CDC Creates Interactive Training For Diagnosis, Management of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

May 22, 2019

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0513-rocky-mountain-spotted-fever-training.html

CDC Creates Interactive Training for Diagnosis, Management of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Press Release

For Immediate Release, Monday, May 13, 2019
Contact: Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a first-of-its-kind education module to help clinicians recognize and diagnose Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), a sometimes serious and fatal disease spread by the bite of an infected tick.

“Rocky Mountain spotted fever can be deadly if not treated early – yet cases often go unrecognized because the signs and symptoms are similar to those of many other diseases,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “With tickborne diseases on the rise in the U.S., this training will better equip healthcare providers to identify, diagnose, and treat this potentially fatal disease.”

The module includes scenarios based on real cases to help healthcare providers recognize the early signs of RMSF and differentiate it from similar diseases. Continuing education credit is available for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, veterinarians, nurses, epidemiologists, public health professionals, educators, and health communicators.

In 2017, a record number of cases of tickborne spotted fever rickettsiosisexternal icon, including RMSF, were reported to the CDC. While the number of spotted fever cases in 2017 is striking (6,248 cases, up from 4,269 the previous year), fewer than 1% of those cases had sufficient laboratory evidence to be confirmed, pointing to the need to better train health care providers on the best methods to diagnose tickborne diseases.

RMSF is treatable with doxycycline, the antibiotic of choice in people of all ages. Disability and death from RMSF can be prevented when doxycycline is prescribed within the first five days of illness, meaning that early recognition and treatment can save lives. RMSF begins with non-specific symptoms such as fever and headache, and sometimes rash, but when left untreated, the disease can lead to devastating consequences. Severely ill patients may require amputation of fingers, toes, or limbs due to poor blood flow; heart and lung specialty care; and management in intensive care units. Roughly 1 in 5 untreated cases are fatal. Half of those deaths occur within the first 8 days of illness.

For more information about Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other rickettsial diseases:

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether disease start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.

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

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

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/16/new-tick-causes-epidemic-of-rmsf/  Excerpt:

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.

The researchers were investigating an epidemic of the infection that broke out in the border town of Mexicali starting in 2008. It’s already sickened at least 4,000 people, according to Mexican government estimates. Several hundred have died, and at least four people have died in the U.S. after crossing the border, according to this report and others.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/08/13/severe-case-of-rmsf-had-to-remove-patients-arms-and-legs/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/21/all-his-symptoms-pointed-toward-the-flu-but-the-test-was-negative-rmsf-in-connecticut/

Again, testing is abysmal.  Doctors NEED education.

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

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

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/15/global-lyme-alliance-announces-new-partnership-with-delaware-lyme-board-to-help-educate-physicians-about-lyme-disease/

 

Category:

Activism, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

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Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy as an Autoimmune Disease – but Associated with Bartonella, Mycoplasma & Viruses

May 21, 2019

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31072742

2019 May 6. pii: S0896-8411(19)30043-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2019.04.021. [Epub ahead of print]

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy as an autoimmune disease.

Rodríguez Y1, Vatti N2, Ramírez-Santana C1, Chang C3, Mancera-Páez O4, Gershwin ME5, Anaya JM6.

Abstract

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by neurological symptoms and signs of progressive weakness, paresthesias, and sensory dysfunction. Other symptoms include reduced or absent tendon reflexes, cranial nerve involvement, autonomic symptoms, ataxia, and neuropathic pain. Unlike other autoimmune diseases, CIDP generally affects older individuals and has a male predominance. The onset is generally insidious and can take up to 8 weeks with a relapsing-recovery pattern. Like all autoimmune diseases, the etiology is multifactorial, with both genetic and environmental factors contributing to it.

Case reports of CIDP have found associations with multiple pathogenic organisms including Hepatitis B and C viruses, Bartonella henselae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Human immunodeficiency virus, Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus. Possible antigenic self-targets include myelin protein 0, myelin protein 2, peripheral myelin protein 22, Connexin 32, and myelin basic protein. Antibodies targeting the Ranvier node proteins such as contactin-1, contactin-associated protein 1, and neurofascin 155 have been described. CIDP is treated with rehabilitation and pharmacological modalities. Pharmacological treatments target autoimmune dysfunction and include corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, subcutaneous immunoglobulin, plasma exchange, immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory agents such as methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, rituximab, and mycophenolate mofetil. Although there are few observational studies and randomized clinical trials with limited evidence supporting the use of immunosuppressive drugs, they are widely used in clinical practice. A comprehensive review of CIDP is presented herein in light of the autoimmune tautology.

