Lyme Disease Rash: What Does It Really Look Like?

January 14, 2025

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-rash/

Lyme Disease Rash: What Does It Really Look Like?

lyme-disease-rash

Learn all about Lyme disease and rashes in this informative video. In this video, I discuss the various appearances of a Lyme Disease rash, also known as an erythema migrans (EM) rash.

By 

Many people assume that a Bull’s-eye or erythema migrans (EM) rash is a common manifestation of Lyme disease. And that the lack of a rash confirms a person does not have the disease. This is far from the truth.

EM rash identification remains a challenge because it often takes on a variety of appearances, according to a study by Burlina and colleagues.

“Only 20% of patients with an EM [rash] in the United States present with lesions that have the central clearing of a classic target lesion (“ring-within-a-ring” or “bull’s eye”).¹

Instead, “the majority of EM lesions appear uniformly red or bluish-red in color and lack central clearing.”

Unfortunately, a Lyme disease rash may look like lesions found in other disorders. For instance, patients with Lyme disease may be misdiagnosed as having a cellulitis rash. The treatment for cellulitis is not necessarily effective for Lyme disease.

Furthermore, between 4% and 8% of Lyme disease rashes present with a central blistering. These cases can be misdiagnosed as shingles, a viral infection that causes blistering and is treated with anti-viral medications. Shingles treatment is not effective in treating Lyme disease.

READ MORE: It wasn’t shingles. It was Lyme disease.

Lastly, about 20% of patients have multiple EM rashes at the time of diagnosis due to the Lyme spirochete disseminating to other areas of the body. This presentation can be confused with erythema multiforme or other skin disorders.

In practice, I treat with an antibiotic if there is uncertainty, as the consequences of missing a diagnosis of Lyme disease can be serious. If the rash is questionable, I often treat with antibiotics that would be effective for either Lyme disease or another possible condition. For example, I might treat a patient with a rash that could be cellulitis or Lyme disease with an antibiotic that works for both such as cefuroxime rather than Keflex.

I typically treat these cases longer if Lyme disease is a possibility. Finally, I have also treated patients with a combination of an anti-viral medication (Valtrex) and cefuroxime if I am unsure whether the rash is related to shingles or Lyme disease.

References:
  1. Burlina PM, Joshi NJ, Mathew PA, Paul W, Rebman AW, Aucott JN. AI-based detection of erythema migrans and disambiguation against other skin lesions. Comput Biol Med. 2020;125:103977.

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Pfizer Trial CFR Shows the Shots Make You 5x More Likely to Die From COVID

January 13, 2025

https://kirschsubstack.com/p/the-cfr-from-the-pfizer-trial-show?

The CFR from the Pfizer trial show the vaccines make you 5x more likely to die from COVID

It’s trivial to calculate the CFR if you got a Pfizer shot. But I don’t think anyone has before now. So I’m going to do it for the very first time.

Steve Kirsch
Dec 24, 2024

Executive summary

The case fatality rate (CFR) from the Pfizer trial shows you are 10X more likely to die if you get COVID and you are vaccinated.

Pfizer just forgot to point this out.

Same with the CDC and FDA. I’m sure they just forgot.

So I’m going to show you that the CFR is 5X higher for Pfizer and when you combine that with a 40% higher likelihood of being infected (bringing it to 7.7X) we can now estimate that the COVID vaccine makes you over 5X more likely to die from COVID. And that’s not counting your risk of all-cause mortality from the vaccine itself!

The Pfizer Phase 3 study CFR calculation

Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine through 6 Months showed for COVID deaths/cases:

77 v 850 cases from Table 3.

Vaccinated: 1/77=.013
Unvaccinated: 2/850=.0023
Note: the deaths are in Table S4 in the Supplementary material

You were actually 5X more likely to die from COVID if you were vaccinated and you got COVID.

Survey data on risk of COVID infection (vaxxed v. unvaxxed)

We know from our own experiences that the vaccinated are more likely to get COVID.

From a recent survey I did, I found you were 40% more likely to get COVID if you got the shots. See vaxxed vs. unvaxxed survey.  (See link for article)

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**Comment**

So much for safe and effective.

