The new Tick Releaser Spray & Test Kit took top honors by winning the Gold Product Innovation award at Backer’s Total Pet Expo 2014. The kit provides not only a means to safely remove ticks, but also to send them in for diagnostic testing to rule out the possibility of disease transmission.
The new Tick Releaser Spray & Mail-In Test Kit from Earth’s Balance is an all-encompassing solution. It’s a convenient, cost-effective means to protect pets and family. After the tick has been safely removed, it is a good idea to have it tested to ensure it does not carry debilitating disease.
The kit itself includes: releaser spray (made with all-natural essential oils), tweezers, collection tube, alcohol prep pad and mail-in diagnostic testing order form. All-natural and toxin-free, it provides a means to release ticks quickly, safely and intact. Simply spray, tweeze and collect. Then fill out the order form and mail the tick in for your selected diagnostic tests.
For an additional fee, ticks can be submitted and tested for the following diseases: Lyme disease, Anaplasma, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Bartonella, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia. Prices range from $25 for one disease up to $75 for a total panel of all seven diseases.
Tick Releaser Spray & Mail-In Test Kit will be available in stores and online in early spring. For more information, visit Earthsbalance.com or call 1-800-292-3424.
* * * * * *
http://rvdailyreport.com/products/earth-balance-offers-tick-releaser-spray-mail-in-test-kit/
Ticks can be submitted and tested for the following diseases: Anaplasma, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Lyme disease, Bartonella, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia. Lab testing fees range from $25 for one disease up to $75 for a total panel of all seven diseases.
For more information, visit earthsbalance.com. Dealers and retailers interested in carrying Earth’s Balance Tick Releaser and Mail-In Test Kit should email sales representative Jason Reid at jreid@marshallpet.com.
* * * * *
Ads-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnvCNfUK6gU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1OxZNeEZyc
The first ad says the tick is mailed to Research Associates Laboratory. http://www.vetdna.com It is located in Dallas, Texas.
Here's the information from the company's about page:
Since 1992 Research Associates laboratory has been providing state of the art molecular diagnostics to veterinarians, zoos, universities, restaurants, hotels, and the pet and pest industries. We are the nation's oldest and most experienced veterinary molecular diagnostic laboratory.
We are the only diagnostic laboratory offering affordable next day results 6 days per week.
Laboratory Director
Ernie Colaizzi
Contact
(972) 960-2221
(972) 960-1997
14556 Midway Road Dallas, TX 75244 (Google Map)
* * * *
The lab offers what's called "Real Time PCR testing." http://www.vetdna.com/real-time-pcr-testing
* * * *
So apparently, Earth's Balance (http://www.earthsbalance.com/products/tick-releaser-spray-and-mail-in-test-kit), which is a subsidiary of Marshall Pet Products (http://www.marshallpet.com/) seems to have teamed with a vet lab for the tick testing. The out-of-the gate marketing is clearly for hunters and other people who spend time in the woods.
Pages
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tick removal product
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Sexual transmission of Lyme disease
Marianne J. Middelveen1, Jennie Burke2, Eva Sapi3, Cheryl Bandoski3, Katherine R. Filush3, Yean Wang2, Agustin Franco2, Arun Timmaraju3, Hilary A. Schlinger1, Peter J. Mayne1, Raphael B. Stricker1
http://f1000research.com/articles/3-309/v1
Abstract
Background: Recent reports indicate that more than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed yearly in the USA. Preliminary clinical, epidemiological and immunological studies suggest that infection with the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) could be transferred from person to person via intimate human contact without a tick vector. Detecting viable Borrelia spirochetes in vaginal and seminal secretions would provide evidence to support this hypothesis.
Methods: Patients with and without a history of Lyme disease were selected for the study after informed consent was obtained. Serological testing for Bb was performed on all subjects. Semen or vaginal secretions were inoculated into BSK-H medium and cultured for four weeks. Examination of genital cultures and culture concentrates for the presence of spirochetes was performed using light and darkfield microscopy, and spirochete concentrates were subjected to Dieterle silver staining, anti-Bb immunohistochemical staining, molecular hybridization and PCR analysis for further characterization. Immunohistochemical and molecular testing was performed in three independent laboratories. Positive and negative controls were included in all experiments.