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**Comment**

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher to me why they call this an autoimmune disease when it’s associated with multiple pathogenic organisms.  From everything I know – treat the infection and the symptoms improve:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/03/treat-the-infection-psychiatric-symptoms-get-better/

That’s not to say the immune system doesn’t need to be addressed.

Lyme/MSIDS treatment includes both aspects as well as detoxification and addressing imbalances within the body which requires supplementation with whatever is lacking.

It is common knowledge that immunosuppressive drugs worsen Lyme/MSIDS patients, so they need to be used scrupulously and along with antimicrobials or the pathogens are in an environment where they are allowed to thrive, ultimately worsening the patient’s condition.

For more:  https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Chronic-Inflammatory-Demyelinating-Polyneuropathy-CIDP-Information-Page  Excerpt:  

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a neurological disorder characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms. The disorder, which is sometimes called chronic relapsing polyneuropathy, is caused by damage to the myelin sheath (the fatty covering that wraps around and protects nerve fibers) of the peripheral nerves….It often presents with symptoms that include tingling or numbness (beginning in the toes and fingers), weakness of the arms and legs, loss of deep tendon reflexes (areflexia), fatigue, and abnormal sensations. CIDP is closely related to Guillain-Barre syndrome and it is considered the chronic counterpart of that acute disease.

The NIH link states the treatment is corticosteroids, but again, you’ve been warned that IF you have Lyme/MSIDS, that mono-therapy will make you worse.

Tingling, numbness, and stabbing pain are quite common in Lyme/MSIDS and many people with Epstein Barr (EBV) have misdiagnosed Lyme:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/04/11/diagnosed-with-ebv-had-lyme/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/11/04/24514/  EBV – A Key Player in Chronic Illness.

Neuropathy is also common with Lyme/MSIDS:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/12/small-fiber-neuropathy-ptlds/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/07/cranial-neuropathy-severe-pain-due-to-bb-infection/

 

 

Category:

Bartonella, Mycoplasma, Treatment, Viruses

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Seventy People Attend Bartonella Event

https://www.galaxydx.com/galaxy-co-sponsors-barbecue-and-bartonella-one-health-event-at-tulane-university/

Galaxy Co-Sponsors “Barbecue and Bartonella” One Health Event at Tulane University

Galaxy Diagnostics, the One Health Commission, Louisiana One Health in Action (LOHA), and the One Health Student Club at Tulane partnered to present an educational “Barbecue and Bartonella” event for medical students, veterinarians, public health faculty, and other interested parties on March 28th 2019 at the Tulane School of Public Health. Approximately 70 attendees gathered to raise awareness of bartonellosis and discuss the impact of a one health approach to medicine.

Lousiana One Health in Action (LOHA) founder, Amy LeBoeuf, sharing her son’s medical journey.

 

The event included an excerpt from our medical education webinar, Understanding Bartonella. Also LOHA founder, Amy LeBoeuf, shared her son’s medical journey. In her presentation, Amy discussed the severity of his symptoms, the complexity of his treatment, and the overwhelming amount of testing that he has faced over the years.

Like many patients facing chronic illnesses, he saw more than 30 doctors in 19 different specialties. A variety of autoimmune diseases were considered, including lupus, fibromyalgia, and complex regional pain syndrome, before an accurate diagnosis was made.

A key factor in the correct diagnosis and treatment was when Amy discovered that a cat scratch had occurred prior to the onset of symptoms.

“It is imperative that we develop a different approach in the medical community,” says Amy LeBoeuf, founder of Louisiana One Health in Action, “because not everyone that becomes ill has the same host response to these pathogens, which make it easy to mistake for other diagnoses.”

