IDSA continues to ignore the IOM rules

Survey message is loud and clear IDSA's flawed process continues; advocates ask Congress for hearings The current IDSA Lyme guidelines abandon seriously ill people to lives of pain and disability. Now, ignoring the rules set down by the Institute of Medicine, the IDSA is poised to give us more of the same. Would Congressional hearings help? Click here to read more about it. More than 6000 responded to our IDSA Lyme survey about what Lyme patients want. We're sending our report to the IDSA, health officials, lawmakers and journalists. Click here for survey results now. More from our news blogs: "Dear Abby" writes about Lyme disease Why do doctors keep fighting about Lyme disease? Dr. Horowitz discusses chronic Lyme on Fox News THE LYME TIMES: Death by medical discrimination? LymeDisease.org, publisher of The Lyme Times, advocates nationally for people with tick-borne diseases, educates the public, and helps fund medical research. We are the go-to source for news, information, and health policy analysis in the Lyme community. Become a member today.

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Endokrynol Pol. 2015;66(2):132-6. doi: 10.5603/EP.2015.0020.

The role of Epstein-Barr virus infection in the development of autoimmune thyroid diseases.

Janegova A, Janega P1, Rychly B, Kuracinova K, Babal P.

Author information

• 1Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. pavol.janega@fmed.uniba.sk.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: 

Autoimmune thyroid diseases, including Graves' and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, are the most frequent autoimmune disorders. Viral infection, including Epstein-Barrvirus (EBV), is one of the most frequently considered environmental factors involved in autoimmunity. Its role in the development of AITD has not been confirmed so far.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: 

Surgical specimens of Graves' and Hashimoto's diseases and nodular goitres were included in the study. The expression of EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) was analysed by immunohistochemistry, with the parallel detection of virus-encoded small nuclear non-polyadenylated RNAs (EBER) by in situ hybridisation.

RESULTS: 

In none of the Graves' disease specimens but in 34.5% of Hashimoto's thyroiditis cases the cytoplasmic expression of LMP1 was detected in follicular epithelial cells and in infiltrating lymphocytes. EBER nuclear expression was detected in 80.7% of Hashimoto's thyroiditis cases and 62.5% of Graves´ disease cases, with positive correlation between LMP1 and EBER positivity in all Hashimoto's thyroiditis LMP1-positive cases.

CONCLUSIONS: 

We assume that high prevalence of EBV infection in cases of Hashimoto's and Graves' diseases imply a potential aetiological role of EBV in autoimmune thyroiditis. 

The initiation of autoimmune thyroiditis could start with EBV latency type III infection of follicular epithelium characterised by LMP1 expression involving the production of inflammatory mediators leading to recruitment of lymphocytes. 

The EBV positivity of the infiltrating lymphocytes could be only the presentation of a carrier state, but in cases with EBER+/ LMP1+ lymphocytes (transforming latent infection) it could represent a negative prognostic marker pointing to a higher risk of primary thyroid lymphoma development. (Endokrynol Pol 2015; 66 (2): 132-136).

PMID:

 

25931043

 

[PubMed - in process] 

Free full text

Full article here-  http://czasopisma.viamedica.pl/ep/article/view/EP.2015.0020/28584

"Legalize Lyme" T-shirt campaign

A Bay Area Lyme patient brought this to my attention today:




Like it? It's a little confusing, but I guess the idea is that if (chronic, "post-treatment") Lyme were recognized by the CDC, AMA, IDSA, NIH, etc. then doctors would legally be allowed to treat with long-term antibiotics without fearing for their jobs, licenses, malpractice, etc.

You can get yours at:
http://teespring.com/legalizelyme

-Bob

Amy Tan on Lyme disease

Excellent article....

http://www.humanthology.com/lyme-disease/2014/9/15/slyme-disease-how-a-speck-changed-my-life-forever

Gleim activist group at top of Google search

According to some observers, it looks as though they Mayday Lyme patient activist group is dominating the search engine world with its latest activities. Check it out. 

Click on the link at bottom. 

 

I'm not sure what this means in terms of exposure, but I thought everyone would find this intertesting.

 Mayday's material currently occupies all top 10 results on Google News for searches on "IDSA Lyme Guidelines."  We've crowded out everyone else including IDSA. We've been dominating the news feeds for almost a year, but this is the first time we've had the entire top 10 to ourselves. Love search term optimization.

 https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0&q=lyme+disease&oq=lyme&gs_l=news-cc.1.1.43j0l9j43i53.5698.5805.0.7774.4.2.0.0.0.0.97.184.2.2.0...0.0...1ac.1.tAMwM__NP_0#hl=en&gl=us&authuser=0&tbm=nws&q=idsa+lyme+guidelines

Growing Threat of Lyme Disease in a Hotter World

Growing Threat of Lyme Disease in a Hotter World

Jonathan Galland 

Posted: 05/03/15 10:35 PM ET Updated: 05/03/15 10:59 PM ET

Rapidly-spreading ticks are hungry and looking for a blood meal.

