and Lois Biel of Randolph; aunts and uncles: Debbie Hyke of Muskego, Denise (Gordy) Krueger of Montello, Russell Butterbrodt of Clintonville, Darrell Butterbrodt of Horicon, Cheryl (Daryl) Pieper of Green Bay, Brenda Butterbrodt of Clyman, Brian (Diane) Butterbrodt of Fox Lake, Rae Marie (Wayne) Pribnow of Beaver Dam, Paul Biel of West Bend, and Lavinia Baldivieso of DeForest; other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather, Gerald Wolfgram and her uncle, Charles Hyke.

A memorial gathering will be held at the Koepsell-Murray Funeral Home in Beaver Dam on Thursday, August 22, 2019 from 1 p.m. until the time of the memorial service at 4 p.m. Deacon Ed Cody will officiate.

Koepsell-Murray Funeral Home in Beaver Dam is serving the family. www.koepsellfh.com.

__________________

Go to link at beginning to sign the guestbook.

http://whatislyme.com/rip-lyme-friends-memorial/  Lyme Memorial

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Activism, Lyme

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Lyme Disease As War Weapon? Inside New Jersey Representative’s Push For Probe

August 19, 2019

https://news.yahoo.com/lyme-disease-war-weapon-inside-184904486.html

Lyme disease as war weapon? Inside New Jersey representative’s push for probe

Susanne Cervenk
USA TODAY

ASBURY PARK, N.J. – People suffering from Lyme disease could be closerto knowing whether the chronic illness impacting an estimated 300,000 or more people started off as a U.S. biological weapon.

U.S Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey hopes that knowledge could lead not only to accountability, but also a potential cure and greater recognition of the disease.

“My hope is, this jump-starts a very aggressive effort to find a cure and see how this (Lyme disease) is growing. It’s pushing out into the Great Lakes area. It’s exploding everywhere,” said Smith, a longtime advocate for Lyme disease research.  His district is one of the hotbeds for the disease.

The House of Representatives added a Smith amendment to a federal defense spending bill that would require the Department of Defense’s Inspector General to investigate whether the military, between 1950 and 1975, experimented with ticks and other insects to be used as biological weapons.

US Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) opens a panel discussion about Lyme disease research held at the Wall Township Municipal building Wednesday, May 29, 2019.

US Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) opens a panel discussion about Lyme disease research held at the Wall Township Municipal building Wednesday, May 29, 2019.

Investigators will report back to the House and Senate Armed Services committees with the scope of any experiment it finds, including whether any ticks or insects were released into the environment, either by accident or on purpose.

The amendment was approved by voice vote. Now the House bill has to be reconciled with a Senate bill that does not include Smith’s amendment. Smith is working with senators to ensure the investigation survives the process.

Smith’s push for the federal investigation began after reading “Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons,” by Stanford University-based science writer Kris Newby.

A longstanding theory is that Lyme disease was a Soviet-era biological weapon created in a U.S. government research center on Plum Island and released, either accidentally or intentionally.

A book about the history of Lyme disease was referenced by US Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) before a panel discussion about Lyme disease research held at the Wall Township Municipal building Wednesday, May 29, 2019.
A book about the history of Lyme disease was referenced by US Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) before a panel discussion about Lyme disease research held at the Wall Township Municipal building Wednesday, May 29, 2019.

Newby’s book, however, advances the theory with an interview with  late researcher Willy Burgdorfer, who claimed to have infected the ticks during U.S. military experiments.

“There needs to be significant accountability,” Smith said. “This should not be mired in secrecy.”

A federal probe could prove or disprove the theory. If the theory is proven correct, it would also give ammunition to individuals with chronic Lyme disease, who often face significant battles in getting treatment because it is not widely recognized by the medical community.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America has declined to recognize chronic Lyme disease in its clinical practice guidelines, leaving sufferers to find “Lyme-friendly” doctors, which is not easy.

Smith said knowing the truth about any experimentation would also help researchers reverse-engineer a cure for the tick-borne illness, which can often be misdiagnosed first as fibromyalgia or other conditions before patients learn they have Lyme disease.