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Activism, vaccines, Viruses

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The Risks of Vaccines During Pregnancy

https://autismwarriormom.substack.com/p/the-risks-of-vaccines-during-pregnancy?

The Risks of Vaccines During Pregnancy

What Expecting Mothers Need to Know

Tracy Slepcevic
Jan 02, 2025

Pregnancy is a time of joy, anticipation, and careful decision-making. As an expecting mother, your primary goal is to ensure the health and safety of your baby. However, amidst the abundance of information and recommendations, it’s important to understand the potential risks associated with vaccines during pregnancy. Despite assurances from health authorities, recent evidence and expert testimonies suggest that vaccines given during pregnancy pose a significant risk to both mother and baby.

Lack of Proper Testing for Pregnant Women

One of the most concerning aspects of vaccine recommendations for pregnant women is the lack of rigorous safety testing. During a 2023 FDA meeting, Dr. Meryl Nass highlighted the troubling fact that many vaccines routinely recommended during pregnancy, including the COVID-19 vaccine, were not adequately tested in pregnant populations. The FDA admitted that its recommendations are based on limited or no data from controlled clinical trials involving pregnant women.

This absence of reliable data leaves many unanswered questions about the long-term effects of vaccines on both the developing fetus and the mother’s immune system. The decision to recommend vaccines without sufficient evidence undermines informed consent and raises serious ethical concerns.

Alarming Reports of Adverse Effects

Adverse events following vaccination during pregnancy are increasingly being reported. These include:

  • Miscarriages: Some studies and anecdotal reports have linked vaccines, particularly the COVID-19 vaccine, to an increase in pregnancy losses.
  • Preterm Births: Concerns have been raised about a potential connection between maternal vaccination and preterm deliveries.
  • Developmental Issues: Emerging evidence suggests the possibility of long-term developmental effects on the baby, though more research is urgently needed to confirm these findings.

Dr. James Thorp, a board-certified OB-GYN, has been vocal about the risks of vaccinating pregnant women, stating that the CDC’s recommendations lack robust scientific backing. Dr. Thorp and other experts argue that the precautionary principle should guide decisions regarding vaccines during pregnancy, especially when there are alternative ways to manage risks.

The Role of Adjuvants and Ingredients

Many vaccines contain adjuvants; these are substances added to enhance immune response. Aluminum-based adjuvants, for example, have raised concerns due to their neurotoxic effects. During pregnancy, the developing fetus is particularly vulnerable to toxins, and the accumulation of such substances may interfere with normal development.

The presence of viral DNA fragments and other contaminants in vaccines has also been flagged as a risk factor. These components are not fully studied in the context of pregnancy, further complicating the risk assessment.  (See link for article)

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**Comment**

Due to conflicts of interest, corrupt ‘public health’ agencies completely ignored natural immunity during the COVID debacle. Further, ‘vaccine’ safety and efficacy studies are a methodological mess, including the fact not a single childhood ‘vaccine’ was licensed based on a long-term placebo-controlled trial, that there is ZERO data on the accumulated effects of ‘vaccines,’ and the FDA relies upon the ‘vaccine’ manufacturer to do post-market surveillance to gather safety data.

There are a plethora of things you can do to make yourself a tough target for bacteria and viruses, and there are effective, safe, cheap treatments should you become ill.  ALL of which work better than ‘vaccines’ which are often ineffective, can give you the very disease they are supposed to prevent, are often contaminated, and are immune suppressing, which for Lyme/MSIDS patient can reactivate latent infections.

‘Vaccinating’ pregnant women should be a crime against humanity.

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Part 2: Symptoms After Lyme Disease – What’s Past is Prologue

https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/33160256?

Symptoms after Lyme disease: What’s past is prologue (Adriana Marques, M.D.) Part 2

Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH, United States
Jan 12, 2025

As a follow-up to my previous update regarding my letter-to-the-editor of SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, the editor refuses to publish my eLetter.

