http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(15)70097-6/fulltext?elsca1=etoc&elsca2=email&elsca3=1473-3099_201506_15_6_&elsca4=Public%20Health%7CInfectious%20Diseases%7CInternal%2FFamily%20Medicine%7CNeuropsychiatry%7CNeurology%7CLancet
Of goats and men: rethinking anaplasmoses as zoonotic infections
Andrea R Beyer, Jason A Carlyonemail
Published Online: 29 March 2015
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(15)70097-6
Summary
Ticks transmit the widest variety of pathogens among arthropod vectors, leading to substantial public health threats and economic loss in livestock industries. Novel tick-transmitted microbes with links to human disease continue to be discovered. In The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Hao Li and colleagues describe a new tick-transmitted bacterium from patients in northern China. PCR and sequencing showed nucleotide variations signifying a phylogenetically distinct Anaplasma species. The provisionally nominated "Anaplasma capra"—so named for its discovery in goats (Capra aegagrus hircus)—joins the growing list of human anaplasmosis pathogens with pastoral origins.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
At-home Parkinson's treatment fits like a cap - Futurity
Check this out if you are looking for alternative Parkinson's disease treatment. It seems very promising.
-Bob
http://www.futurity.org/parkinsons-device-940572/
-Bob
http://www.futurity.org/parkinsons-device-940572/
Friday, June 12, 2015
2-min animation explains Improperly-folded proteins and Parkinson's disease, Diabetes
DID YOU KNOW? A single biological process is related to Parkinson's, diabetes and cancer. It's called the unfolded protein response, and it helps cells deal with problematic proteins.
Bonus: This 2-minute video won a 2015 CASE award for News & Research videos. Hooray for whiteboard science!
(Animation by Mark Wooding)
-Bob
Blumenthal, Ayotte, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Strengthen Lyme Disease Prevention....
Mon Jun 8, 2015 5:29 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
Blumenthal, Ayotte, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Strengthen Lyme Disease Prevention, Education, and Research, Following Lyme Awareness Month
Press Release:
Richard Blumenthal, United States Senator for Connecticut
Thursday, June 4, 2015
http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-ayotte-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-strengthen-lyme-disease-prevention-education-and-research-following-lyme-awareness-monthhttp://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-ayotte-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-strengthen-lyme-disease-prevention-education-and-research-following-lyme-awareness-month
or http://goo.gl/pa3cYw http://goo.gl/pa3cYw
CDC estimates nearly 300,000 Americans contract Lyme disease annually
95% of Lyme disease cases occur in Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Vermont, Virginia, New Jersey, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin
(Washington, DC) – Today, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Kelly Ayotte (R.-N.H.) introduced legislation to increase public awareness and strengthen efforts to combat tick-borne diseases - a significant threat to public health. The Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2015 would help ensure the necessary resources are dedicated to fighting tick-borne diseases.
Blumenthal said,
"Now that the weather is warmer, people will be spending much more time outdoors. Unfortunately, more time outside – especially in wooded areas that are so common in my home state of Connecticut – also means more exposure to tick-borne illnesses, like Lyme disease – a pernicious and insidious public health threat. I am proud of re-introduce a measure that will address the need for a strong national effort to fight these diseases as they become more rampant in the warmer months. By making improvements to reporting methods and diagnostic tools, as well as creating a national advisory body that brings together patients, scientists, and policymakers, this legislation will make critical improvements to prevention and treatment methods."
Ayotte said,
"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, New Hampshire had the second highest incidence rate of Lyme disease in the country. Our legislation will help address this troubling statistic by creating a strong national effort to fight this disease, which is dangerous if untreated. Our bill would create a Tick-Borne Diseases Committee comprised of physicians, scientific experts, patients, and Lyme advocates to focus on improving reporting methods, developing better diagnostic tools, ensuring better coordination of efforts, and working to improve prevention and treatment methods related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases."
Joining Blumenthal and Ayotte as co-sponsors are U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Bob Casey (D-Penn.).
Full text of the bill can be viewed here (pdf file, 47 KB):
http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/download/lyme-and-tick-borne-illness-prevention-acthttp://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/download/lyme-and-tick-borne-illness-prevention-act
– –
Contact:
Senator Richard Blumenthal 706 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC, 20510
tel (202) 224-2823
fax (202) 224-9673
Press Release:
Richard Blumenthal, United States Senator for Connecticut
Thursday, June 4, 2015
http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-ayotte-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-strengthen-lyme-disease-prevention-education-and-research-following-lyme-awareness-monthhttp://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-ayotte-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-strengthen-lyme-disease-prevention-education-and-research-following-lyme-awareness-month
or http://goo.gl/pa3cYw http://goo.gl/pa3cYw
CDC estimates nearly 300,000 Americans contract Lyme disease annually
95% of Lyme disease cases occur in Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Vermont, Virginia, New Jersey, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin
(Washington, DC) – Today, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Kelly Ayotte (R.-N.H.) introduced legislation to increase public awareness and strengthen efforts to combat tick-borne diseases - a significant threat to public health. The Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2015 would help ensure the necessary resources are dedicated to fighting tick-borne diseases.