Smith unsuccessfully attempted to add a second amendment to the bill that would have created a Lyme disease “national strategy,” a holistic approach for federal agencies to combat the disease.

The national strategy is a part of Smith’s TICK Act, federal legislation he has proposed for more than 20 years that would provide $180 million over six years for research.

Follow Susanne Cervenka on Twitter: @scervenka.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lyme disease a bioweapon? New Jersey rep’s call for U.S. probe

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Activism, Lyme, Ticks, Uncategorized

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IDSA Treatment Guideline Has Been Identified As A “Predatory Device”

https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/24957930?

IDSA treatment guideline has been identified as a “predatory device”

AUG 18, 2019 — 

The serious critique below (copy to the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group) requires a response from the IDSA!

Lyme Bumper Stickers (Public Service Announcement)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/123659578861

——— Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: csears@jhmi.edu
Cc: filet@summa-health.org, alexa011@mc.duke.edu, larry.k.pickering@emory.edu,hboucher@tuftsmedicalcenter.org, PracticeGuidelines@idsociety.org
Date: August 17, 2019 at 9:33 AM
Subject: Re: Draft Lyme Disease Guidelines Public Comment

Aug 17, 2029

IDSA
1300 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22209
Attn: Cynthia L. Sears, MD, FIDSA, President

Re: Draft Lyme Disease Guidelines Public Comment

Dear Dr. Sears,

The 2006 IDSA treatment guideline for Lyme disease has been identified as a “predatory device” as stated in the Lisa Torrey vs IDSA lawsuit:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/18uyrli878ug51m/LymeDisease%20RICO%20Lawsuit.pdf?dl=0

Excerpt:

“169. The 2006 Guidelines do not have a legitimate purpose. The IDSA, the IDSA Panelists, and the Insurance Defendants use the Guidelines as a predatory device to injure doctors who do not follow the Guidelines. The 2006 IDSA Guidelines also prevent doctors from providing patients with proven treatment options because the IDSA Guidelines are extremely restrictive. The IDSA Guidelines also limit patients’ ability to obtain health care and eliminate patients’ choice of medical treatment in the Lyme treatment market.”

________________________________________

As a follow-up to my previous letter dated Aug 6, 2019 I want to make this perfectly clear; repackaging the 2006 predatory device exposes the IDSA to additional litigation for the following reasons:

#1 Failure to acknowledge persistent infection and seronegative disease as identified in the references of my previous letter.

#2 Failure to acknowledge that Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) after early treatment and untreated Lyme of months, years or decades are two entirely different disease states.

#3 Failure to acknowledge patients who have had a prolonged exposure to the pathogen are almost always incapacitated as exposed in the Under or Skin documentary:

Under Our Skin – Extended Trailer (5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxWgS0XLVqw&feature=channel_page

#4 Promotion that Lyme is hard to catch and easily treated by members of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

#5 Failure to inform the medical community that the only FDA test available for Lyme disease is useless for the first 4-6 weeks after a tick bite and no better than a coin toss thereafter. As stated by Paul Mead of the CDC:

“… serologic tests cannot distinguish active infection, past infection, or reinfection. Reliable direct-detection methods for active B. burgdorferi infection have been lacking in the past but are needed and appear achievable.” –Paul Mead (as a coauthor of the Schutzer paper)

By the time serology tests are positive, the spirochetes have already invaded various deep tissues, like those in syphilis, and are hard to eradicate with antibiotics

We are dealing with an antibiotic resistant/tolerant superbug [1] that is completely incapacitating if not treated immediately and since humans do not produce antibodies for 4-6 weeks after a tick bite serology is an inappropriate laboratory test but absolutely essential for the purpose of concealing persistent infection. (chronic Lyme)

1. Standard antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease does not kill persistent Borrelia bacteria.

http://droopyyoupi.blogspot.com/2015/08/standart-antibiotic-treatment-for-lyme.html

-What has tuberculosis and Borrelia burgdorferi in common? In the late stage of the disease occurs persistent (tolerant) bacteria, which essentially means that the bacteria lasts and lasts and lasts. They protect themselves against antibiotics and are difficult to treat.