Results: Control subjects who were asymptomatic and seronegative for Bb had no detectable spirochetes in genital secretions by PCR analysis. In contrast, spirochetes were observed in cultures of genital secretions from 11 of 13 subjects diagnosed with Lyme disease, and motile spirochetes were detected in genital culture concentrates from 12 of 13 Lyme disease patients using light and darkfield microscopy. Morphological features of spirochetes were confirmed by Dieterle silver staining and immunohistochemical staining of culture concentrates. Molecular hybridization and PCR testing confirmed that the spirochetes isolated from semen and vaginal secretions were strains of Borrelia, and all cultures were negative for treponemal spirochetes. PCR sequencing of cultured spirochetes from three couples having unprotected sex indicated that two couples had identical strains of Bb sensu stricto in their semen and vaginal secretions, while the third couple had identical strains of B. hermsii detected in their genital secretions.
Conclusions: The culture of viable Borrelia spirochetes in genital secretions suggests that Lyme disease could be transmitted by intimate contact from person to person.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Save A Dog, Inc. News » Lyme Prevention
http://www.saveadog.org/blog/index.php/2013/11/25/lyme-prevention/
Bob
New iSpot Lyme Test
iSpot Lyme: A New Generation of Lyme Disease Testing
iSpotLyme - For greater accuracy, request iSpot Lyme™
New T-Cell Test a "Game-Changer" for Lyme
lyme positive result on ispot lyme test - MDJunction
Assessing Lyme Disease: Using the iSpot™ Lyme Test ...
Pharmasan Labs introduces iSpot Lyme - New Hope 360
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Breaking News - NYS Bill Signed into Law - Chapter 532
Dietary Supplements Containing Live Bacteria or Yeast in Immunocompromised Persons: Warning - Risk of Invasive Fungal Disease
Dietary Supplements Containing Live Bacteria or Yeast in Immunocompromised Persons: Warning - Risk of Invasive Fungal Disease
Audience: Health Professional, Pediatrics , Internal Medicine, Consumer
[Posted 12/09/2014]
ISSUE: FDA is warning health professionals of the risks associated with the regarding use of dietary supplements containing live bacteria or yeast in immunocompromised persons. A premature infant administered a dietary supplement, ABC Dophilus Powder (Solgar), as part of in-hospital course of treatment, developed gastrointestinal mucormycosis caused by the mold Rhizopus oryzae and died. Rhizopus oryzae mold was found to be present as a contaminant in an unopened container of the ABC Dophilus Powder, which is formulated to contain three species of live bacteria.
FDA, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health, are investigating the death of this preterm infant who developed gastrointestinal mucormycosis. In mid-November, Solgar issued a recall for certain lots of ABC Dophilus Powder and public health warnings were issued advising customers and consumers not to use the recalled product.
FDA is informing healthcare providers that dietary supplements, including those that are formulated to contain live bacteria or yeast, are generally not regulated as drugs by the FDA. As such, these products are not subject to FDA's premarket review or approval requirements for safety and effectiveness, nor to the agency's rigorous manufacturing and testing standards for drugs, including testing for extraneous organisms.
BACKGROUND: FDA is warning health professionals of the potential risks associated with the use of dietary supplements containing live bacteria or yeast in immunocompromised persons. Gastrointestinal mucormycosis primarily occurs in immunocompromised persons, such as prematurely born infants.
RECOMMENDATION: FDA advises practitioners to approach the application of these interventions with caution. FDA encourages health care providers who use dietary supplements containing live bacteria or yeast as drugs (e.g., to treat, mitigate, cure, or prevent a disease or condition) to submit an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) for FDA review
Health care providers and consumers are encouraged to report adverse events following use of dietary supplements both to the manufacturer using the address or phone number which is required to be on the product label and to the FDA. Visit www.safetyreporting.hhs.gov to submit a report online, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
[12/09/2014 - Dear Healthcare Provider Letter - FDA]
NY State Passes New Law on Antibiotics
December 18, 2014
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/health/lyme-disease/2014/12/18/cuomo-signs-lyme-disease-bill/20576915/
or http://tinyurl.com/k64cnbq
Doctors who prescribe longer courses of antibiotic treatments for Lyme disease have new protections under state law today.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill late Wednesday that prohibits the state Office of Professional Medical Conduct from investigating a licensed physician based solely upon the recommendation or provision of a treatment that is not universally accepted by the medical profession.