LOHA is a community of advocates dedicated to spreading the one health initiative at a community level and providing opportunities for awareness and education. Along with this event, they also organized a “Beating Bartonella” color run that Galaxy Diagnostics co-sponsored in October. If you would like to learn more about the organization and their events, please visit their page here.

“Barbecue and Bartonella” T-shirts that were handed out at the event.

About Galaxy Diagnostics, Inc.

As a social venture and a One Health company, Galaxy Diagnostics is passionate about protecting the animal-human bond through the surveillance, prevention and clinical management of flea- and tick-borne diseases shared by people and animals. Not only do we offer the best possible molecular and serology test options available, but we work with researchers and clinicians to generate new knowledge about emerging infectious diseases such as bartonellosis, Lyme borreliosis and other vector-borne diseases. Based on our scientific expertise, we are able to provide counsel to clinicians and researchers dedicated to achieving the most accurate diagnosis possible for their patients. Our mission is reflected in our corporate values, clinical service offerings, and everyday interaction with patients, clinicians and researchers.

Media contact: James Rebenski, contact@galaxydx.com
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**Comment*

Any forward progress regarding Bartonella is pretty much due to the efforts of one man – Dr. Breitschwerdt (veterinarian). Like other researchers truly undertaking research that helps Lyme/MSIDS patients, he’s heavily vested.

His own father died due to chronic Bartonellosis:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3044516/#!po=1.02041

The love he had for his dad is palpable – even in a scientific article.  Excerpt:

Potentially, his illness illustrates a complex interaction between intravascular Bartonella infection and complex disease expression, provides documentation for an as yet uncharacterized zoonotic rodent Bartonella sp., and offers disconcerting evidence supporting antimicrobial drug ineffectiveness and clinical evidence supporting the concept that persistent infection with >1 Bartonella spp. may lead to immunosuppression and opportunistic infections with organisms such as herpes zoster and C. albicans. As in his life, Dad would want this story to benefit others after his death. We hope that it does.

Breitschwerdt has seen all sorts of animals and mites, TICKS, fleas and even spiders test positive for Bartonella.

“Animals are the primary reservoir for the Bartonella species,” he said.  https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2013/12/05/bartonella-is-everywhere-so-why-dont-we-know-more-about-it/

While losing your father is a heavy blow, all of us out here in Lyme-land are indebted to a suffering man and his son who is leaving no stone unturned to discover all there is to know about an under appreciated pathogen causing all sorts of animal and human illness.

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

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

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/10/neurological-presentations-of-bartonella-henselae-infection/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/11/29/bartonella-seizures/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/08/case-series-bartonella-ocular-manifestations/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/08/09/a-bartonella-story/

You can be perfectly healthy and have no cat contact and still get infected with Bartonella:

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/02/skin-inflammation-nodules-letting-the-cat-out-of-the-bag/  Read comment after article.

Category:

Activism, Bartonella

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FREE: Antigerm Action Plans For Lyme Disease – How to Use Herbal & Prescription Germ Killers for Bacteria, Parasites, Viruses & Yeast

https://mailchi.mp/treatlyme/antigerm-action-plans-lyme-disease  (Go to Link to get FREE pdf book)

Free Treat Lyme Book & Health Tips By Dr. Marty Ross

Subscribe to the Treat Lyme newsletter and receive a FREE pdf download book: Antigerm Action Plans for Lyme Disease and Ten Daily Email Health Tips. Plus get updates, special offers and more.

I have decided to offer Treat Lyme newsletter subscribers a free downloadable version of my book: Antigerm Action Plans for Lyme Disease: How to Use Herbal & Prescription Germ Killers for Bacteria, Parasites, Viruses & Yeast.  

In the Appendices you will find two bonus sections you can use to improve your Lyme disease treatment. These include:

  • The Ross Lyme Support Protocol (my full Lyme disease treatment guideline) and
  • Herxheimer Die-off Reaction: Inflammation Run Amok with steps to manage herxheimer reactions.

If you have any questions, participate in my weekly free Lyme Q&A Webinar called Conversations with Marty Ross MD.

To learn more:  https://www.treatlyme.net

dr_sidebar

Marty Ross, MD, is the creative force behind Treat Lyme, Marty Ross MD Supplements, and this book. He believes strongly that given the right information, people with Lyme and tick-borne illnesses can recover. He offers these resources so that all who have Lyme disease may recover with or without a physician.

