Madison Area Lyme Support Group

Lyme Disease Patient With Permanent Tinnitus & Hearing Loss

March 30, 2021

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-tinnitus-hearing-loss/ Podcast here

LYME DISEASE PATIENT WITH PERMANENT TINNITUS AND HEARING LOSS

Hello, and welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast. I am your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. I find that the best way to get to know Lyme disease is through reviewing actual cases. In this episode, I’ll be discussing a case involving a 46-year-old man with Lyme disease who developed permanent tinnitus and hearing loss.

By Dr. Daniel Cameron

Jozefowicz-Korczynska and colleagues first described this case in the journal Frontiers in Neurology in 2019.

A 46-year-old male farmer was hospitalized with a “sudden onset of tinnitus and hearing loss in the left ear, dizziness, severe balance instability, and gait ataxia,” the authors write. (Gait ataxia consists of lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements.)

Doctors initially suspected vestibular schwannoma, which is a benign tumor of the 8^th nerve (also referred to as an acoustic nerve) that affects hearing and balance. But diagnostic testing was normal.

However, a Western blot test and spinal tap revealed the patient was positive for Lyme disease. He was treated with a 3-week course of oral doxycycline, but his dizziness and gait problems persisted.

The patient did not receive any additional oral or intravenous antibiotics. Instead, he was referred to a Balance Disorders Unit for vestibular evaluation.

“Upon his examination, the patient presented with severe gait disturbance and imbalance,” the authors write.

Audiology tests indicated the man had mild to moderate sensory-neural hearing loss in both ears.

He underwent vestibular rehabilitation therapy for 10 consecutive days which significantly improved his balance. But his hearing loss and tinnitus remained.

“Unfortunately, the antibiotic therapy was not successful in decreasing hearing loss or tinnitus, suggesting permanent damage to the hearing nerve and cochlea,” write the authors.

Another study by Logigian et al. from Tufts University of Medicine found that 4 out of 27 patients with chronic neurologic Lyme disease presented with hearing loss and tinnitus.²

Meanwhile, a study in Poland revealed that 162 out of 216 patients with tick-borne diseases had otolaryngological (ear, nose, throat) symptoms.

“The most common complaint was tinnitus (76.5%) accompanied by vertigo and dizziness (53.7%), headache (39%), and unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (16.7%).”³

The following questions are discussed in this episode:

Initially, doctors suspected vestibular schwannoma. Can you explain this condition and why it was considered as a possible diagnosis?
The patient was tested for Lyme disease. His symptoms were not typical for Lyme, so why was testing ordered?
Would more than a three-week course of doxycycline have helped resolve the man’s tinnitus and hearing loss?
How common is hearing loss, vertigo, tinnitus, and gait impairment in Lyme disease?
What are other causes of tinnitus and hearing loss?
Why was the patient referred to a balance disorder unit and was his treatment successful?
There have been several cases of hearing loss reported in the literature. Can you discuss the Tufts University and Poland studies featured in one of your blogs?

Thanks for listening to another Inside Lyme Podcast. You can read more about these cases in my show notes and on my website @DanielCameronMD.com. As always, it is your likes, comments, reviews, and shares that help spread the word about Lyme disease. Until next time on Inside Lyme.

Please remember that the advice given is general and not intended as specific advice as to any particular patient. If you require specific advice, then please seek that advice from an experienced professional.

Inside Lyme Podcast Series

This Inside Lyme case series will be discussed on my Facebook and made available on podcast and YouTube. As always, it is your likes, comments, and shares that help spread the word about this series and our work. If you can, please leave a review on iTunes or wherever else you get your podcasts.

References:

Jozefowicz-Korczynska M, Zamyslowska-Szmytke E, Piekarska A, Rosiak O. Vertigo and Severe Balance Instability as Symptoms of Lyme Disease-Literature Review and Case Report. Front Neurol. 2019 Nov 12;10:1172.
Logigian EL, Kaplan RF, Steere AC. Chronic neurologic manifestations of Lyme disease. N Engl J Med. 1990;323(21):1438-1444.
Sowula K, Skladzien J, Szaleniec J, Gawlik J. Otolaryngological symptoms in patients treated for tick-borne diseases. Otolaryngol Pol. 2018;72(1):30-34.

