Lyme Neuroborreliosis is a Severe & Frequent Neurological Disease in Mexico

July 14, 2019

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30554857/

2018 Aug;49(6):399-404. doi: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2018.11.007. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Lyme Neuroborreliosis is a Severe and Frequent Neurological Disease in Mexico.

Gordillo-Pérez G1, Solorzano F2, Cervantes-Castillo A3, Sanchez-Vaca G4, García-Ramirez R4, Díaz AM5, Muñoz O2, Torres J3.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To describe clinical cases with neurological manifestations associated with Borrelia burgdorferi infection in a large cohort of children and adults from Mexico.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Patients with neurological manifestation (cranial neuritis, radiculoneuritis, meningitis and encephalomyelitis) were recruited in one pediatric and two general hospitals, during January 2006-December 2015. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were drawn from each patient at inclusion. IgM and IgG antibodies against B. burgdorferi were detected using a commercial ELISA test, and confirmed by Western-Blot test (WB) using three different antigens from Borrelia burgdorferi complex. Following CDC criteria were considered true cases with both positive tests.

RESULTS:

Of 606 patients recruited, 403 (66.5%) were adults and 203 (33.4%) children, 50.5% were male.

  • B. burgdorferi infection was diagnosed in 168 patients (27.7%), 97 adults, mean age 42 ± 14.7 years and 71 children, mean age 9.6 ± 5 years;
  • early disseminated disease occurred in 130 cases (77.4 %) and
  • chronic stage in 38 (22.6 %)
  • A previous tick bite was reported by 21% cases, and
  • 5% recalled an erythema migrans lesion
  • Polyradiculoneuropathy and encephalomyelitis were the most common manifestations, whereas
  • 14.8% presented an initial Guillain-Barré Syndrome
  • B. burgdorferi sensu stricto was identified in 142 (84%) cases,
  • B. garinii in 14 (8%),
  • B. afzelii in three, and
  • nine cases presented coinfection with two species

CONCLUSION:

Lyme neuroborreliosis is a frequent condition in patients with neurological diseases in Mexico.

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**Comment**

Although a year old, utilizing even older data, this is HUGE, and I’m sure has only gotten worse. Most don’t even consider Lyme disease in South America, much less a severe and frequent disease.

Please note that they only considered people positive IF they tested positive on the abysmal 2-tiered CDC testing that misses over half of all cases:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/12/lyme-testing-problems-solutions/  It’s interesting to me that they describe “clinical” cases of neurological symptoms, yet continue to utilize abysmal testing as their means of diagnosis. What a shame.

How many infected Mexican patients were missed due to poor testing?

Also, please note only 5% recalled an EM rash. This criteria also needs to be thrown to the way-side as a standard for diagnosis:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/26/formally-challenging-cdc-advice-on-lyme-disease-rashes/  Again, if you are lucky enough to get the EM rash, YOU HAVE LYME DISEASE; however, even if you don’t have the EM rash, you might STILL HAVE LYME DISEASE.

Notice nearly 15% presented with an initial Guillain-Barre Syndrome as well as the fact 9 cases had coinfection with TWO species of borrelia.

For more on Lyme in South America:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/06/lyme-in-the-southern-hemisphere-sexual-transmission/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/12/07/first-report-of-bb-antibodies-in-south-american-veterinarians/

Also, please remember Lyme (borrelia) is only one of many. Patients are typically coinfected with numerous other pathogens:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/  If all they used was CDC 2-tiered Lyme testing, not only did they miss tons of patients who weren’t “positive enough,” yet still infected, they also missed the fact many were probably infected with other pathogens.

 

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Lyme, research, Testing

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How to Set Healthy Boundaries

https://anutherapy.com/blog/how-to-set-boundaries

HOW TO SET HEALTHY BOUNDARIES

By Kacie Mitterando. LMSW

“Daring to set boundaries is having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.” –Brene Brown

This week I read someone describe boundaries as the “new trend” in mental health. I like this mental health trend because boundaries are important, and setting them may even be the key adjustment we need to resolve feeling drained and spread too thin.