When celebrities like Avril Lavigne get Lyme disease, the world takes notice of this often-extremely-difficult-to-diagnose infection. But lurking below the headlines, the ticks that carry Lyme and other infections continue to spread and multiply. The latest scientific research, which I highlight here, shows that the warming world is allowing ticks to menace new regions, go into higher elevations, and emerge sooner in the spring.

There are 240,000 to 440,000 new cases of Lyme disease diagnosed every year in the U.S., according to a study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Ticks Are Going West

The deer ticks that carry Lyme are moving west and have become entrenched in places such as North Dakota for the first time. Lyme has steadily increased in that state since 2007, notes a study appearing in a journal from Oxford University Press. Lyme is already well established in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the ticks are creeping into Illinois and Indiana.

Lyme Disease Expands in California

The University of California, Davis explains that the first reported case of Lyme in California was in 1978. From 1989 to 2006, over 2,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported in California. Ticks infected with Lyme disease have now been found in 42 counties across the state.

Ticks Carrying Lyme Invade Canada

Rising temperatures have fueled the expansion of deer ticks and Lyme disease in the Northeast and Midwest of the U.S. and have allowed the ticks to invade north into a warmer Canada, explains a study from the Public Health Agency of Canada. With further warming, tick expansion is set to accelerate as the ticks survive through milder winters.

Ticks are Headed North in Europe

With warmer temperatures, ticks that carry Lyme disease and other infections are expanding their territory in Europe. These ticks have spread rapidly north in Sweden into formerly tick-free areas and have gone north in the U.K. and Norway as well. Milder winters and longer spring and autumn seasons are considered key factors in the ticks' spread. In Italy and the Czech Republic, warmer weather has allowed ticks to survive at higher altitudes than previously.

Milder winters and warmer summers are linked to increasing incidence of tick-borne diseases in Russia, Sweden and Hungary.

Climate Change Leads to Extended Tick Season

Global warming is pushing the tick season forward, which means the ticks are active earlier in the spring, a new study reports. The research appeared in a journal of The Royal Society in the U.K., one of the world's leading science centers. Over the 19-year period of the study, researchers in New York State collected data from almost half a million ticks, 53,000 mice and 12,000 chipmunks who are common carriers of ticks. They found that warmer temperatures in the spring allow ticks to emerge three weeks earlier, looking for a blood meal.

Chronic Lyme Disease Costs Over 1 Billion in U.S.

For some people, Lyme can be a long-term illness, explains new research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study states that long-term illness linked to Lyme is "more widespread and serious than previously understood." The study notes that this is sometimes called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS); or simply chronic Lyme disease. Study author Emily Adrion said:

Our data show that many people who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease are in fact going back to the doctor complaining of persistent symptoms, getting multiple tests and being treated. They cost the health care system about $1 billion a year and it is clear that we need effective, cost-effective and compassionate management of these patients to improve their outcomes even if we don't know what to call the disease.

With 2014 the hottest year on record, the impact of an already warmer world is putting our health at risk through the spread of ticks that carry disease. Can we afford to allow the planet to keep getting warmer, with projections for the expansion of ticks and lyme disease set to spiral out of control?

Now I'd like to hear from you:

Have you heard about Lyme disease in your area? Have you found ticks on yourself or your pets? Noticed any unusual weather such as early springtime or hotter summers? Do you feel that climate change is the reason?

Please let me know your thoughts by posting a comment below.

Best Health,

Jonathan Galland

Jonathan Galland is a leader in integrated health education through his work with medical conferences, videos, books, and online media. He is CEO of pilladvised.com, a website dedicated to transforming health by presenting the wisdom of the world's leading integrated doctors. Jonathan is a passionate health writer who authored the recipes for The Fat Resistance Diet, which has been featured in Fitness, Self, Body and Soul, The Wall Street Journal and on The Dr. Oz Show. Get Healing Inspiration from Pill Advised in the free newsletter and healthy updates on Facebook and Linkedin.

This information is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute (i) medical advice or counseling, (ii) the practice of medicine or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, (iii) or the creation of a physician--patient relationship. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your doctor promptly.

http://pilladvised.com/

Source article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-galland/lyme-disease_b_7143542.html

Philadelphia Inquirer article about Lyme

Excellent article, although the writer confused T. denticola with T. pallidum.