Full story: http://tinyurl.com/k64cnbq
Letters:
letterstoeditor@poughkeepsiejournal.com
NY Governor has Signed the Lyme Bill !!
WE'VE GOT A NEW LAW TO PROTECT LYME DOCTORS!
Governor Cuomo signed the Patients' Rights/ Doctor Protection bill this evening (12/17/14)! The bill provides that the OPMC may not charge a physician or other medical licensee with misconduct solely for recommending or providing treatments that are not universally accepted by the medical profession, including, but not limited to, treatments for Lyme disease.
This law has been a long time in coming, but it's done! There may be some technical tweaks, but we are assured that they do not alter the intent of the bills that were unanimously passed in both Senate and Assembly.
THANK YOU TO EVERY ONE OF YOU WHO CONTACTED (and recontacted) THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE!! That effort made the difference! Thousands of Lyme victims told their stories and the legislative staffers and Governor Cuomo's staff, none of whom really knew much about Lyme to start with, now know more than they ever thought possible. And they now understand what the fuss is all about. This would not have happened without you all. Pat yourselves on the back -- this is YOUR law.
Feel free to send a note of thanks to Governor Cuomo, Senator Kemp Hannon, Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried for their dedication to this cause.
We will send more details as they become available.
Best regards to everyone!
Chris Fisk
Lyme Action Network
Friday, December 12, 2014
Damage of Collagen and Elastic Fibres by Borrelia Burgdorferi - Known and New Clinical and Histopathological Aspects
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Update on persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease. - PubMed - NCBI
Update on persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Update+on+persistent+symptoms+associated+with+Lyme+disease
Curr Opin Pediatr. 2014 Dec 7. [Epub ahead of print]
Update on persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease.
Oliveira CR1, Shapiro ED.
Author information
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW:
Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common
vector-borne illness in the United States. The pathogenesis, ecology,
and epidemiology of Lyme disease have been well described, and
antimicrobial treatment is very effective. There has been controversy
about whether infection can persist and cause chronic symptoms despite
treatment with antimicrobials. This review summarizes recent studies
that have addressed this issue.
RECENT FINDINGS:
The pathogenesis of persistent nonspecific symptoms in patients who were
treated for Lyme disease is poorly understood, and the validity of
results of attempts to demonstrate persistent infection with B.
burgdorferi has not been established. One study attempted to use
xenodiagnosis to detect B. burgdorferi in patients who have been treated
for Lyme disease. Another study assessed whether repeated episodes of
erythema migrans were due to the same or different strains of B.
burgdorferi. A possible cause of persistent arthritis in some treated
patients is slow clearance of nonviable organisms that may lead to
prolonged inflammation. The results of all of these studies continue to
provide evidence that viable B. burgdorferi do not persist in patients
who receive conventional antimicrobial treatment for Lyme disease.
SUMMARY:
Patients with persistent symptoms possibly associated with Lyme disease
often provide a challenge for clinicians. Recent studies have provided
additional evidence that viable B. burgdorferi do not persist after
conventional treatment with antimicrobials, indicating that ongoing
symptoms in patients who received conventional treatment for Lyme
disease should not be attributed to persistent active infection.
VIDEO ABSTRACT:
PMID:
25490690
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
LWW Business Offices
250 Waterloo Road
London
SE1 8RD
United Kingdom
Attn: Richard B. Johnston, Jr., MD Editor-in-Chief,
Current Opinion in Pediatrics
Current Opinion in Pediatrics
Dear Dr Johnston,
In reference to the Shapiro article, "Update on persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease" I would like to point out that the CDC criteria for positive serologic results require five out of ten IgG bands on the Western blot. In contrast, a single band criterion in China is sufficient to diagnose Lyme disease.(1)
The CDC's positive case definition for Lyme disease (five out of ten bands) was created for surveillance/reporting purposes only but is routinely responsible for misdiagnosis. A recent paper published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2) identified the misdiagnosis of a sixteen year old (Patient #3) who was hospitalized for pure psychiatric illnesses at a psychiatric hospital for seven weeks. The boy's Western blot identified only four out of five positive bands so the so-called "Lyme expert" mislabeled the teenager as a psychiatric patient and the boy was hospitalized without proper treatment of the infectious agents.
