Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease

This is an important study indicating that Lyme disease (infection by  Borrelia burgdorferi) can become very established and difficult to eradicate in primates, including humans. 

-Bob

Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Marianne J. Middelveen , Eva Sapi , Jennie Burke , Katherine R. Filush , Agustin Franco , Melissa C. Fesler , Raphael B. Stricker ^*

Version 1 : Received: 7 March 2018 / Approved: 8 March 2018 / Online: 8 March 2018 (07:08:02 CET) 

 

How to cite: Middelveen, M.J.; Sapi, E.; Burke, J.; Filush, K.R.; Franco, A.; Fesler, M.C.; Stricker, R.B. Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease. Preprints 2018, 2018030062 (doi: 10.20944/preprints201803.0062.v1). Middelveen, M.J.; Sapi, E.; Burke, J.; Filush, K.R.; Franco, A.; Fesler, M.C.; Stricker, R.B. Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease. Preprints 2018, 2018030062 (doi: 10.20944/preprints201803.0062.v1). 

 

Abstract 

Introduction: Lyme disease is a tickborne illness that generates controversy among medical providers and researchers. One of the key topics of debate is the existence of persistent infection with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in patients who have been treated with recommended doses of antibiotics yet remain symptomatic. Persistent spirochetal infection despite antibiotic therapy has recently been demonstrated in non-human primates. We present evidence of persistent Borrelia infection despite antibiotic therapy in patients with ongoing Lyme disease symptoms. 

Materials & Methods: In this pilot study, culture of body fluids and tissues was performed in a randomly selected group of 12 patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms who had been treated or who were being treated with antibiotics. Cultures were also performed on a group of 10 control subjects without Lyme disease. The cultures were subjected to corroborative microscopic, histopathological and molecular testing for Borrelia organisms in four independent laboratories in a blinded manner. Results: Motile spirochetes identified histopathologically as Borrelia were detected in culture specimens, and these spirochetes were genetically identified as Borrelia burgdorferi by three distinct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Spirochetes identified as Borrelia burgdorferi were cultured from the blood of seven subjects, from the genital secretions of ten subjects, and from a skin lesion of one subject. Cultures from control subjects without Lyme disease were negative for Borrelia using these methods. 

Conclusions: Using multiple corroborative detection methods, we showed that patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms may have ongoing spirochetal infection despite antibiotic treatment, similar to findings in non-human primates. The optimal treatment for persistent Borrelia infection remains to be determined. 

Subject Areas Lyme disease; Borrelia burgdorferi; Tickborne disease; Chronic infection; Spirochete culture 

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 

 

 

Willy Burgdorfer’s statement about tick attachment time

Here is Willy Burgdorfer's statement about the possibility of immediate transmission of spirochetes in some cases. From a 2001 interview in NIH (National Institute of Health) archives: (BTW, the primary bacterium responsible for Lyme disease is named after Willy - borrelia burgdorferi.)

"Studies done so far suggest that it takes about two days of attachment and feeding before spirochetes are being transmitted to a host animal. This is referred to as the "safety period," during which a person could remove a tick without becoming infected. I personally don't subscribe to this theory, because there are about 5 to 10 percent of infected ticks that have a generalized infection, including salivary glands and saliva at the time of attachment. In such cases, transmission of spirochetes would and does occur immediately at time of attachment."   

—Willy Burgdorfer

https://history.nih.gov/archives/downloads/wburgdorfer.pdf

BOTTOM OF PAGE 55

How long does a tick have to be on you...

...before you get Lyme (if the tick is infected)?

The answer for this is always very simple:  See Michael Cook's study about tick attachment time.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4278789/

The scientific literature review clearly points out there is no exact time.

Found a tick on you and want it tested for disease? TestMyTick

A new company started by an Oklahoma dermatologist.