– Both Borrelia burgdorferi and tuberculosis is relatively easy to cure in the early stages, even with the use of one antibiotic. In the late stage it is impossible to cure the disease with the same type of treatment in the acute phase, said Dr. Ying Zhang when he visited the year NorVect conference.

#6 Failure to recognize Lyme disease as a horribly disabling infection; misclassifying the disease as a low-risk and non-urgent health threat.

Example:

Latent Lyme Disease Resulting in Chronic Arthritis and Early Career Termination in a United States Army Officer (Published: 06 March 2019)

CDT Thomas Weiss; CDT Peter Zhu; CDT Hannah White; LTC Matthew Posner; J. Kenneth Wickiser; MAJ Michael A. Washington; LTC Jason Barnhill

https://academic.oup.com/milmed/advance-article/doi/10.1093/milmed/usz026/5370051?searchresult=1

This previously healthy cadet when found unfit for duty received a 100% service connected disability after discharged from active military service. Lyme has been portrayed as a simple nuisance disease by the defendants named in the Texas racketeering lawsuit so obtaining disability for this infection as a civilian is virtually nonexistent.

Dr. Sears… I represent 80,000 individuals who are calling for a congressional investigation into the deliberate mishandling of Lyme disease here in the United States and everyone who signs my petition has an opportunity to leave a comment. I have 1,100 pages of comments describing a disease that is destroying lives, ending careers while leaving its victim in financial ruin.This PDF file is evidence that the Infectious Diseases Society of America has grossly misrepresented the disease and has left the horribly disabled to fend for themselves when the one-size-fits-all treatment guideline fails.

As representative of those 80,000 individuals, please be advised that I am pursuing council to determine legal action against your 2019 predatory device.

Respectfully submitted,

Carl Tuttle

Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH

Previous letter sent to Dr. Sears:

It’s time to recognize that we need an entirely different approach; anything less is inhumane

https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/24913464

Standart antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease does not kill persistent Borrelia bacteria.
Standard antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease does not kill persistent Borrelia bacteria.
blogg.no “koffiehart” Ticks “Dr. Ying Zhang: – Standar antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease does not kill persistent Borrelia bacteria…
https://droopyyoupi.blogspot.com

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New Hampshire Man Tests Positive For Jamestown Canyon & Powassan Viruses

http://indepthnh.org/2019/08/08/dhhs-kingston-man-tests-positive-for-rare-viruses-carried-by-ticks-mosquitoes/

DHHS: Kingston Man Tests Positive for Rare Viruses Carried By Ticks, Mosquitoes

By DHHS news release

Public Domain photo

NH health officials say protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced that an adult from Kingston, NH tested positive for both Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) and Powassan virus (POW), the first time these vector-borne diseases have been identified in the State in 2019.JCV is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and POW is transmitted by infected ticks. There are no vaccines to prevent JCV or POW and treatment consists of supportive care.

“From spring until fall, New Hampshire residents and visitors are at risk for a number of different infections from the bite of mosquitoes and ticks, and this case highlights the risk from both,” said Dr. Benjamin Chan, State Epidemiologist.

“In addition to Jamestown Canyon virus and Powassan virus, there are a number of other viral and bacterial infections that can be transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks in New Hampshire, and we recommend that residents and visitors continue to take basic steps to prevent mosquito and tick bites in order to stay healthy.”

Jamestown Canyon virus is a mosquito-borne pathogen that circulates widely in North America primarily between deer and a variety of mosquito species, but it can also infect humans. First reported in the early 1970s, reports in humans are rare but have been increasing over the last several years. This is New Hampshire’s seventh case of JCV since the first report of the disease in 2013. Most reported illnesses caused by JCV have been mild, but moderate-to-severe central nervous system involvement has been reported.