Blumenthal said,
"Now that the weather is warmer, people will be spending much more time outdoors. Unfortunately, more time outside – especially in wooded areas that are so common in my home state of Connecticut – also means more exposure to tick-borne illnesses, like Lyme disease – a pernicious and insidious public health threat. I am proud of re-introduce a measure that will address the need for a strong national effort to fight these diseases as they become more rampant in the warmer months. By making improvements to reporting methods and diagnostic tools, as well as creating a national advisory body that brings together patients, scientists, and policymakers, this legislation will make critical improvements to prevention and treatment methods."
Ayotte said,
"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, New Hampshire had the second highest incidence rate of Lyme disease in the country. Our legislation will help address this troubling statistic by creating a strong national effort to fight this disease, which is dangerous if untreated. Our bill would create a Tick-Borne Diseases Committee comprised of physicians, scientific experts, patients, and Lyme advocates to focus on improving reporting methods, developing better diagnostic tools, ensuring better coordination of efforts, and working to improve prevention and treatment methods related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases."
Joining Blumenthal and Ayotte as co-sponsors are U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Bob Casey (D-Penn.).
Full text of the bill can be viewed here (pdf file, 47 KB):
http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/download/lyme-and-tick-borne-illness-prevention-acthttp://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/download/lyme-and-tick-borne-illness-prevention-act
– –
Contact:
Senator Richard Blumenthal 706 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC, 20510
tel (202) 224-2823
fax (202) 224-9673
Changes in antibody reactivity to Bb three months after a tick
Mon Jun 8, 2015 4:38 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Laferriere" ri_lymeinfo
*Changes in antibody reactivity to /Borrelia burgdorferi/
three months after a tick bite. A cohort of 1,886 persons. *
Dessau RB, Fryland L, Wilhelmsson P, Ekerfelt C, Nyman D,
Forsberg P, Lindgren PE
Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, pii: CVI.00026-15. Online
first, 2015 May 20.
http://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00026-15
<http://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00026-15>
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the
bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The most frequent clinical
manifestation is a rash called erythema migrans. Changes in
antibody reactivity to B. burgdorferi three months after a
tick bite are measured using ELISA assays.
One assay is based on native purified flagella-antigen (IgG)
and the other assay is based on a recombinant antigen called
C6 (IgG or IgM). Paired samples were taken at the time of a
tick bite and three months later from 1,886 persons in
Sweden and the Åland Islands. The seroconversion or relative
change is defined as the measurement units from the second
sample divided by the first sample. Thresholds for the
minimum level of significant change were defined as the 2.5%
percentile to represent the random error level. The
thresholds were 2.7 fold rises for the flagella IgG and 1.8
fold rises for the C6 assays.
102/101 (5.4%) of 1,886 persons had a significant rise in
antibody reactivity in the flagella or C6 assay. Among 40
cases with a diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis the sensitivity
of a rise in antibodies was 33% and 50% to the flagella
antigen and the C6 antigen respectively. Graphical methods
to display the antibody response and methods to choose
thresholds for a rise in relative antibody reactivity are
shown and discussed.
In conclusion, 5.4% of people with tick bites developed a
rise in borrelia-specific antibodies above the 2.5%
percentile in either ELISA assay, but only 40 (2.1%)
developed clinical Lyme borreliosis.
http://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00026-15
three months after a tick bite. A cohort of 1,886 persons. *
Dessau RB, Fryland L, Wilhelmsson P, Ekerfelt C, Nyman D,
Forsberg P, Lindgren PE
Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, pii: CVI.00026-15. Online
first, 2015 May 20.
http://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00026-15
<http://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00026-15>
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the
bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The most frequent clinical
manifestation is a rash called erythema migrans. Changes in
antibody reactivity to B. burgdorferi three months after a
tick bite are measured using ELISA assays.
One assay is based on native purified flagella-antigen (IgG)
and the other assay is based on a recombinant antigen called
C6 (IgG or IgM). Paired samples were taken at the time of a
tick bite and three months later from 1,886 persons in
Sweden and the Åland Islands. The seroconversion or relative
change is defined as the measurement units from the second
sample divided by the first sample. Thresholds for the
minimum level of significant change were defined as the 2.5%
percentile to represent the random error level. The
thresholds were 2.7 fold rises for the flagella IgG and 1.8
fold rises for the C6 assays.