Tulsa Dermatologist Creates Test My Tick Kit
TestMyTick.com
About Us

We've partnered with the preeminent Laboratory of Medical Zoology (LMZ), to offer a battery of tests to detect disease-causing microbes in ticks.  Your tick can be tested for over 20 different disease causing organisms that ticks can carry (like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and newly discovered diseases like Powassan, Heartland, and Colorado Tick Fever Virus). We now share that data as part of Tick-Borne Disease Network passive surveillance that we hope will provide unprecedented insights to who is being bitten by ticks, when they get bitten, and what pathogens those ticks are carrying. We encourage everyone to SAVE THE TICKS! ....for Testing!

LMZ-   

Laboratory of Medical Zoology (LMZ)
Fernald Hall, University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003

http://www.tickdiseases.org/

Unusually High Levels of HHV Found in the Brains of Those With Alzheimer's

Unusually High Levels of HHV Found in the Brains of Those With Alzheimer's

https://www.idse.net/Viral-Infections/Article/07-18/Unusually-High-Levels-of-HHV-Found-in-the-Brains-of-Those-With-Alzheimer-s-/50203?

WSJ Article- New Effort for Lyme Disease Vaccine Draws Early Fire

Requires a subscription to Wall Street Journal. Sorry.

New Effort for Lyme Disease Vaccine Draws Early Fire
 
By 
Sumathi Reddy
Updated July 9, 2018 3:48 p.m. ET

Efforts to bring a vaccine for Lyme disease to the market have run aground amid heated debate over the years.

Now, a European company is in the early stages of creating a vaccine for the increasingly common tick-borne disease. Lyme disease patient-advocacy groups—who disagree with the protocols used by most doctors for the diagnosis andtreatment of Lyme disease—are already raising concerns.

 

Study of NLY01 at Hopkins: Stops Parkinson's disease progression

July 7, 2018 

Experimental Drug Halts Parkinson's Progression, Study Says; Johns Hopkins University researchers

·          

·          

An experimental drug developed by Johns Hopkins University researchers appears to slow down the progression of Parkinson's disease and its symptoms in mice, 

The researchers said that the drug called NLY01 has been proven in studies to block the degradation of brain cells that is the leading cause of Parkinson's disease. The treatment has been used in the past to treat diabetes, researchers said in the university statement.

The study's results, which were published last month in the journal Nature Medicine, reported that NLY01 works by binding to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors on the surface of certain cells. Similar drugs are used widely in the treatment of type 2 diabetes to increase insulin levels in the blood, the university statement said.

"NLY01 also prolongs the life and reduces the behavioral deficits and neuropathological abnormalities in the human A53T α-synuclein (hA53T) transgenic mouse model of α-synucleinopathy-induced neurodegeneration," 

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects about 1 million people in the United States and 10 million worldwide, 

"It is amazingly protective of target nerve cells," Ted Dawson, director of the Institute for Cell Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in the university's statement.

The drug is expected to move to clinical trials later this year, the statement said. Dawson added that if planned clinical trials are successful in humans, it could be one of the first treatments to directly target the progression of Parkinson's disease, not just the muscle rigidity, spasmodic movements, fatigue, dizziness, dementia, and other symptoms of the disorder.

Dawson cautioned that NLY01 must still be tested for safety as well as effectiveness in people but based on the safety profile of other similar drugs, he does not anticipate any major hurdles on the way to human trials.

The researcher added that they are hopeful that NLY01 could, in a relatively short period of time, make an impact on the lives of those with Parkinson's, the university statement said.

Eco researchers discuss Lyme

Experts Discuss Research Into Lyme And Tick-Borne Diseases

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies recently co-hosted a panel discussion on the subject, where experts talked about the ongoing research. 

Press release about a vaccine against Lyme disease

Press Release:

VALNEVA Announces Significant Progress of its Lyme Disease Vaccine Candidate

The Company has successfully concluded the end of Phase 1 process for this candidate with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has obtained alignment with regard to its Phase 2 strategy.

Valneva is now finalizing the detailed Phase 2 protocol and, subject to requisite regulatory approvals, expects to enter Phase 2 clinical development by the end of 2018.