At the root of it, boundaries are the way in which we show others what we will accept and what will not accept in our relationships with them. For a multitude of reasons such as guilt or childhood trauma, we may not set these boundaries with those closest to us and are often left feeling used, drained and resentful towards people (or careers) we normally care deeply about. Boundaries are an example of self-love and setting them allows you to focus on protecting yourself and re-building your inner peace.

What are some signs you might need to set boundaries?

–        You’re having feelings of overwhelm several, or most, days of the week

–        When someone asks you for help with something you feel resentful towards them

–        You daydream about dropping your career or responsibilities and disappearing for a bit of time

–        You’re finding that time to yourself is limited as most of your time is spent with those around you

–        You initially think that you’re worried about hurting someone by being open and honest with your needs, however, you realize that you’re actually worried about their angry response

Understanding that it may be time for your to set boundaries in your life is step one, however, actually setting the boundaries with those around you can be difficult. While I recommend working alongside a therapist throughout the boundary-setting process, below are a few tips to help get you started and validate the importance of your needs.

1.     Become clear on what your boundaries are:

Take a mental inventory of what is important to you – Is it the way you are spoken to? Do you feel as though your physical needs and personal space are being violated? Are those around you shutting down your inner thoughts?

2.     Saying “no:”

I know this one always seems much easier said than done, however, sometimes we need to go back to the basics to find true peace. Sarri Gilman, an author and psychotherapist discusses a skill we all embody that helps us say no much easier – she calls it our inner sense of wisdom. This wisdom is often expressed through a tiny voice inside our head that either tells us “yes” or “no” to a task, event or opportunity that comes up. Practice tuning in to this inner wisdom to assist you in making decisions that are fulfilling and honoring your true needs.

3.     Expect to disappoint:

When setting boundaries with those around you, your loved one may initially become angry and upset with you. This can often cause you to want to pull back on the boundary and not honor your need, however, this reaction often proves that the boundary was necessary. Remind yourself that if you did not set this boundary, bitterness and resentment would likely have spread throughout the relationship over time and could have caused a large falling out. Even if someone is initially upset, those who respect your boundaries will end up becoming some of your most fulfilling relationships.

Sometimes boundaries my seem cold and distant, or like you’re trying to escape someone (or that someone is trying to escape you). Elizabeth Earnshaw stated “when people set boundaries with you, it’s their attempt to continue the relationship with you. It’s not an attempt to hurt you.” Ultimately, boundaries are our way of strengthening our relationships with those around us by deepening the connection with ourselves. By setting a boundary with the people you love the most you’re able to maintain, or begin, a healthy and strong connection with them.

No one becomes a master at setting boundaries immediately. It is a self-care practice that can take years to master. Know that you are worthy of honoring your innermost needs and fostering a fulfilling life of love and compassion with those around you.

__________________

For More:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/07/08/how-to-deal-with-lyme-skeptics-get-the-support-you-need/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/27/have-you-been-told-its-all-in-your-head-the-new-biology-of-mental-illness/

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Disulfiram-breakthrough drug for Lyme & Other Tick-borne Diseases?

https://www.lymedisease.org/disulfiram-kinderlehrer/

Disulfiram–breakthrough drug for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases?

By Daniel A. Kinderlehrer MD

I have been practicing medicine long enough to be very skeptical of “breakthroughs.” But disulfiram may be the real thing. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Anyone who reads the financial pages has heard of Steven Cohen, the multi-billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist. Cohen lives in Connecticut where his wife, Alexandra, became ill with Lyme disease.

The Cohens established the Cohen Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Initiative, a division within their philanthropic organization focused on supporting Lyme and tick-borne disease research. The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation has committed over $60 million dollars to support more than 25 Lyme disease research projects.

In 2016, the Cohen Foundation sponsored the first annual “Lyme Disease in the Era of Precision Medicine Conference” at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Those of us who actually treat Lyme disease know there is nothing precise about it. Treating chronic infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, complicated by any number of co-infections, is often hit or miss. Nevertheless, we who practice where the rubber meets the road are grateful for whatever clues basic researchers provide that can help our patients.