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For more:

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/09/16/bizarre-symptoms-msids/

Category:

Hearing Loss, Lyme, research

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Tuttle’s Letter to CDC Director: “Will You Do the Right Thing & Upgrade Lyme Disease to Highest Alert & Promote a Manhattan Project to Find a Cure?”

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

Certified Mail to Rochelle Walensky, MD Director of The US Centers for Disease Control

MAR 21, 2021 —

The maniacal suppression and censorship of evidence that we have been dealing with an antibiotic resistant/tolerant superbug has left hundreds of thousands if not millions in a debilitated state. The following letter and attachments have been forwarded to the New Hampshire Study Group Members and NH Governor Chris Sununu.

“In the fullness of time, the main stream handling of chronic Lyme disease will be viewed as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of medicine because elements of academic medicine, elements of government and virtually the entire insurance industry have colluded to deny a disease.” –Dr. Kenneth Liegner

Next Zoom meeting for the NH Lyme Study Commission:03/26/2021 9:00 AM

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/statstudcomm/details.aspx?id=1515&rbl=1&txtbillnumber=hb490

———- Original Message ———-

From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: All members of the NH Lyme Study Commission
Cc: NH Governor Chris Sununu
Date: 03/19/2021 4:57 PM
Subject: Certified Mail to Rochelle Walensky, MD Director of The US Centers for Disease Control

To members of the Lyme Study Commission,

I would like to add the attached communication as a topic for discussion at a future meeting and have copied all committee members so they can review the documents prior to the meeting.

Please reserve any discussion of these documents until our next scheduled Zoom meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Carl Tuttle

The following letter was sent VIA Certified Mail to Rochelle Walensky, MD Director of The US Centers for Disease Control:

Tracking Number: 70201290000232782577

https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?tRef=fullpage&tLc=2&text28777=&tLabels=70201290000232782577%2C&tABt=false

Your item was picked up at a postal facility at 9:32 am on March 15, 2021 in ATLANTA, GA 30329.

Status: Delivered

March 15, 2021 at 9:32 am

Delivered, Individual Picked Up at Postal Facility

ATLANTA, GA 30329

NEW HAMPSHIRE COMMISSION TO STUDY TESTING OF LYME AND OTHER TICK-BORNE DISEASES

NOTE: The general public only has access to serology for Lyme disease which cannot be used to gauge treatment failure or success but in 1991. The Centers for Disease Control in Fort Collins, Colorado identified chronic persistent Lyme disease in a patient who was previously treated with extensive oral and IV antibiotics.

Cover letter to Dr. Walensky VIA Certified Mail:

Dr. Walensky’s public email address as obtained from the HHS online Directory: aux7@cdc.gov

Mar 10, 2021

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30329
Attn: Rochelle Walensky, MD Director

Dear Dr. Walensky,

New Hampshire has one of the highest rates of Lyme disease in the country. Patient testimony all across America is describing a disease that is destroying lives, ending careers while leaving its victim in financial ruin. (read the written comments posted to the TBDWG website)

The attached email sent to you on Feb 17, 2021 has been shared with all members of New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu’s Lyme Disease Study Commission. Included in this correspondence is the positive CDC culture report for Vicki Logan who had been treated for Lyme disease with extensive IV and oral antibiotics.

The CDC had culture confirmation that we were dealing with an antibiotic resistant/tolerant superbug in 1991 when Borrelia burgdorferi was grown from the cerebrospinal fluid of Dr. Kenneth Liegner’s patient Vicki Logan at the Centers for Disease Control in Fort Collins, Colorado.

You are in a position to right the wrongs that your predecessors have chosen to ignore.

Will you do the right thing and upgrade Lyme disease to Highest Alert and promote a Manhattan Project to find a cure for this antibiotic resistant/tolerant superbug?

A response to this inquiry is requested.

Sincerely,

Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH 03051

Member of the NH Lyme Disease Study Commission
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/statstudcomm/details.aspx?id=1515&rbl=1&txtbillnumber=hb490

Cc: All members of the NH Lyme Disease Study Commission,
Governor Chris Sununu

Attachments:

1. Email sent to Dr. Walensky on Feb 17, 2021 (Personal Dropbox storage area)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l06t9qm1fhfqzl9/Email%20to%20Walensky%20Feb%2017%20%202021.docx?dl=0

2. Positive culture report for Lyme patient Vicki Logan (Personal Dropbox storage area)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vthfdpn7gv8bne2/Logan%20CDC%20Fort%20Collins%20Positive%20CSF%20%20Culture%20Report.JPG?dl=0

CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, is the 19th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

https://www.cdc.gov

___________________________

**Comment**

Interestingly, Walensky fears “impeding doom” about COVID.