Previous update:

Symptoms after Lyme disease: What’s past is prologue (Adriana Marques, M.D.)
https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/33044899

I have sent multiple inquiries to Editor Dr. Orla Smith with evidence of antibiotic resistance that has been suppressed/concealed by those who have colluded to deny chronic Lyme disease and here is just one of those letters for your review…

Photo of Marques was found on the following NIH site:
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/adriana-marques-md

———- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: Orla Smith <osmith@aaas.org>
Cc: Courtney Malo <cmalo@aaas.org>, “cope_assistant@publicationethics.org” <cope_assistant@publicationethics.org>, Melissa Norton <mnorton@aaas.org>, Catherine Charneski <ccharneski@aaas.org>, Brandon Berry <bberry@aaas.org>, Dorothy Hallberg <dhallberg@aaas.org>, Daniela Neuhofer <dneuhofer@aaas.org>, Molly Ogle <mogle@aaas.org>, “marybethpf@aol.com” <marybethpf@aol.com>, “aaron@sirillp.com” <aaron@sirillp.com>
Date: 01/12/2025 8:58 AM EST
Subject: Re: Symptoms after Lyme disease: What’s past is prologue

Dr Smith,

For additional evidence of antibiotic resistance, please see the following letter addressed to Dr. Raymond Dattwyler who owns 24 patents for Lyme disease that include diagnostic testing and vaccines both live bacteria and oral.

Guideline signatory Raymond Dattwyler endorses the categorical assertion that chronic Lyme disease does not exist yet his patent for novel chimeric nucleic acids and protein antigens which could serve as a basis for a vaccine or for improved immunodiagnostic reagents for Lyme disease, issuing almost contemporaneously with the 2006 IDSA Lyme Disease Guidelines seems to say exactly the opposite:

“Currently, Lyme Disease is treated with a range of antibiotics, e.g. tetracycline, penicillin and cephalosporins. However, such treatment is not always successful in clearing the infection. Treatment is often delayed due to improper diagnosis with the deleterious effect that the infection proceeds to a chronic condition, where treatment with antibiotics is often not useful. One of the factors contributing to delayed treatment is the lack of effective diagnostic tools.” (Dattwyler, et.al. United States Patent 7,179,448)

Letter to Dattwyler: (It should be noted there was no response)

Important Note!: My letter to Dattwylwyler includes a 1995 study from Stony Brook Lyme clinic. I understand the patient received thirteen spinal taps, multiple courses of IV and oral meds, and relapsed after each one, proven by CSF antigens and/or PCR. The only way this patient (said to be a physician) remained in remission was to keep her on open ended clarithromycin which she was taking for 22 months by the time of publication.

———- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: “Raymond_Dattwyler@nymc.edu” <Raymond_Dattwyler@nymc.edu>
Cc: “npjvaccines@nature.com” <npjvaccines@nature.com>, “abarrett@utmb.edu” <abarrett@utmb.edu>, “R.W.Titball@exeter.ac.uk” <R.W.Titball@exeter.ac.uk>, “mgomesso@uthsc.edu” <mgomesso@uthsc.edu>
Date: 01/06/2023 2:46 PM EST
Subject: The year that shaped the outcome of the OspA vaccine for human Lyme disease

npj Vaccines Jan 2022

The year that shaped the outcome of the OspA vaccine for human Lyme disease
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-022-00429-5
Raymond J. Dattwyler & Maria Gomes-Solecki

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

New York Medical College

Valhalla, NY

Raymond J. Dattwyler, Corresponding Author

Dear Dr. Dattwyler,

I read your manuscript with great interest as you call attention to a treatment-resistant Lyme arthritis with “no evidence of DNA” found in the joints of patients after antibiotic treatment.

For some strange reason however, I could not find the following 1995 publication within your paper identifying treatment-resistant neuroborreliosis:

European Neurology 1995

Seronegative Chronic Relapsing Neuroborreliosis
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/117104

Lawrence C., Lipton R.B., Lowy F.D., Coyle P.K.d

Abstract

We report an unusual patient with evidence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection who experienced repeated neurologic relapses despite aggressive antibiotic therapy. Each course of therapy was associated with a Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction. Although the patient never had detectable free antibodies to B. burgdorferi in serum or spinal fluid, the CSF was positive on multiple occasions for complexed anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies, B. burgdorferi nucleic acids and free antigen.