At that conference, Kim Lewis, leader of Northeastern University’s Antimicrobial Discovery Center, presented data on the relative effectiveness of different antibiotics against Borrelia burgdorferi in his laboratory.[1] Lewis was testing different pharmaceuticals against Bb, and one of the drugs he tested was disulfiram, also known as Antabuse.

Disulfiram

What is disulfiram? Let’s take a step back. If you drink alcohol, your body converts it to acetaldehyde via the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. Acetaldehyde is then broken down to acetic acid via the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase:

Disulfiram inhibits the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, leading to a buildup of acetaldehyde.

This is bad news if you drink alcohol, because acetaldehyde is responsible for the symptoms we know of as hangovers. This drug is prescribed to alcoholics as a deterrent to drinking alcohol, since having just one drink will result in a vicious headache.

It turns out disulfiram has known activity as an antimicrobial. Studies have demonstrated its action against gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Streptococcusspecies[2] as well as Plasmodium falciparum, a.k.a. malaria.[3]

Number one against Bb

In 2016, Venkata Raveendra Pothineni and colleagues at Stanford reported on new drug candidates against Borrelia burgdorferi using a technique known as high-throughput screening.[4] They ranked disulfiram as number one in activity against Bb among their top 20 hits.

On the basis of Pothineni’s work, Lewis compared the activity of disulfiram against a few other well-known drugs used in the treatment of Lyme disease. In his talk at the Precision Medicine conference, Lewis showed a slide that looked like this:

This bar graph depicts the number of colonies remaining after treating Bb with the following four drugs: doxycycline, ceftriaxone, vancomycin, and disulfiram. It is clear that vancomycin is a powerful drug to treat Lyme disease. But disulfiram completely sterilized the culture—there were no persisters! The mechanism of action of disulfiram as an antimicrobial is still unclear.

The effectiveness of an antibiotic in the laboratory does not always translate to its effectiveness in people. Furthermore, there have been no animal or human studies researching the efficacy of disulfiram in the treatment of Lyme disease.

A willing patient

But a patient of Dr. Ken Liegner of Pawling, New York, saw the lecture by Dr. Kim Lewis on YouTube and asked to be treated with disulfiram. This patient had been infected in May 2008, and diagnosed with Lyme disease and babesiosis. He was treated aggressively with oral antibiotics as well as intravenous gamma globulin (IVIG), since his serum level of IgG antibodies was low.

After nine years of treatment, the patient had improved substantially. However, any attempt to decrease or discontinue his antibiotics resulted in a relapse of his multi-systemic symptoms within two weeks.

Dr. Liegner explained to the patient that there were no studies investigating disulfiram in the treatment of Lyme disease. But he agreed to treat the patient with appropriate monitoring of his lab tests. The patient began disulfiram 500mg daily and simultaneously discontinued his previous antibiotic regimen. After four months on this regimen, the patient declared, “I’m cured!” and stopped treatment.

Interestingly, the patient had had a psychiatric hospitalization during treatment, which he related to significant situational stress. Dr. Liegner was concerned because there have been rare reports of disulfiram causing psychiatric problems. The patient did not think it was the drug, and said, “Even if it was responsible, it was worth it! Don’t fail to offer it to people just because of that!” The patient has continued to be symptom-free over two years later.

Highly effective

Dr. Liegner has reported the results of treating his first three patients with disulfiram in a recent article published in the journal “Antibiotics.”[5]  I encourage readers to check it out. He now has over 30 patients on this treatment, and he is impressed with how highly effective it is for both Lyme disease and babesiosis.

Since disulfiram has been shown to kill Plamodium falciparum (malaria) in the laboratory, it is not surprising that it would also be effective against Babesia. Dr. Lewis is planning to do a study on mice infected with Bb. In addition, Dr. Brian Fallon at Columbia University has announced his intention to undertake a controlled trial using disulfiram in well-characterized patients with Lyme disease. (Click here for more information about the clinical trial.)