Excerpt:

At the start of her tenure, Walensky said she had pledged to always tell the truth even if it wasn’t something Americans wanted to hear.

“I’m going to pause here,” she said, and her voice began to shake.

“I’m going to lose the script and I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom,” said Walensky, her eyes growing wider and starting to shine.

“We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope. But right now I’m scared,” she said.

**Let’s see if Walensky equally fears Lyme/MSIDS**, the number ONE vector-borne disease that has been denied and ignored by our government and our health ‘authorities’ for over 40 years, with thousands of patients being told their symptoms are “all in their head.”

Let’s see if she’s willing to “tell the truth” about tick-borne illness even if it isn’t something people want to hear.

I’m not holding my breath.

Category:

Activism, Lyme

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‘Highly Probable’ Military Developed COVID, Leaked From Lab

March 29, 2021

http:// Approx. 12 Min.

March 21, 2021

Sky News Australia

David Asher – a now senior fellow at the Hudson Institute – spoke to Sky News about investigations into the origins of COVID-19 and suspicions as to who may have been first infected with the virus in Wuhan. He spoke of work undertaken at the Wuhan Institute of Virology as well as the theory it may have developed SARS-COV-2 while working on a potential coronavirus vaccine.

The possible vaccine was potentially being developed as an antidote to a bioweapen, he said.

“Whether they were developing this vaccine, if it exists, as an antidote … hard to know,” he told Sky News host Sharri Markson. “There’s going to be the need for a huge global investigation, well beyond the WHO”. He said events and information have arisen which “made us feel the Wuhan Institute was highly probably the source of the COVID epidemic”.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

According to David Asher, former lead investigator for the U.S. State Department’s task force that looked into the origins of COVID-19, the data “made us feel the Wuhan Institute was highly probably the source of the COVID pandemic”
Asher also admits there is evidence in the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 suggesting it’s been synthetically altered
An assessment report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency states SARS-CoV-2 was likely an accidental release from an infectious diseases laboratory. Intentional release was ruled out
The Chinese tried to remove viral sequencing data from a European database. The sequences included adenovirus, a vaccine vector, which could indicate that SARS-CoV-2 is part of a vaccine program. Such a vaccine would likely be the antidote to a biological weapon
There’s evidence the Wuhan Institute of Virology worked on classified military programs, and since the NIH has funded gain-of-function research on coronaviruses at the WIV, this could mean the U.S. funded research that ended up being used in a Chinese military bioweapons program Source

Former CDC Director, Dr. Redfield also recently announced COVID was in Wuhan as early as September or October 2019.

But WHO states state it’s extremely unlikely COVID escaped from a lab despite pushback from scientists.

Jamie Metzl, former National Security Council official in the Clinton administration and member of a WHO advisory committee on genetic engineering, blamed the Chinese government for failing to cooperate with the WHO investigative team.

Metzl told 60 Minutes that even though there have been accidental lab leaks of viruses in China in the past that have infected people and killed at least one, “no one on the WHO team was trained in how to formally investigate a lab leak.”

Metzl is part of an international group that, on March 4, released an open letter calling for a full and unrestricted international forensic investigation into the origins of the pandemic. He told 60 Minutes that the lab leak theory is plausible and deserves a full investigation. He said that the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s (WIV) own lab reports show that it sent field researchers to the bat caves and that they brought back samples with coronaviruses:

“ … we do know that there were nine viruses at least that were brought back. And it’s extremely possible that among these viruses is a virus that’s much more closely related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. And when I put all those pieces together, I said, ‘Hey, wait a second, this is a real possibility. We need to be exploring it.’”

Matt Pottinger, former Trump administration deputy national security adviser, also told 60 Minutes he believes China withheld information from the WHO team, including that the Wuhan lab director “published studies about manipulating bat coronaviruses in a way that could make them more infectious to humans, and there were reports of lax safety standards at the lab.” Source

For more:

Category:

Viruses

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Human Trials Begin for Shot Against Lyme Disease

http:// Approx. 3 Min.