Dr. Ross is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed his family medicine residency at the Georgetown University/Providence Hospital program where he served as chief resident.

Dr. Ross is a member of The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society and The Institute for Functional Medicine.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Treatment

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New Coalition to Bolster Fight Against Ticks & Mosquitoes

New Coalition to Bolster Fight Against Ticks and Mosquitoes

Stakeholder group will channel collective action for national vector-borne disease strategy

Annapolis, MD; May 20, 2019—As the incidence of diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes in the U.S. continues to rise, a coordinated and strategic response is needed now more than ever—and a diverse set of organizations are aligning to answer the call.

Under the stewardship of the Entomological Society of America, 18 scientific and medical societies, professional associations, and advocacy groups have formed the Vector-Borne Disease Network, a new coalition that will stand ready to advise and support federal policymakers in confronting the challenge of diseases spread by insects and related arthropods. 

These illnesses—such as Lyme disease, Zika, or West Nile virus—are transmitted by vector organisms, primarily blood-feeding insects or arthropods. Vectors ingest disease-causing germs when biting an infected human or animal and later inject them into a new host during a subsequent bite. 

Between 2004 and 2016, reported human disease cases in the U.S. resulting from bites from arthropods—primarily ticks and mosquitoes—tripled, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Meanwhile, nine new germs spread by ticks and mosquitoes were discovered or introduced in that same timeframe. (See CDC Vital Signs, May 2018.) Disease vectors pose significant threats to livestock and companion animals, as well. The underlying causes for these trends are varying and complex, and so are the potential solutions. Thus, the Vector-Borne Disease Network will gather the expertise and perspectives of a variety of stakeholders invested in the mission to reduce the public-health and economic risks posed by ticks and mosquitoes. 

The founding members of the Vector-Borne Disease Network are:

  • American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
  • American Mosquito Control Association
  • Association of Public Health Laboratories
  • Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
  • Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
  • Entomological Society of America
  • Georgia Mosquito Control Association
  • Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/01/27/uwm-center-of-excellence-vector-borne-diseases/
  • National Association of County and City Health Officials
  • National Association of Vector-Borne Control Officials 
  • National Environmental Health Association
  • National Pest Management Association
  • Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases
  • Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases
  • Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit
  • Society for Vector Ecology
  • Southeastern Regional Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases
  • Western Gulf Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases

“Our country can no longer afford to be complacent toward the dangers posed by mosquito- and tick-borne disease,” says Robert K. D. Peterson, Ph.D., president of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and professor of entomology at Montana State University. “From researchers and public-health officials to policymakers and vector-management professionals, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and tackle this problem together.”

The Vector-Borne Disease Network’s ultimate goal is to reduce human and animal suffering caused by arthropod disease vectors, and its primary focus will be to collectively advocate for strong, dedicated funding at the federal level for:

  • research on tick and mosquito biology, ecology, and disease-transmission risk
  • enhanced tick and mosquito detection and disease diagnosis
  • innovation in disease-prevention and vector-control methods 
  • building the nation’s workforce and technical capacity in vector-borne disease research, response, and management.

Stakeholder groups in the Vector-Borne Disease Network are conducting preliminary discussions in 2019 with plans for a coordinated launch of the group’s efforts in late 2019 or early 2020. Additional organizations and nonprofits with related missions are invited to participate. To express interest, contact ESA Director of Strategic Initiatives Chris Stelzig at cstelzig@entsoc.org. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Rominiecki, jrominiecki@entsoc.org, 301-731-4535 x3009

ABOUT: ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, the Society stands ready as a non-partisan scientific and educational resource for all insect-related topics. For more information, visit www.entsoc.org.

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**Comment**

For those of us here in Wisconsin, we need to make our voices heard that we want a preponderance of this money going toward Lyme disease issues, not Zika, as mosquitoes here can’t even carry it.  And while we have some cases of West Nile virus, it is dwarfed in comparison to Lyme disease and the coinfections that often come with it.  The research dollars should be commiserate with the amount of suffering and Lyme/MSIDS takes the cake!

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

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Ticks

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