Three-part series on Bartonella research from University of North Carolina

Bartonella is a common coinfection carried in the same ticks that Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) is. Bartonella is particularly tricky to diagnose because there are many different strains. Because animals contract it regularly, veterinarians are more aware of Bartonella than are most human doctors. Veterinarians at North Carolina State University have been researching Bartonella a lot recently. I actually had my blood tested there for nine different strains of Bartonella. In my case, they all came back negative. Even still, my Lyme doctors seem to believe that I have some kind of Bartonella-like organism (BLO) because of degradation in my skin, including small rupturing capillaries. 

Here is a three-part article from that school on their Bartonella research:

http://web.ncsu.edu/abstract/science/bartonella-epidemic/ (part 1 of a 3-part series)

http://web.ncsu.edu/abstract/science/bartonella-2/ (part 2 of a 3-part series)

 

http://web.ncsu.edu/abstract/science/bartonella-3/  (part 3 of a 3-part series)

"Bartonella bacteria are highly evolved, survive in multiple insect vectors and in dessicated flea feces, and enter our bodies in a stealth-like manner, switching off our immune response as it takes residence in our tissues.

"It persists despite aggressive treatment and is clearly a contender for diseases transmitted by blood transfusions. Physicians must be cognizant of the stealth nature of this pathogen and the alarmingly high frequency of seronegativity."

Scroll down and you will see "7 responses to the article.  One said, "Dr Jemsek of "under our skin" movie fame put me on 600mg Omnicef, 1000 mg Azithromyacin and 200mg Minocyn every other day (cyclical). HUGE improvement. I also am taking 100 BILLION probiotics and numerous nutracells a day for immune suppression problems. People with severe issues need to look into Infectious Mycoplasma infection as a coinfection. Google IMMED or Prof Garth Nicolson."

But scroll down further to the bottom and read James Plyler's comment for some excellent points:

 "Overall, consider the treatment issues. With the Bartonella bacteria being inside the cells, it is most vulnerable to antibiotics when outside the cell during replication. Most bacteria replicate quickly. Bartonella replicates every 22 hours. Anytime in 22 hours that effective antibiotic plasma levels are not maintained in the blood, the Bartonella may be able to continue to replicate. To address that issue we have to try to use antibiotics that maintain effective plasma levels. Look at the half-life numbers for various antibiotics to see how long they persist in your blood.

It would be important to use antibiotics that have good intracellular penetration, and that will provide effective treatment against the Bartonella while inside the infected cells, but what are they? We need research to find that out…...As far as the diagnosis, realize that there is no such thing as a negative Bartonella test. Testing can only confirm a clinical diagnosis. Studies indicate that the standard Bartonella testing accuracy may be as low as 18%. Tragic if your doctor does not know that. While costly, for both you and them, Galaxy Diagnostic's highest priority is to provide the most accurate Bartonella testing. They do, but be aware that even they get false negatives, and even their testing can only confirm a clinical diagnosis.