Human Trials Begin For Shot Against Lyme Diease

March 23, 2021

Lyme PrEP still uses OspA, the outer surface protein connected to Lyme-like symptoms caused by the previous Lymerix vaccine.

Excerpts:

Safety concerns began to emerge soon after people began getting LYMErix. Some recipients began to report joint pain and other effects that they attributed to the vaccine. Within a year of the vaccine’s approval, a class action lawsuit was filed against SmithKline Beecham on behalf of 121 people. Although the suit was eventually settled — it provided no compensation to the plaintiffs — publicity about it dampened interest in the vaccine.

Meanwhile, growing distrust of vaccines may have compounded LYMErix’s struggles.

But there is another possible point of contention: VLA15 and Lyme PrEP both target the same protein on Borrelia bacteria that LYMErix did — outer surface protein A (OspA).

The approach used to target OspA in LYMErix was linked to concerns that arose about potential side effects. While studies have not confirmed the connection, VLA15 uses a slightly modified vaccine approach and Lyme PrEP delivers a single antibody directly — both of which could circumvent the purported issue. But Telford said some people might still take issue with a vaccine that targets OspA.

“I anticipate Valneva is going to have a problem with activists,” he said, noting that he had informally spoken with some community groups. “The broad statement was ‘No OspA vaccine, no how.’”

Klempner, similar to other Lyme Cabal players has a history with biological weapons as both Director and investigator of a bioweapons lab. He’s been accused of research fraud, and single-handedly has convinced mainstream medicine that extended treatment doesn’t help Lyme/MSIDS patients. The “Klempner” Report has ruled Lyme-land for over 20 years.

Further, I’m with Lyme advocate Carl Tuttle in that we don’t want a vaccine until the issue of chronic/persistent infection is acknowledged. As you can see from this article, there are those who still believe what we are suffering from is a “scam that should be condemned”.

Excerpt:

The Lyme disease controversy keeps on getting bigger, with an hypothetical presentation of “chronic Lyme disease” that some believe to be responsible for late subjective symptoms experienced by patients who are supposedly victims of this chronic infection despite negative examination results and unrelated clinical signs.

This irrational diatribe has been picked up by the media and orchestrated by sectarian supporters of such syndrome – i.e., off-the-rails physicians, associations proclaiming to “defend” the patient’s interests, and even political figures – and has grown into an absurd and troubling polemic. Untruths told by Lyme pseudo-specialists (i.e., the Lyme doctors) and assertions made by people convinced to have chronic Lyme disease are indeed picked up by the media – too eager to disseminate fake news and happy to see the medical authorities flouted – and work to the disadvantage of patients. Patients are fooled, taken advantage of, betrayed, and even encouraged to physically threaten physicians contesting the existence of such syndrome!

Tick-borne illness has been ruled by a Cabal doing pseudoscience, just as COVID has.

In fact, for those paying attention, there are many similarities between how Lyme/MSIDS & COVID have been handled.

For more:

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Lyme Vaccine, vaccines

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Pilot Study Finds Evidence of Bartonella in Schizophrenia Patients

https://news.ncsu.edu/2021/03/pilot-study-bartonella-schizophrenia-patients/

Pilot Study Finds Evidence of Bartonella Infection in Schizophrenia Patients

March 23, 2021 Tracey Peake

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tracey Peaketracey_peake@ncsu.edu

A pilot study from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found evidence of Bartonella infection in the blood of people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

“Researchers have been looking at the connection between bacterial infection and neuropsychiatric disease for some time,” says Dr. Erin Lashnits, a former veterinary internist at NC State, current faculty member at the University of Wisconsin and first author of the study.

“Specifically, there has been research suggesting that cat ownership is associated with schizophrenia due to the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii, but to date there has been no conclusive evidence in support of a causative role for this parasite. So we decided to look at another cat-associated infectious agent, Bartonella, to see if there could be a connection.”

Bartonella are bacteria historically associated with cat-scratch disease, which until recently was thought to be solely a short-lived (or self-limiting) infection. Cats can become infected with Bartonella via exposure to fleas and potentially ticks, which are natural vectors of the bacteria. The cat is a host for at least three of the 40 known Bartonella species: Bartonella henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiae and Bartonella koehlerae.