102/101 (5.4%) of 1,886 persons had a significant rise in
antibody reactivity in the flagella or C6 assay. Among 40
cases with a diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis the sensitivity
of a rise in antibodies was 33% and 50% to the flagella
antigen and the C6 antigen respectively. Graphical methods
to display the antibody response and methods to choose
thresholds for a rise in relative antibody reactivity are
shown and discussed.
In conclusion, 5.4% of people with tick bites developed a
rise in borrelia-specific antibodies above the 2.5%
percentile in either ELISA assay, but only 40 (2.1%)
developed clinical Lyme borreliosis.
http://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00026-15
Abundance and infection rates of I. scapularis nymphs collecte
Mon Jun 8, 2015 6:52 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Laferriere" ri_lymeinfo
Abundance and infection rates of Ixodes scapularis nymphs collected from residential properties in Lyme disease-endemic areas of Connecticut, Maryland, and New York
Katherine A. Feldman, Neeta P. Connally, Andrias Hojgaard, Erin H. Jones, Jennifer L. White and Alison F. Hinckley
Journal of Vector Ecology, Volume 40, Issue 1, pages 198–201, June 2015
http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12153 http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12153
Ixodes scapularis, commonly known as the blacklegged tick, is responsible for transmitting Lyme disease (caused by Borrelia burgdorferi), the most common vector-borne disease in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2014). The blacklegged tick can also transmit Anaplasma phagocytophilum (the etiologic agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis), Babesia microti (the causative agent of babesiosis), Borrelia miyamotoi (a relapsing fever Borrelia), and deer tick virus. In the northeastern U.S., the highest risk of exposure to the blacklegged tick is likely peridomestic, due to fragmented forest landscapes and other land-use characteristics, as well as the intrusion of humans into prime habitat for blacklegged ticks and their hosts. Despite this, most reports of tick abundance and infection rates focus primarily on ticks collected from public lands and forested research sites.
We collected ticks from residential properties in Lyme disease-endemic areas and determined infection rates for nymphal I. scapularis as part of a two-year, multi-site tickborne disease intervention study involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Emerging Infections Programs in Connecticut (CT), Maryland (MD) and New York (NY). Here, we present tick densities and infection rates for B. burgdorferi, A. phagocytophilum, and B. microti from nymphal I. scapularis, reflecting peridomestic exposure to these pathogens.
http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12153 http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12153
Free, full text (pdf file, 207 KB):
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvec.12153/epdf http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvec.12153/epdf
Katherine A. Feldman, Neeta P. Connally, Andrias Hojgaard, Erin H. Jones, Jennifer L. White and Alison F. Hinckley
Journal of Vector Ecology, Volume 40, Issue 1, pages 198–201, June 2015
http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12153 http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12153
Ixodes scapularis, commonly known as the blacklegged tick, is responsible for transmitting Lyme disease (caused by Borrelia burgdorferi), the most common vector-borne disease in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2014). The blacklegged tick can also transmit Anaplasma phagocytophilum (the etiologic agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis), Babesia microti (the causative agent of babesiosis), Borrelia miyamotoi (a relapsing fever Borrelia), and deer tick virus. In the northeastern U.S., the highest risk of exposure to the blacklegged tick is likely peridomestic, due to fragmented forest landscapes and other land-use characteristics, as well as the intrusion of humans into prime habitat for blacklegged ticks and their hosts. Despite this, most reports of tick abundance and infection rates focus primarily on ticks collected from public lands and forested research sites.
We collected ticks from residential properties in Lyme disease-endemic areas and determined infection rates for nymphal I. scapularis as part of a two-year, multi-site tickborne disease intervention study involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Emerging Infections Programs in Connecticut (CT), Maryland (MD) and New York (NY). Here, we present tick densities and infection rates for B. burgdorferi, A. phagocytophilum, and B. microti from nymphal I. scapularis, reflecting peridomestic exposure to these pathogens.
http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12153 http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12153
Free, full text (pdf file, 207 KB):
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvec.12153/epdf http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvec.12153/epdf
Prevalence of Bb in adult female I. scapularis, Wisconsin 2010
Mon Jun 8, 2015 6:41 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Laferriere" ri_lymeinfo
*Prevalence of /Borrelia burgdorferi/ in adult female ticks
(/Ixodes scapularis/), Wisconsin 2010–2013*
Lloyd W. Turtinen, Alyssa N. Kruger and Madeleine M. Hacker
/Journal of Vector Ecology/, Volume 40, Issue 1, pages
195-197, June 2015.
http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12152
The incidence of Lyme disease in some areas of Wisconsin,
U.S.A. has more than tripled since 1991. Tick abundance and
the prevalence of /Borrelia burgdorferi/ in questing ticks
are essential components of risk assessment for Lyme disease
borreliosis.
