bacteria change to cystic forms in just one hour.

http://www.apollon.uio.no/artikler/2013/2-borrelia.html
Two experienced biologists at the University of Oslo in the past year experienced something that few researchers have experience, namely being approached by a large and sustained stream of people - from all over the country - asking for help.

- Hit to Kristine Bonnevie house, Blindern come people who are so sick that they can barely stand on their feet. They are upset because they have not received any diagnosis and therefore no good treatment.

Many suspect that they have developed chronic Lyme disease after tick bite, and they have gone a long illness. But the tests that the public health system use, do not show it. To us, they come with blood tests that they want us to investigate. They have heard wind of that we have developed a method that can give them answers, says Ivar Mysterud and Morten Laane . The new and remarkable method is just published in the journal Biological and Biomedical Reports .

When the body is attacked by bacteria, the antibodies. Such antibodies it is possible to detect in blood samples and in cerebrospinal fluid.

- When the samples can not show that the body has formed antibodies against Borrelia bacteria, taken this as evidence that tick bites are not the cause of the symptoms that patients have.



Suppresses the body's defenses
- We believe that, contrary to what is said by official sources, the antibody reaction decreases in those who have been sick a long time, and that only very few people with chronic Lyme disease which can impact on blood tests. Borrelia infection suppresses the immune system so that it works properly. It is one of several reasons why it is difficult to give a definite diagnosis.

The tests used today, catching only partially disease caused by tick bites. Through careful study over many years, the two biologists formed a picture of the life cycle of the bacterium Borrelia and all the various forms it appears in. Borrelia bacterium is a thread-shaped and helical bacteria, called spiroket . It can bore into the blood of our cells, and it follows the flow of blood around the body.

- The bacterium spreads very quickly and can in principle infect all tissues and organs, including the brain. Therefore, the symptoms are so many and various. In the early stages, the symptoms are usually mild, such as headache, muscle pain and fever. But in some cases the disease may be prolonged or chronic and the symptoms can vary greatly: Stitches, failure of short-term memory, persistent fatigue, unusually long recovery after exertion, permanent skin changes, joint pain, paralysis, nervous disorders and depression. A major reason why chronic Lyme disease often remains undiagnosed is that symptoms are poorly understood.

The diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease is controversial. The Norwegian health care system mean that a four-week course of antibiotics should be enough to kill all the Borrelia bacteria in the body.

But then is not that simple, says the two biologists:

- We strongly suggest that if you get the bacteria into the bloodstream, so you have the rest of their lives, they say.


HIDDEN HEALTH PROBLEM : - We know that Borrelia bacteria can infect any part of the body. If blood tests, health care does not pick up germs well enough, we can only speculate about many have had their lives ruined by a single blood transfusion. Borrelia bacterium is closely related to the deadly syphilis bacterium, and we can not rule out that the Borrelia bacterium is spread by sexual intercourse, recognizing Morten Laane and Ivar Mysterud . (PHOTO: Ola Sæther)
Movies bacteria
The two scientists are doing something that they are quite alone in doing, they examine live blood samples under the microscope - over time. They have seen the blood of a large number of people who suspect they are chronically ill after tick bite.

- We study bacterial behavior directly through the microscope. We have taken thousands of photos and movies we motion pattern in real-time or time shortening. Then we can see how bacteria move in and out of the blood cells and swim around in the blood fluid. These are powerful methods, but no one uses them anymore, says Ida. Although he is considered one of the foremost in microscopy and studied bacteria for over 50 years.

Fast and smart
Laane and Mysterud have experienced how difficult it can be to visualize bacteria in the blood. They act namely in many different shapes and sizes, and they are good at camouflaging themselves: As soon as the very moving and active bacteria get poorer living conditions, they are converted quickly into cysts, which are resting stages. The bacteria can also sit together in colonies in a lot of mucus, the so-called biofilms . Then they are protected against external threats, such as antibiotics, disinfectants and the body's own immune system. When the environment becomes favorable again, the Borrelia bacteria back to its usual spiral shape. Both cysts and simple structures can germinate and produce new korketrekkerformete spirochetes when living conditions are good.

- Because bacteria have many stages in their life cycle, such as cysts, "pearls" and various thread forms, it is easy to confuse them with scraps from cells during decomposition or other bacteria. Borrelia bacteria are also gram negative, meaning that they have thin cell wall and therefore are difficult to dye. Then they are also difficult to detect in cells and tissues.

When, for example, created a blood preparation at a clinic, disseminated bacterial culture on a microscope slide and dried out. Then refraction identical in bacteria and the outside, and the bacteria can not be made visible. Moreover, it is often few bacteria in each specimen, and ignored so easily.

By developing a smart microscopy techniques, researchers have now managed to get the Borrelia bacteria clearly - even in the blood of some people who have no symptoms of illness.


STERILE? A common belief among doctors is that our blood is almost sterile. Red blood cells have no nucleus and should not contain anything. A look at the pictures and Ivar Morten Laane Mysterud have taken blood cells from sick people, however, shows something quite different.
The image shows red blood cells that scientists believe are tubular and beaded Borrelia bacteria inside the cells. They even filmed how bacteria drill into blood cells. (PHOTO: Morten Laane)
Can bacteria until
- With our method takes Borrelia bacteria in the red blood cells evident after one to two days at room temperature. We manage to make bacteria visible without staining - which can only be performed on dead preparations. When we keep the bacteria alive, we can keep up with what's happening in the microscope.

The researchers add a thin saline to blood composition. When blood cell swells and most of the blood plasma dissolves and disappears.

- The enlarged red blood cells is clearly visible, and the images are sharper and clearer than the other methods we know of, and they often show incredible detail. We can observe how the bacteria crawls out of the blood cells. Not all structures are complete bacteria, blood cells get rid of unwanted material. By experimenting with the strength of the salt mixture, the Borrelia bacteria in different stages of their life cycle is further enlarged and more details appear.

A common belief is that Borrelia bacteria in human blood has a screw shape or zigzag shape. But the absence of such forms in the blood does not preclude the bacteria present. Researchers are namely examples of bacteria straightens out after 24 hours, or they may be tiny structures of simple geometrical shapes, or they form spherical balls and enters an idle state.

- Our experiments show that almost all bacteria change to cystic forms in just one hour. Then we can expose them for virtually anything of potential drugs, but nothing works.

It is well known that these bacteria are moving to locations within the body with little oxygen, where they thrive like. in leddvev. Here is the waiting for the person's health deteriorates. Constantly leaking bacteria into the bloodstream. Patients receive antibiotics that destroy the escaping immune system recovers and processing stops. But the source's body nonetheless.

Extremely complicated
Research on borrelia bacteria and tick transmitted diseases have virtually exploded in recent years. Nevertheless, Mysterud and loans that knowledge

bacteria is still very lacking.

- We can find Borrelia bacteria in the blood, but the symptoms have nothing to do with Lyme disease. Or symptoms are just related to Lyme disease. There are many steps in between, but this is never discussed. Debate taking place now, much a leather discussion, because this is really crazy complicated. I have pointed out a problem that nobody has taken particularly seriously, in my opinion, at least not among many doctors, says Ida.

By Trine Nickelsen

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