Approaches to treating Lyme disease differ

				Approaches to treating Lyme disease differ For Julia Wagner, conquering Lyme disease is personal. Eleven years ago, she came down with the tick-borne illness. Though most people recover quickly after a cours...
				View on www.philly.com	Preview by Yahoo

Mayday, Mayday! + George Mason University

"On the same day the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) continued to deny the existence of chronic Lyme disease and dismissed the Mayday Project vigil, an exciting breakthrough technology in testing for Lyme disease receives a funding boost from the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Both stories are presented here.  The first comes from the Mayday Project via Webwire; the second is from George Mason University and Ceres Nanosciences. The stories demonstrate the small victories among the huge challenges faced by the community of Lyme disease sufferers..."

Read the rest here:

http://hudsonvalleynewsnetwork.com/2015/05/02/the-challenges-combatting-lyme-disease/

New Probe Shows Lyme As a Cause of Multiple Sclerosis Victims | Jenna's Lyme Blog

Here's a blog post of another Lyme blogger, Jenna. Good article about Alan MacDonald's work and the Lyme, PD and MS connection. -- Bob

http://lymediseaseresource.com/wordpress/new-probe-shows-lyme-as-a-cause-of-multiple-sclerosis-victims/

Seven Studies on Lyme Carditis

Here are seven studies on deaths by heart damage caused by or associated with Lyme disease. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Three Sudden Cardiac Deaths Associated with Lyme Carditis —United States, November 2012–July 2013

Weekly

December 13, 2013 / 62(49);993-996
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6249a1.htm?s_cid=mm6249a1_w

Lyme disease* is a multisystem illness caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a spirochete transmitted by certain species of Ixodes ticks. Approximately 30,000 confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease were reported in the United States in 2012, primarily from high-incidence states in the Northeast (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont) and upper Midwest (Minnesota and Wisconsin) (1,2).^† Common manifestations include cutaneous, neurologic, and rheumatologic signs and symptoms. Symptomatic infection of the heart is rare in recognized Lyme disease cases and usually resolves promptly with appropriate antibiotic therapy. Nonetheless, cardiac involvement occasionally can cause life-threatening cardiac conduction abnormalities. During November 2012–July 2013, one woman and two men (ranging in age from 26 to 38 years) from high-incidence Lyme disease states experienced sudden cardiac death and, on postmortem examination, were found to have evidence of Lyme carditis. The three deaths were investigated by the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, New Hampshire Department of Public Health, New York State Department of Health, and CDC. Donated corneas from two decedents had been transplanted to three recipients before the diagnosis of Lyme disease was established, but no evidence of disease transmission was found. Although death from Lyme carditis is rare, it should be considered in cases of sudden cardiac death in patients from high-incidence Lyme disease regions. Reducing exposure to ticks is the best method for preventing Lyme disease and other tickborne infections.^§

 

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Lyme disease: A case report of a 17-year old male with fatal Lyme carditis

 

E. Yooncorrespondence, E. Vail, G. Kleinman, P.A. Lento, S. Li, G. Wang, R. Limberger, J.T. Fallon

 

Received: February 8, 2015; Received in revised form: March 15, 2015; Accepted: March 16, 2015; Published Online: March 21, 2015

 

Department of Pathology, WestchesterMedical Center and New York MedicalCollege, Valhalla, NY, USA

http://www.cardiovascularpathology.com/article/S1054-8807(15)00025-3/abstract?rss=yes

 

Abstract

Lyme disease is a systemic infection commonly found in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic and north-central regions of theUnited States. Of the many systemic manifestations of Lyme disease, cardiac involvement is uncommon and rarely causes mortality. We describe a case of a 17-year-old adolescent who died unexpectedly after a 2-week viral-like syndrome. Postmortem examination was remarkable for diffuse pancarditis characterized by extensive infiltrates of lymphocytes and focal interstitial fibrosis. In the cardiac tissue, Borrelia burgdorferi was identified via special stains, immunohistochemistry and PCR. The findings support Borrelia burgdorferi as the causative agent for his fulminant carditis and that the patient suffered fatal Lyme carditis. Usually, Lyme carditis is associated with conduction disturbances and is a treatable condition. Nevertheless, few cases of mortality have been reported in the literature. Here, we report a rare example of fatal Lyme carditis in an unsuspected patient.

 

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Fatal Lyme carditis and endodermal heterotopia of the atrioventricular node.

 

N. R. Cary, B. Fox, D. J. Wright, S. J. Cutler, L. M. Shapiro, and A. A. Grace

Author information ► Copyright and License information ►

This article has been corrected. SeePostgrad Med J. 1990 March; 66(773): 258.

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2429516/

Abstract

A fatal case of Lyme carditis occurring in a Suffolk farmworker is reported. Post-mortem examination of the heart showed pericarditis, focal myocarditis and prominent endocardial and interstitial fibrosis. The additional finding of endodermal heterotopia ('mesothelioma') of the atrioventricular node raises the possibility that this could also be related to Lyme infection and account for the relatively frequent occurrence of atrioventricular block in this condition. Lyme disease should always be considered in a case of atrioventricular block, particularly in a young patient from a rural area. The heart block tends to improve and therefore only temporary pacing may be required.