In fact, Dr. Dattwyler there seems to be a great deal of “treatment-resistant” evidence published in multiple journals over the past three decades:

Peer Reviewed Evidence of Persistence of Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and Tick-Borne Diseases (700 References)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/n09sk90eo6xz7ua/700%20articles%20LYME%20EvidenceofPersistence-V2.pdf?dl=0

So that brings me to the reason for this email…

Question:

Does a chronic relapsing seronegative disease fit the vaccine model? If not, would that, in and of itself, be the hidden reason for denying chronic (treatment-resistant) Lyme disease for almost three decades?  In other words, patent royalties and pharmaceutical profits over lifesaving care?

A response to this inquiry is requested.

Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH

Cc: Alan D.T. Barrett, PhD Editor-in-Chief

Rick Titball, PhD, DSc, Deputy Editor

Letter to the Editor of the BMJ published June 2020
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1041/rr-1

_______________

**Comment**

BOOM!  Another mic drop from Tuttle.

Seriously, the lunacy is breath-taking.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Treatment, vaccines

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Lyme & Herxheimer Reaction in Newborn

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-herxheimer-reaction-newborn/

Lyme disease and herxheimer reaction in newborn

Newborn with lyme disease and herxheimer reaction being examined by doctor.

The Herxheimer reaction, also referred to as a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, is “a transient clinical phenomenon that occurs in patients infected by spirochetes who undergo antibiotic treatment.”¹ It was first described in patients with syphilis but has also been associated with other spirochetal infections including leptospirosis, Lyme disease, and relapsing fever. The reaction is associated with the onset of new symptoms or a worsening of existing symptoms in patients receiving antibiotic treatment.

By 

In 2020, investigators published a case involving a 13-year-old boy with Lyme arthritis, a common manifestation of Lyme disease, who developed a Herxheimer reaction when treated with doxycycline. On the 7th day of treatment, the boy developed a low-grade fever and severe arthralgias with intense hip, ankle and cervical spine pain and myalgias.

You can read more about the 13-year-old boy’s case in an earlier blog “Herxheimer reaction in a 13-year-old boy with Lyme disease.” 

Newborn with herxheimer reaction

In their article “Lyme disease in a neonate complicated by the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction,”  Prodanuk and colleagues² describe the case of a 21-day-old infant who was admitted to the hospital with decreased activity, poor feeding and abdominal distension.

The parents removed an engorged tick from the infant’s forearm 5 days earlier. An EM rash was present at the site of the tick bite.

“Given the erythema migrans lesion at the site from which the engorged tick was removed, we made a presumptive diagnosis of Lyme disease and administered IV ceftriaxone,” the authors write.

Two hours after treatment began, the infant developed a fever, tachycardia and other symptoms consistent with the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction.

Testing for Lyme disease was negative.

Clinicians should also “be aware of the possibility of the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction during the initial phase of treatment.”²

Several studies, they warn, indicate “newborns with findings consistent with early localized disease may also be at higher risk for disseminated disease.”

“Given the limited data for neonates and the possible predisposition of this population to disseminated Lyme disease, clinicians should strongly consider administering IV antibiotics to target Lyme disease,” the authors suggest.

Patients can experience a broad range of symptoms resulting from a herxheimer reaction, explains Nykytyuk and colleagues, including fever, severe polyarthralgias, myalgias, chills, hypotension, nonpruritic, nonpalpable rash, tachycardia, nausea, headache, strengthening of existing or occurrence of new symptoms of the underlying disease.¹

The exact cause of Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions is still unknown. “At first, the role of an endotoxin in the development of JHR was suggested, but later experimental studies showed that spirochetes do not have biologically active endotoxins,” the authors explained.¹

References:
  1. Dhakal A, Sbar E. Jarisch Herxheimer Reaction. [Updated 2022 Apr 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557820/
  2. Prodanuk M, Groves H, Arje D, Bitnun A. Lyme disease in a neonate complicated by the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. CMAJ. 2022 Jul 18;194(27):E939-E941. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.220112. PMID: 35851530; PMCID: PMC9299745.

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Lyme, Pregnancy, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

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