Published surveys completed overseas in various countries
(Germany, Japan, China, Norway) have shown prevalence rates
of /Borrelia/ spp. infection ranging from about 30-40% in
adult /Ixodes/ spp. In Wisconsin, unpublished surveys also
reveal that as many as 40-50% of /Ixodes scapularis/ adults
in some areas may be infected. In recently published studies
from the eastern United States, prevalence rates of /B.
burgdorferi/ in adult /I. scapularis/ ranged from 27% to
45.2%. In Wisconsin, the prevalence of /B. burgdorferi/ in
/I. scapularis/ nymphs collected from managed red pine
forests from 2009 to 2013 was approximately 30%.
To estimate the prevalence of adult questing ticks carrying
the Lyme disease bacterium in this pilot study, we randomly
collected 341 questing adult female /Ixodes scapularis/ from
known and suspected tick habitats throughout regions of
Wisconsin during the springs of 2010 through 2013. Nymphal
and adult tick activity has been reported to be the highest
in May and June. These locations generally were wooded with
a medium-dense tree canopy and contained leaf litter. Sites
with tall grasses on the wooded edges with agricultural
plains were also chosen. The extent of urbanization was not
recorded but in general was minimal.
Ticks were collected by walking the sampling area and
removing ticks from the collector's clothing or using a
flannel drag cloth. The same sites were not necessarily
sampled each year as different individuals did the sampling
each year in order to maximize the number of sampling
locations (average of 24 sites each year). Ticks were
collected from 21 counties in primarily west-central
Wisconsin. Only adult female ticks (no nymphs or adult
males) were assayed in this study.
http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12152
Free, full text (pdf file, 342 KB):
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvec.12152/epdf
(/Ixodes scapularis/), Wisconsin 2010–2013*
Lloyd W. Turtinen, Alyssa N. Kruger and Madeleine M. Hacker
/Journal of Vector Ecology/, Volume 40, Issue 1, pages
195-197, June 2015.
http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12152
The incidence of Lyme disease in some areas of Wisconsin,
U.S.A. has more than tripled since 1991. Tick abundance and
the prevalence of /Borrelia burgdorferi/ in questing ticks
are essential components of risk assessment for Lyme disease
borreliosis.
Published surveys completed overseas in various countries
(Germany, Japan, China, Norway) have shown prevalence rates
of /Borrelia/ spp. infection ranging from about 30-40% in
adult /Ixodes/ spp. In Wisconsin, unpublished surveys also
reveal that as many as 40-50% of /Ixodes scapularis/ adults
in some areas may be infected. In recently published studies
from the eastern United States, prevalence rates of /B.
burgdorferi/ in adult /I. scapularis/ ranged from 27% to
45.2%. In Wisconsin, the prevalence of /B. burgdorferi/ in
/I. scapularis/ nymphs collected from managed red pine
forests from 2009 to 2013 was approximately 30%.
To estimate the prevalence of adult questing ticks carrying
the Lyme disease bacterium in this pilot study, we randomly
collected 341 questing adult female /Ixodes scapularis/ from
known and suspected tick habitats throughout regions of
Wisconsin during the springs of 2010 through 2013. Nymphal
and adult tick activity has been reported to be the highest
in May and June. These locations generally were wooded with
a medium-dense tree canopy and contained leaf litter. Sites
with tall grasses on the wooded edges with agricultural
plains were also chosen. The extent of urbanization was not
recorded but in general was minimal.
Ticks were collected by walking the sampling area and
removing ticks from the collector's clothing or using a
flannel drag cloth. The same sites were not necessarily
sampled each year as different individuals did the sampling
each year in order to maximize the number of sampling
locations (average of 24 sites each year). Ticks were
collected from 21 counties in primarily west-central
Wisconsin. Only adult female ticks (no nymphs or adult
males) were assayed in this study.
http://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12152
Free, full text (pdf file, 342 KB):
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvec.12152/epdf
Monday, June 8, 2015
Johns Hopkins studying chronic Lyme
Here is an article from the Baltimore Sun about Johns Hopkins Medical School's continuing research on chronic Lyme disease.
CBD curing Lyme disease?
http://www.vicnews.com/news/301163011.html
Interesting article.
Interesting article.
Local resident and former Hope practitioner Dr. Ernie Murakami is on the verge of a medical breakthrough that could revolutionize the face of medicine and upset a potentially grossly misdiagnosed population, according to his extensive life's research on Lyme disease.
"The medical profession is being criminally negligent," said Murakami of misdiagnosis' being made in relation to the onset of Lyme disease.
An 84 year-old activist who now teaches at a naturopathic facility and is the founder of the Dr. E. Murakami Centre for Lyme Research was once a prisoner in the Japanese-Canadian Internment camps during World War II.
He is no stranger to controversy.
Mild-mannered in his approach — the patriarch, who was disenfranchised by the B.C. medical community, spoke passionately about his work during a recent presentation at the Fraser Canyon Hospital to a group about the effects of a relatively new paste on the market, known as cannabidiol.
Read the rest at the link above.
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