Bartonella too?

There is a possibility that disulfiram is also active against Bartonella. Anecdotally, I have two patients who appear to have had Bartonella Herxheimer reactions when they began disulfiram. Additionally, there is a Facebook group among people who are on this medication, and the experience of some members has led them to believe that disulfiram hits Bartonella[6].

Thus far, my clinical experience with disulfiram is not extensive, but I am clearly seeing benefits as well as Herxheimer reactions. Because of the Herxheimer reactions, it is best to start slowly. The medication comes in tablets that are 250 mg and 500 mg. Starting doses are usually 67.5mg or 125 mg every three days, with increasing doses every two weeks if well tolerated. The full dose for an average adult is 500 mg daily.

The exciting news is that Dr. Liegner has found that many patients can stop the medication after four to six months and continue to stay in remission. It is recommended to check liver tests periodically, but disulfiram has a relatively low risk profile and few drug interactions. It is also inexpensive.

I am still skeptical about breakthroughs, but there is reason to be optimistic that disulfiram may be a game changer. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Dr. Dan Kinderlehrer is an internal medicine physician with a private practice in Denver, Colorado, devoted to treating patients with tick-borne illness. He is the author of the forthcoming book, “Recovery From Lyme: The Integrative Medicine Guide to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Tick-Borne Illness.” It will be released next year.

References

[1] Lewis, K.K.S. Lyme Disease in the Era of Precision Medicine. Available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUlKTnrGPgc (Accessed July 7, 2019)

[2] Long TE. Repurposing Thiram and Disulfiram as Antibacterial Agents for Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017;61(9):e00898-17.

[3] Scheibel LW, Adler A, Trager W. Tetraethylthiuram disulfide (Antabuse) inhibits the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979;76(10):5303-7.

[4] Pothineni VR, Wagh D, Babar MM, et al. Identification of new drug candidates against Borrelia burgdorferi using high-throughput screening. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2016;10:1307-22.

[5] Liegner KB. Disulfiram (Tetraethylthiuram Disulfide) in the Treatment of Lyme Disease and Babesiosis: Report of Experience in Three Cases. Antibiotics (Basel). 2019 May 30;8(2). pii: E72. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics8020072.

[6] https://www.facebook.com/groups/246058769631937

_________________

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/06/03/disulfiram-in-the-treatment-of-lyme-babesiosis-3-case-reports/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/17/global-lyme-alliance-doing-kick-butt-research/

 

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Babesia, Bartonella, Lyme, research, Treatment

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Flunk the Lyme Test? Just Wait & Get Sicker

July 13, 2019

https://globallymealliance.org/news/flunk-lyme-test-just-wait-get-sicker/

from Huffington Post,  January 9, 2017

by Mary Beth Pfeiffer

SIN LEE, A PATHOLOGIST AND SCIENTIST, BELIEVES THE DECK IS STACKED IN THE QUEST TO AIR NEW IDEAS ON LYME DISEASE.

Too many science journals telling him to take his research elsewhere. Too many deftly worded rejections. Too little inclination to engage in a fair fight over the facts and fiction of Lyme disease.

Dr. Lee’s experience is shared by many researchers I have interviewed, in the U.S. and Europe, in five years of writing about a disease on which scientific debate is limited and tightly controlled. Some 380,000 Americans were infected with the tick-borne spirochete in 2015, leaving 20,000, by conservative estimates, with unresolved joint pain, cognitive lapses, fatigue and other problems. Another 232,000 are estimated to be infected annually in Western Europe. Many suffer because of a poor test and delayed diagnoses, issues that have been largely dismissed in mainstream journals.

Lee decided to take on some of the biggest names in Lyme disease, after their Dec. 15 publication of an article, in Nature Reviews Disease Primers, that repeated the doctrines that have ruled Lyme disease care for nearly a generation. But his effort to rebut the article, centering on his call for better early diagnosis, was quickly squelched.