The correct diagnosis was made through the use of DNA sequencing positive for B. burgdorferi identifying the infectious agents in the patient's blood. I would like to point out that this patient failed a previous treatment following the recommended one-size-fits-all IDSA treatment guideline for Lyme disease; identifying persistent infection.
Shapiro's so-called expert opinion ("antimicrobial treatment is very effective") does not hold true in this case. I would like to call attention to Shapiro's additional misleading Lyme disease comments previously archived on the Internet:
http://lyme.kaiserpapers.org/memorable-quotes-by-lyme-disease-denialists.html#Shapiro
Per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website there appears to be four pages of patient complaints regarding faulty/misleading Lyme disease antibody testing and subsequent misdiagnosis.(3)
Current misleading serology is frequently responsible for delayed diagnosis and often used to deny insurance reimbursement. Yale University Schools of Medicine and of Public Health prefers to turn a blind eye to these facts as Shapiro has had a career long bias against persistent infection. Any lab test outside of serology threatens that bias.
Respectfully submitted,
Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH
Attachment: Dr David J. Volkman's letter to Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the CDC.
References:
[1] A Study of the Technique of Western Blot for Diagnosis of Lyme Disease caused by Borrelia afzelii in China
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23425802
[2] DNA Sequencing Diagnosis of Off-Season Spirochetemia with Low Bacterial Density in Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi Infections
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4139787/
[Please be advised that there is an error in the paper; CORRECTION: "negative IgM and positive IgG for 4 bands" NOT 6 as verified by Dr Lantsman]
[3] MAUDE - Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfmaude/TextResults.cfm?dls=1&q=lyme&pf=&pn=10&sc=
Transfusion-associated Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in a pregnant patient
case report. *
Shields K, Cumming M, Rios J, Wong MT, Zwicker JI, Stramer
SL, Alonso CD.
/Transfusion/, online before print, 2014 Nov 11.
*Background*
Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is an acute
nonspecific febrile illness caused by the bacterium
/Anaplasma phagocytophilum/. Although usually transmitted
via tick bite, HGA may rarely also be acquired through
transfusion. HGA during pregnancy may pose significant
gestational risks due to altered maternal immune status and
the potential for perinatal transmission.
*Case Report*
A pregnant 34-year-old Massachusetts woman with
β-thalassemia trait was diagnosed at 32 weeks of gestation
with transfusion-associated HGA (TAHGA) after receiving nine
leukoreduced red blood cell transfusions. She was
successfully treated with rifampin therapy and gave birth to
a healthy child who tested negative for HGA after delivery.
An implicated blood donor was subsequently identified
through physician collaboration with the regional American
Red Cross and Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
*Discussion*
This is the 11th reported case of HGA in pregnancy and is at
least the sixth known case in which leukoreduction did not
prevent TAHGA. As seen in this case, nonspecific
symptomatology of variable onset can impede diagnosis and
treatment. This may increase risk of poor outcomes in
maternal HGA patients. Cases of TAHGA, although currently
uncommon, may increase as the incidence of HGA in certain
parts of the country increases.
*Conclusion*
Heightened cross-institutional awareness of the potential
risk of TAHGA is warranted. Clinicians need to consider
transfusion-associated infections when fever occurs in a
transfusion recipient. This case provides additional
evidence that leukoreduction does not obviate risk of /A.
phagocytophilum/ contamination of donated blood components.
http://doi.org/10.1111/trf.12908
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Fibromyalgia in Patients with Culture-Confirmed Lyme Disease
Wormser GP, Weitzner E, McKenna D, Nadelman RB, Scavarda C, Farber S, Prakash P, Ash J, Nowakowski J.