Powassan virus infection is similar to mosquito-borne viruses like JCV, West Nile virus (WNV), and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), but is transmitted to people by infected ticks. POW was identified as a cause of human illness in the late 1950’s. In the last decade, 144 cases of POW have been detected in the United States. This is New Hampshire’s fourth case of POW, also since 2013. In New Hampshire, the blacklegged tick is the most likely to transmit this virus to people. A tick needs to be attached to a person for only 15 minutes to transmit POW. Some people who are infected may experience mild illness or no symptoms. Powassan virus can also infect the central nervous system causing brain inflammation, which may be disabling or fatal.

The Kingston resident had no recent history of travel outside our state and spent a great amount of time outdoors. Residents and visitors to New Hampshire should protect themselves and their family members by:

·         using an effective mosquito and tick repellant containing DEET (20-30%), Picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus

·         wearing protective clothing, tucking shirts into pants and pants into socks

·         removing standing water from around your house so mosquitoes do not have a place to breed

·         being mindful of tick habitat keeping grass cut short, and

·         performing frequent and daily tick checks with immediate tick removal.

Vitamin B, ultrasonic devices, incense, and bug zappers have not been shown to be effective in preventing mosquito- or tick-borne diseases.

Other mosquito- and tick-borne illnesses that have been documented in New Hampshire include WNV and EEE from mosquitoes, and Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Borrelia miyamotoi from ticks. Biting mosquitoes will continue to be a disease concern until there are two, statewide, hard frosts. Risk of tick bites exists when temperatures are above freezing and ticks are not covered by snow.

People can be infected and not develop any symptoms, or only develop very mild symptoms. Early symptoms can include flu-like illness including fever, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue. People infected with JCV, EEE, WNV, and Powassan can develop more serious central nervous system disease, including meningitis or encephalitis. If you or someone you know is experiencing flu-like symptoms, including fever and headache, contact your local medical provider.

Anyone with questions about vector-borne illnesses can call the DHHS Division of Public Health Services Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at (603) 271-4496 between 8 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. More information can also be found online at www.dhhs.nh.gov and www.cdc.gov.

News story here:  https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-adult-infected-with-jamestown-canyon-virus-powassan-virus/28647142

________________

**Comment**

Pathogens have a certain proclivity for their vectors. It’s always interesting to me to entertain the possibility that perhaps there is cross over.

For instance, borrelia has been found in mosquitoes and many patients claim to have become infected with Lyme after a mosquito bite:

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/are-mosquitoes-transmitting-lyme-disease/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26631488/  Excerpt:

…results show that DNA of Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia bavariensis and Borrelia garinii could be detected in ten Culicidae species comprising four distinct genera (Aedes, Culiseta, Culex, and Ochlerotatus). Positive samples also include adult specimens raised in the laboratory from wild-caught larvae indicating that transstadial and/or transovarial transmission might occur within a given mosquito population.

BTW: THE LAST STUDY ON THE POTENTIAL OF OTHER BUGS TRANSMITTING LYME (MINUS THE GERMAN STUDY ON MOSQUITOS) WAS DONE OVER 30 YEARS AGO.  AND, WHILE NO SPIROCHETES WERE ISOLATED FROM THE HAMSTERS, ANTIBODIES WERE FOUND – EVEN BACK THEN.

Therein lies the hang up. The presence of antibodies does not prove infection. It’s interesting that the current CDC 2-tiered testing relies upon antibodies…..

The transmission of Bartonella from ticks is also still being quibbled about with some just stating emphatically that it is:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/ while others take a more conservative approach and say the science isn’t settled: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/07/13/suspected-insect-and-arthropod-vectors-for-bartonella-species-galaxy/

This issue of what is being transmitted by whom seems to me to be a very important and practical issue.  Why isn’t the science being done?