‘’Within days to weeks, [Lyme disease spirochetes] disseminate to other regions of the body or to other organs, the central nervous system, heart or joints.” — Steere article, which endorses waiting for a positive test to treat

“The point raised about requiring newer, better tests for diagnosis is undeniable, and the authors do discuss that,” Primers’ chief editor Mina Razzak wrote in a Dec. 20 email to Lee. “While I agree open dialogue and discussion is needed, this journal is not the best place for that…I am afraid we will not pursue publication of your letter.” Yes we agree there are problems, the editor was saying. Sorry, we won’t let you air them.

Lee, director of Milford Molecular Diagnostics, Milford, Connecticut, had other ideas, however. He posted his challenge on PubMed Commons, an open-access alternative that allows comment by published scientists, where it appeared below the article abstract.

Come back in a few weeks

The 850-word comment argues that Lyme infections have been allowed, even encouraged, to fester. How? Under long-established guidance, repeated in the article, that physicians wait for a positive test before treating patients without the Lyme rash. Lacking a good early test, doctors thus tell non-rash patients who have wrongly tested negative — as 50 to 80 percent of early cases do, the paper admits — to return in awhile, giving the insidious Lyme pathogen time to grow. By then, in what is called the convalescent phase, many patients feel better and do not return, only to be sickened later.

“The authors seem to advise the medical practitioners to not treat Lyme disease patients until the proliferating spirochetes in the host have elicited certain immune responses which can be confirmed by serologic tests,” wrote Lee, capturing the inexplicable logic of a flawed test. “Such practice should not be accepted or continued for obvious reasons.”

The article’s lead author was Allen Steere, who first investigated the disease when it emerged in Connecticut in the 1970s. Others included Gary Wormser, lead author of controversial Lyme treatment guidelines; Frank Strle, another guidelines author, and Paul Mead, an epidemiologist who has specialized in vector-borne diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On behalf of the CDC, Mead disputed Lee’s critique.

“CDC encourages prompt treatment of early Lyme disease. The suggestion that CDC is advising medical practitioners to withhold treatment until after the organism has disseminated is [his emphasis] incorrect,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “The recommendations for serologic testing are for patients who already have signs and symptoms suggestive of disseminated infection.”

Lyme disease can be diagnosed early, the CDC website states, ‘in patients who present with [a Lyme] rash.’ It does not say anything about people with symptoms but not the rash.

But patients have symptoms before the disease has disseminated, according to the CDC itself. Its website lists three symptoms of “localized” — or not disseminated — infection: the rash, flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes. However, the agency includes just one symptom to support diagnosis: “During the localized (early) stage of illness, Lyme disease may be diagnosed clinically in patients who present with [a Lyme] rash.” Not the flu, not abnormal lymph nodes.

CDC’s fine line

While the CDC’s website is carefully worded, the paper that Mead signed onto is crystal clear:

“Demonstration of borrelial infection by laboratory testing is required for reliable diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis, with the exception of erythema migrans,” the name for the reddish Lyme rash.

In one venue, namely the article on which he is a co-author, Mead is unequivocal that only tests can diagnose early non-rash infection. In the other, he and the CDC walk a fine line, approving diagnosis for those with the rash, but silent on the rest.

I asked Mead whether the CDC agreed with the article’s contention that a positive test is “required” without the rash, which, a CDC web page says, appears in 60 to 80 percent of cases. He noted that the article refers to “reliably” diagnosing, as opposed to treating, early disease, a distinction perhaps without a difference. He nonetheless left room for treatment based on symptoms.

With regard to empiric treatment of possible early Lyme disease,” he wrote,

“clinicians should consider the patient’s signs and symptoms, the many other diseases that may produce similar symptoms (including other tickborne and non-tickborne infections), and the risks and benefits of presumptive antibiotic treatment.”

Read the entire article on Huffington Post.

_________________

**Comment**

This 2017 deserves our attention because nothing’s changed in Lyme-land since it was written.

The “damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” is flagrant and reminiscent of the book “Catch 22.”

What’s new since then?