“While there is emerging understanding of neuropsychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia as disorders of brain networks, the question about the actual causes remains unanswered,” says corresponding author Flavio Frohlich, associate professor of psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine. “It was an exciting opportunity for us in the UNC Department of Psychiatry to team up with the leading experts on Bartonella to pursue this innovative idea of a potential link to schizophrenia. To our knowledge, this is the very first work that examines a potential role of Bartonella in schizophrenia.”

The research team enrolled a group of 17 people with stable, medically managed schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, and a control group of 13 healthy adults, to test for evidence of Bartonella infection.

All participants filled out questionnaires on severity of symptoms and potential Bartonella exposure. Blood samples were taken from participants twice in a one-week period. The samples were cultured in a growth medium, and both cultured and whole blood samples underwent qPCR and droplet digital, or ddPCR testing, at seven-, 14- and 21-day intervals, to look for evidence of Bartonella organism-specific DNA. Blood samples were also tested for Bartonella species-specific antibodies.

Of the 17 patients with schizophrenia, 12 had Bartonella DNA in their blood, as compared to only one of 13 in the control group. According to the questionnaires, both patients and controls reported similar pet ownership and flea exposures.

“Bartonella ddPCR, a very new diagnostic technology, provides a more sensitive molecular test than we’ve previously had access to,” says Dr. Ed Breitschwerdt, Melanie S. Steele Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine at NC State and study coauthor. “If we had not used ddPCR to test this cohort of individuals, we would not have found Bartonella DNA in any of the participants, either case or control.”

“It is important to remember that our study was by design not able to demonstrate a causal link between Bartonella infection and schizophrenia,” Frohlich says. “However, we believe this initial observational study strongly supports the need for follow-up research.”

The researchers plan to proceed with a larger study to see whether their preliminary results are borne out.

“Many of these patients have been undergoing care for years,” Breitschwerdt says. “What we’re starting to see is a pattern – Bartonella can persist for a long time. And for the subset of people who can’t eliminate the infection, the bacteria can cause chronic or progressive illness.”

The research appears in Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases and was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (grants UL1TR002489 and T32OD011130). Ricardo Maggi and Julie Bradley of NC State, as well as L. Fredrik Jarskog of UNC-Chapel Hill, contributed to the work.

_________________________

Note to editors: The abstract of the paper follows.

“Schizophrenia and Bartonella spp. infection: a pilot case-control study”

DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2729

Authors: Erin Lashnits, Ed Breitschwerdt, Ricardo Maggi, Julie Bradley, North Carolina State Univerity; L. Fredrik Jarskog, Flavio Frolich, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Published: March 15, 2021 in Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

Abstract:
Recently, infections with emerging zoonotic bacteria of the genus Bartonella have been reported in association with a range of central nervous system (CNS) symptoms. Currently, it remains unknown if Bartonella spp. infection is associated with symptoms of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder (SCZ/SAD). The objective of this study was to determine if there is an association between Bartonella species infection and SCZ/SAD. A secondary objective was to determine if SCZ/SAD symptoms were more severe among participants with documented Bartonella spp. infection. Using a case–control study design, 17 cases and 13 controls were evaluated with a series of clinical and cognitive assessments. Blood samples were collected and tested for Bartonella spp. infection using serological, microbiological, and molecular techniques. People with SCZ/SAD were more likely than healthy volunteers to have Bartonella spp. DNA in their bloodstream, with 11 of 17 cases (65%) positive by Bartonella spp. droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). In comparison, only one healthy volunteer was Bartonella spp. ddPCR positive (8%, p = 0.0024). Based on serology, Bartonella spp. exposure was common among people with SCZ/SAD (12 of 17) as well as among healthy volunteers (12 of 13), with no significant difference between the groups ( p = 0.196). Within the case group of people with SCZ/SAD, there was no significant difference in SCZ/SAD severity scores between people with and without ddPCR evidence of Bartonella spp. infection. This pilot study provides preliminary evidence in support of future investigations that should examine a potential contribution of Bartonella spp. infection to SCZ/SAD.

________________________

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Category:

Bartonella, Psychological Aspects, research

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Madison Area Lyme Support Group

Lyme Disease Patient With Permanent Tinnitus & Hearing Loss