Also, while the media continues to inform us all of this is “rare,” please remember that many of these pathogens are not mandatorily reported, and we have no idea on prevalence. Coppe Lab out of Wisconsin emphatically states Powassan is NOT rare:

http://www.coppelabs.com/blog/why-is-powassan-virus-infection-still-described-as-rare-and-mysterious/  Please read the following excerpt by Coppe Lab here in Wisconsin,

For the last two years, Coppe Laboratories has dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to dispelling the myth that infection with Powassan virus, a virus transmitted by tick bite, is rare. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) reports only 100 cases of Powassan virus infection in the United States in the last 10 years. Indeed, that statistic gives the illusion that Powassan infection is rare. However, did you know that the only infections reported to CDC are those that are life-threatening, particularly cases causing severe inflammation of the brain like the case reported in LiveScience? Coppe has published three new papers in the last year that clearly show Powassan virus infection is not rare are at all,and until testing for this virus is included as part of tick-borne disease screening panels infections will continue to be underreported. Coppe’s Powassan Guide, which can be downloaded from the website, summarizes the findings from both tick and human Powassan prevalence studies, as well as defining the patient populations that would benefit most from Powassan testing.

To my knowledge, not only are there few current studies on what transmits what, but nothing has been done  on transmission time when multiple pathogens are being transmitted concurrently. Everyone’s stuck on climate change….

 

 

 

 

Category:

mosquitoes, Ticks, Transmission, Viruses

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Interview – Marianne Middelveen On Morgellons

Live Interview With Marianne Middelveen

  1. Can you tell us what kind of science you practice and describe how that applies to your work?
  2. What is the extent of your involvement with the Charles Holman Foundation?
  3. Is the diagnostic criteria for Morgellons just the fibers under the skin or are there any other symptoms specific to the Morgellons condition?
  4. In 2012 the CDC accomplished a study of Morgellons but could not determine an infectious agent. Why couldn’t they and how can you find these pathogens and what exactly did you find?
  5. Why does the serologic test for Lyme not reveal bacterial infection in those who it is apparent, like in Morgellons patients?
  6. Can you describe the culture method you employed for your research?
  7. How strong is the evidence that Lyme disease is sexually transmissible?
  8. Is it true that Deer do not get Lyme disease?
  9. Is it true that most people who get Lyme don’t get Morgellons, but most Morgellons patients do get Lyme?
  10. Can some people carry Lyme bacteria without health consequence?
  11. What was your research in the South American jungles regarding?
  12. Is Morgellons associated with mold or fungus?
  13. Can you explain what a follicular cast is, what it is made of and how they relate to Morgellons patients?
  14. Can someone have follicular casts but not the Morgellons fibers?
  15. Your latest study demonstrates mixed bacterial biofilms in Morgellons patients, what are biofilms?
  16. You also detected Alzheimer’s plaques in the skin, are there other conditions where Alzheimer’s plaques are discovered in other parts of the body?
  17. In your study you tested 6 of 14 patients for tau and beta-amyloid, why not the other eight?
  18. Is it likely then that the six might develop Alzheimer’s?
  19. Some of your research demonstrates the Morgellons condition in Dogs, and BVV in cattle. Do other animals have Morgellons like birds and cats?
  20. What is the difference between relapsing fever, dental spirochetes, and Lyme and how are all three associated with Morgellons?
  21. What is H-pylori and do all Morgellons patients have it?
  22. Is Morgellons associated with Bartonella?
  23. Your latest study cites research demonstrating beneficial biofilms producing melanin, is this suspected of a possible mechanism by which Morgellons fibers are colored?
  24. What does blind controlled and peer-reviewed mean and how many labs are replicating your work? How does the scientific process work from where you sit?
  25. What is your proudest achievement in regards to your research, Morgellons or otherwise?
  26. What can people watching at home do to help you produce more answers about Morgellons?
  27. Do you have any personal causes or charities that you are passionate about?
The CDC disclaimer states:
“A surveillance case definition is a set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health surveillance. Surveillance case definitions enable public health officials to classify and count cases consistently across reporting jurisdictions. Surveillance case definitions are not intended to be used by healthcare providers for making a clinical diagnosis or determining how to meet an individual patient’s health needs.”
https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel…. “Parachutes” is a novel written by Marianne Middelveen: https://www.amazon.com/Marianne-Midde…
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__________________

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Activism, Lyme, Morgellons, Testing

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