Mead pleads guilty to sex abuse:https://boingboing.net/2019/06/04/former-cdc-director-tom-friede.html

Steere is behind the failed Lymerix vaccine which caused many to develop Lyme: https://sites.google.com/site/jerryleonard999/home/allen-steere-psychopath-at-large

Wormser, the lead author of the unscientific 2006 IDSA Lyme disease treatment guidelines, is a pharmaceuticals consultant and lectures as a biowarfare expert.[12]He worked for the private Yale Corporation[13] that worked closely with the biowarfare tick lab across the Long Island Sound from Lyme, Connecticut, which also controlled the initial response to the Lyme Epidemic in the Northeast.  https://sites.google.com/site/jerryleonard999/home/allen-steere-psychopath-at-large

For an informative slide show on Wormser:  https://sites.google.com/site/jerryleonard999/home/gary-wormser-national-security-menace-and-traitor-to-humanity

Strle has been listed as having an intellectual conflict of interest being on the Lyme guidelines panel:  https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=197183

Hmmmmm….. perhaps these issues have something to do with the fact that knowledge and treatment of this disease hasn’t budged in over 40 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Suspected Insect and Arthropod Vectors for Bartonella Species – Galaxy

https://www.galaxydx.com/suspected-bartonella-vectors/

written on

Suspected Insect and Arthropod Vectors for Bartonella species

Vector-borne diseases like bartonellosis and Lyme borreliosis require the transfer of pathogens from a reservoir to humans by a “competent” vector.

A competent vector can acquire, carry, and pass on the living pathogen. The vector is generally an insect or arthropod that picks up the pathogen(s) while feeding from a reservoir species, such as deer or mice, and later infects an accidental host (a host that is not the usual reservoir) such as a human via a bite or excretions (feces).

Despite what may seem like an obvious cause and effect relationship, it can be very difficult to prove that a vector is competent. Some scientists have heroically proven vector competency by infecting themselves. You can read more about scientists who died as a result of making themselves their own Bartonella experiments here.

Because of the work of those scientists and others, we know that

  • Bartonella bacilliformis is transmitted by keds (biting flies)
  • Bartonella quintana is transmitted by body lice
  • Bartonella henselae is transmitted by fleas

After that the science becomes more uncertain.

The most controversial vector for Bartonella species is hard-bodied ticks of the genus Ixodes. PCR-based assays that detect fragments of DNA have shown that Bartonella bacteria can be found in their gut. However, the research on how viable bacteria are transmitted is still incomplete.

In one study of Ixodes ricinus collected in France, the authors were able to show that Bartonella henselae could be transmitted using an artificial feeding method. If one were to question whether this were adequate proof, the question would center around the fact that the transmission was observed in a controlled laboratory setting and not in nature.

Patients with Bartonella and other tick-borne infections sometimes recall a single tick bite that may have allowed for multiple pathogens to be transferred. Some scientists see this evidence as circumstantial as well and suggest more research is necessary before ticks are considered a competent vector for Bartonella.

Research and case studies have suggested additional arthropod vectors such as ants, mites, spiders, and more. They are not typically suspected in bartonellosis cases due to the very limited number of cases, but the potential is there. See below for some interesting cases:

  • Spiders
    • A family that lived in a house infested with woodlouse spiders became ill from Bartonella infections. Researchers suggested that the spiders were feeding on woodlice, which are also known as roly-polies or pill bugs but are actually land-dwelling crustaceans and not bugs at all. Woodlice have been shown to carry Bartonella species. Researchers suspected that the spiders fed on the infected woodlice and then transmitted the bacteria to the patients via bites.
  • Red ants
    • A man was hospitalized for encephalopathy due to a Bartonella henselae infection following red ant bites. While in the hospital, he experienced two episodes of cardiac arrest. He recovered after receiving systemic anticoagulatory medications and antimicrobials.
  • Triatomines or “Kissing bugs”
    • These biting insects are known to transmit the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease. The authors of this paper discuss the role of the sand fly in transmitting Bartonella bacilliformis and suggest Bartonella species could be similarly transmitted in the saliva of other biting insects.
  • Mites
    • Some studies suggest various species of mites as possible vectors of Bartonella species. DNA from Bartonella quintana was incidentally discovered in Demodex mites of a patient with rosacea. Furthermore, mites found on tropical rats and bats showed evidence of carrying Bartonella species as well.