Arthritis & Rheumatology, online first, 2014 Dec 2.
http://doi.org/10.1002/art.38972
Abstract
Background: Fibromyalgia occurs in 2% to 8% of the general population. One of the triggers may be Lyme disease.
Methods: Patients with culture-confirmed Lyme disease who originally presented with erythema migrans have been evaluated annually in a prospective study to determine their long-term outcome. In 2011-2013, subjects were evaluated for fibromyalgia by interview and tender point examination.
Results: 100 subjects were assessed, 52% of whom were male; the mean age was 64.9 years (median 64 years, range 42-86 years). The mean duration of follow-up was 15.4 years (median 16 years, range 11-20 years). At least twenty-four (24%) subjects had experienced a second episode of erythema migrans before the evaluation for fibromyalgia. One patient (1%, 95% C.I.: 0.025 to 5.4%) met criteria for fibromyalgia. The symptoms consistent with fibromyalgia began more than 19 years after Lyme disease was diagnosed.
Conclusions: Fibromyalgia was observed in only 1% of 100 patients with culture-confirmed early Lyme disease, a frequency consistent with that found for the general population.
Tick testing company
Friday, December 5, 2014
Military Lyme Support group
Group Description
To date, Lyme and other vector-borne diseases are often unrecognized, misdiagnosed, and untreated. Lyme is known as the "Great Imitator" and Doctors often prefer more familiar diagnoses like GWS, FM, CFS, XMRV, Lupus, Sjogrens, MS, RA, ALS, Autism, ADHD, or Mental Illness, just to name a few. This "cook-book" diagnostic approach leaves our Members with untreated, chronic diseases that can cause complete disability.
Military Lyme Support empowers our Members to get the cutting-edge treatment they need to overcome their illnesses via the ILADS Treatment Guidelines. Doctor referrals, VA, MTF and Tricare advice is also provided.
Please Note: You can test negative multiple times, and still be infected, as the currently available tests are grossly unreliable and inaccurate. If you have a rash, you are CDC positive for Lyme Disease...even if you test negative!
DISCLAIMER: All information posted on this site is the opinion of the author(s)alone and is provided for educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as medical advice regarding the treatment of any symptoms or disease. You should obtain the medical advice of your personal physician before pursuing any treatment mentioned here.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Jailed for Lyme Disease. Really? Really.
From Huff Post, Dec 4, 2014
Posted: Updated:
We've all heard this before, and many of us know it firsthand to be true. Disease is unfair, and it strikes us without warning or discretion. Yet there is one thing we have come to expect from living in the United States -- that the medical and legal systems are here to support us all equally and fairly. Sounds great in theory, but when put to the test, if you're a round peg, good luck fitting in the square hole.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Implants to stop Lyme disease??
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (Nov. 24, 2014) -- Researchers at Tufts University, in collaboration with a team at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, have demonstrated a resorbable electronic implant that eliminated bacterial infection in mice by delivering heat to infected tissue when triggered by a remote wireless signal. The silk and magnesium devices then harmlessly dissolved in the test animals. The technique had previously been demonstrated only in vitro. The research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition the week of November 24-28, 2014.
"This is an important demonstration step forward for the development of on-demand medical devices that can be turned on remotely to perform a therapeutic function in a patient and then safely disappear after their use, requiring no retrieval," said senior author Fiorenzo Omenetto, professor of biomedical engineering and Frank C. Doble professor at Tufts School of Engineering. "These wireless strategies could help manage post-surgical infection, for example, or pave the way for eventual 'wi-fi' drug delivery."
- See more at: http://now.tufts.edu/news-releases/wireless-electronic-implants-stop-staph-then-harmlessly-dissolve#sthash.v11NNMZp.dpufGibson, Maloney push NY Governor Cuomo to sign Lyme bill
Once again, thanks to the Poughkeepsie Journal and to reporter, John Ferro, for their concern and efforts to get the Lyme bill passed. PLEASE thank him by recommending and making a comment on the article!
Hudson Valley Lyme Disease Association, Chairperson
NYS Coalition on Lyme and Tick-borne Disease, Member
"What's the problem? Well it's the ticks of course!"