 

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Fatal pancarditis in a patient with coexistent Lyme disease and babesiosis. Demonstration of spirochetes in the myocardium.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4040723

Abstract

A 66-year-old man developed fever, chills, myalgias, three erythematous skin lesions, and transient left eyelid lag. Because of persistent fever, he was hospitalized 4 weeks after the onset of disease; a peripheral blood smear showed Babesia microti in 3% of his erythrocytes. Eighteen hours later, he died unexpectedly. Autopsy showed pancarditiswith a diffuse lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, and spirochetes were found in the myocardium. Antibody titers to both theLyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti were elevated. The finding of spirochetes in the myocardium and the elevated antibody titers to Borrelia burgdorferi suggest that the patient died from cardiac involvement of Lyme disease.

 

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Lyme borreliosis as a cause of myocarditis and heart muscle disease.

Klein J, Stanek G, Bittner R, Horvat R,Holzinger C, Glogar D.

Source

Dept. of Cardiology, University of Vienna,Austria.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1915460

Abstract

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a multisystem disorder that may cause self-limiting or chronic diseases of the skin, the nervous system, the joints, heart and other organs. The aetiological agent is the recently discovered Borrelia burgdorferi. In 1980, cardiac manifestations of LB were first described, including acute conduction disorders, atrioventricular block, transient left ventricular dysfunction and even cardiomegaly. Pathohistological examination showed spirochaetes in cases of acute perimyocarditis. Recently, we were able to cultivate Borrelia burgdorferi from the myocardium of a patient with long-standing dilated cardiomyopathy. In this study, we have examined 54 consecutive patients suffering from chronic heart failure for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi. On ELISA, 32.7% were clearly seropositive. The endomyocardial biopsy of another patient also revealed spirochaetes in the myocardium by a modified Steiner's silver stain technique. These findings give further evidence that LB is associated with chronic heart muscle disease.

 

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Cardiac Lyme disease - case report - A Fatality confirmed with Autopsy PCR study

 

Postmortem confirmation of Lyme carditis with polymerase chain reaction.

Fabio Tavora, Allen Burke, Ling Li, Teri J Franks, Renu Virmani in Cardiovascular pathology : the official journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology

http://umaryland.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/postmortem-confirmation-of-lyme-carditis-with-polymerase-chain-reaction%2896d9181d-9d52-4fc7-9149-287cd0123f84%29.html

 

Fabio Tavora ; Allen Burke ; Ling Li ; Teri J. Franks ; Renu Virmani

        Pathology

Background: Cardiac involvement in Lyme disease is uncommon and typically manifests clinically by conduction disturbances. Postmortem identification of Borrelia burgdorferi has never been reported in a case of Lyme carditis. Methods and Results: We describe the case of a 37-year-old Caucasian man with a 1-month history of fevers, rash, and malaise who died unexpectedly on the day after he underwent medical evaluation. The only clinical cardiac abnormality found was that of second-degree atrioventricular block. At autopsy, a diffuse carditis, characterized by infiltrates of macrophages, lymphocytes, and eosinophils and primarily in an interstitial, endocardial, and perivascular distribution, was found. Serologic testing from blood drawn on the day before his death demonstrated IgG and IgM antibodies against B. burgdorferi, confirmed by Western blot. Postmortem polymerase chain reaction (PCR) performed in myocardial tissue amplified B. burgdorferi DNA encoding outer-surface protein A. Conclusions: Lyme carditis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of interstitial myocarditis with mixed inflammatory infiltrates. This diagnosis can be confirmed by PCR testing. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

 

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Unclassified cardiomyopathy or Lyme carditis? A three year follow-up.

Authors: Konopka M, Kuch M, Braksator W, Walczak E, Jakuciń ski M, 
Lipowski D, Dłuż niewski M

Citation: Kardiol Pol 2013; 71(3): 283-5.

Location: Medical University ofWarsaw. marcin.konopka@op.pl.

DOI: 10.5603/KP.2013.0043
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23575786

Abstract

 

Lyme carditis can be a clinical manifestation of the early disseminated stage of Lyme disease caused by the tick-transmitted pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi. We present the case of a 41 year-old Caucasian woman referred to our hospital with symptoms of fatigue, progressive exertional dyspnoea, supraventricular cardiac arrhythmia, and an enlarged heart revealed on chest radiography. Following an untypical result of transthoracic echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance was performed. This showed structural cardiac changes and focus of late gadolinium enhancement in the midwall of the apex region. Further diagnostic processes, including endomyocardial biopsy and serology tests, made it possible to diagnose Lyme carditis. Clinical observation was followed-up for three years.