The development of novel molecular techniques like PCR and its variations have allowed researchers to detect Bartonella species in a wide range of insects, arthropods and crustaceans around the world.

Our ePCR technology is used by research partners around the world to better understand the One Health relationship between people, animals and the environment. Mapping the relationship between reservoirs, vectors and human and animal hosts is an important step in making prevention the best treatment.

References

Bradley, J. M. et al. (2014). Bartonella henselae infections in an owner and two Papillon dogs exposed to tropical rat mites (Ornithonyssus bacoti). Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 14(10), 703-709. doi:10.1089/vbz.2013.1492 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25325313

Cotté, V. et al. (2008). Transmission of Bartonella henselae by Ixodes ricinus. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 14(7), 1074-1080. doi:10.3201/eid1407.071110 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2600320/

do Amaral, R. B. et al. (2018). Molecular detection of Bartonella spp. and Rickettsia spp. In bat ectoparasites in Brazil. PLoS One, 13(6), e0198629. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0198629 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29870549

Guru, P. K. et al. (2018). A miraculous recovery: Bartonella henselae infection following a red ant bite. BMJ Case Reports, 2018, bcr-2017-222326. doi:10.1136/bcr-2017-222326 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29728431?fbclid=IwAR0hoMRFwoz5jVPlepkpigJ6A0zuHWrRoRy4vhNIHxNPtEotjXwqrj6NRa4

Hofmeester, T. R. et al. (2018). Role of mustelids in the life-cycle of ixodid ticks and transmission cycles of four tick-borne pathogens. Parasites & Vectors, 11(1). doi:10.1186/s13071-018-3126-8 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30458847

Mascarelli, P. E. et al. (2013). Bartonella henselae infection in a family experiencing neurological and neurocognitive abnormalities after woodlouse hunter spider bites. Parasites & Vectors, 6, 98. doi:10.1186/1756-3305-6-98 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23587343

Murillo, N. et al. (2014). Bartonella Quintana detection in Demodex from erythematotelangiectatic rosacea patients. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 29, 176-177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2014.07.021 https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(14)01606-3/fulltext

Viera, C. B. et al. (2018, November). Triatomines: Trypanosomatids, bacteria, and viruses potential vectors? Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology [Online]. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2018.00405 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30505806

__________________

**Comment**

One thing’s for sure – patients in Lyme-land OFTEN have Bartonella as well. Mainstream medicine/research doesn’t even contemplate or consider this well established fact and continues to treat this as a one-pathogen, one-drug disease when nothing could be further from the truth: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/  This recent paper sums it up nicely:

“Our findings recognize that microbial infections in patients suffering from TBDs (tick borne diseases) do not follow the one microbe, one disease Germ Theory as 65% of the TBD patients produce immune responses to various microbes.”

For the first time, Garg et al. show a 85% probability for multiple infections including not only tick-borne pathogens but also opportunistic microbes such as EBV and other viruses.

And, according to this review, 83% of all commercial tests focus only on Lyme (borrelia), despite the fact we are infected with more than one microbe.  The review also states it takes 11 different visits to 11 different doctors, utilizing 11 different tests to be properly diagnosed.  https://www.news-medical.net/news/20181101/Tick-borne-disease-is-multiple-microbial-in-nature.aspx?

Thousands of patients are flying under the radar.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/06/06/high-titers-of-bartonella-found-in-patients-with-musculoskeletal-complaints/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/21/bartonella-sudden-onset-adolescent-schizophrenia-a-case-study/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/07/fox-news-bartonella-is-the-new-lyme-disease/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/15/risk-of-transmission-of-bartonella-via-blood-transfusion-chile/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/09/bartonella-transmitted-to-children-at-birth-causing-chronic-infections/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/24/human-bartonellosis-an-underappreciated-public-health-problem/

Category:

Bartonella, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

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