I noted the experts opinions on earlier posts about Chronic Lyme Disease but as there are a growing number of patients who are being diagnosed with ME/CFS and then Lyme Disease and make improvements on antibiotic treatment.
I would like to ask the experts opinions on the recent research done by the James Lind Alliance supported by Dept of Health and HPA/PHE which found that there are many uncertainties over treatment of Lyme Disease.
http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/latest-news/there-are-uncertainties/
also http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/what-we-are-doing/research/
and documented on NHS DUETS Database http://www.library.nhs.uk/duets/SearchResults.aspx?catID=15587&tabID=296
I understand that Porton Down are currently looking at alternative testing, acknowledging that the current tests could be improved. As current tests rely on antibody production there can be many reasons why patients have not made the selected antibodies for the specific strain B31 the tests use( + a couple of extra bands for European species). ie prolonged steroid use for other diagnosis.
As the Bulls eye rash or Erythema migrans is diagnostic of Lyme Disease would your experts not agree that if that rash was not treated in the early stages it could cause a person to progress to a chronic late stage infection?
What is your 'expert' opinion of the work of Judith Miklossy who found DNA for Borrelia in the brains of Alzheimer's patients http://miklossy.ch/
and believes
Newer approaches to the treatment of Lyme disease should take into account the frequent co-infection with other pathogens and the need of a more prolonged combination therapy, as it is the case in the treatment of tuberculosis. Even in the doubt of tuberculosis the treatment of the patients with "tritherapy" is necessary for 6 months. It should be an example for the future treatment of Lyme disease. Such treatment, as it was the case in tuberculosis and syphilis, will substantially prevent extensive healthcare costs in the future.
http://miklossy.ch/473.html
and
Chronic or Late Lyme Neuroborreliosis:
Analysis of Evidence Compared to Chronic or Late Neurosyphilis, 2012; 6: Pp. 146-157
Judith Miklossy
Published Date: (28 December, 2012)
Whether spirochetes persist in affected host tissues and cause the late/chronic manifestations of neurosyphilis was the subject of long-lasting debate. Detection of Treponema pallidum in the brains of patients with general paresis es-tablished a direct link between persisting infection and tertiary manifestations of neurosyphilis.Today, the same question is in the center of debate with respect to Lyme disease. The goal of this review was to compare the established pathological features of neurosyphilis with those available for Lyme neuroborreliosis. If the main tertiary forms of neurosyphilis also occur in Lyme neuroborreliosis and Borrelia burgdorferi can be detected in brain lesions would indicate that the spirochete is responsible for the neuropsychiatric manifestations of late/chronic Lyme neurobor-reliosis.The substantial amounts of data available in the literature show that the major forms of late/chronic Lyme neuroborreliosis (meningovascular and meningoencephalitis) are clinically and pathologically confirmed. Borrelia burgdorferi was de-tected in association with tertiary brain lesions and cultivated from the affected brain or cerebrospinal fluid. The accumu-lated data also indicate that Borrelia burgdorferi is able to evade from destruction by the host immune reactions, persist in host tissues and sustain chronic infection and inflammation. These observations represent evidences that Borrelia burgdorferi in an analogous way to Treponema pallidum is responsible for the chronic/late manifestations of Lyme neuroborreliosis.Late Lyme neuroborreliosis is accepted by all existing guidelines in Europe, US and Canada. The terms chronic and late are synonymous and both define tertiary neurosyphilis or tertiary Lyme neuroborreliosis. The use of chronic and late Lymeneuroborreliosis as different entities is inaccurate and can be confusing. Further pathological investigations and the detection of spirochetes in infected tissues and body fluids are strongly needed.
http://www.benthamscience.com/open/toneuj/openaccess2.htm
and
Chronic or Late Lyme Neuroborreliosis:
Analysis of Evidence Compared to Chronic or Late Neurosyphilis, 2012; 6: Pp. 146-157
Judith Miklossy
Published Date: (28 December, 2012)
Whether spirochetes persist in affected host tissues and cause the late/chronic manifestations of neurosyphilis was the subject of long-lasting debate. Detection of Treponema pallidum in the brains of patients with general paresis es-tablished a direct link between persisting infection and tertiary manifestations of neurosyphilis.Today, the same question is in the center of debate with respect to Lyme disease. The goal of this review was to compare the established pathological features of neurosyphilis with those available for Lyme neuroborreliosis. If the main tertiary forms of neurosyphilis also occur in Lyme neuroborreliosis and Borrelia burgdorferi can be detected in brain lesions would indicate that the spirochete is responsible for the neuropsychiatric manifestations of late/chronic Lyme neurobor-reliosis.The substantial amounts of data available in the literature show that the major forms of late/chronic Lyme neuroborreliosis (meningovascular and meningoencephalitis) are clinically and pathologically confirmed. Borrelia burgdorferi was de-tected in association with tertiary brain lesions and cultivated from the affected brain or cerebrospinal fluid. The accumu-lated data also indicate that Borrelia burgdorferi is able to evade from destruction by the host immune reactions, persist in host tissues and sustain chronic infection and inflammation. These observations represent evidences that Borrelia burgdorferi in an analogous way to Treponema pallidum is responsible for the chronic/late manifestations of Lyme neuroborreliosis.Late Lyme neuroborreliosis is accepted by all existing guidelines in Europe, US and Canada. The terms chronic and late are synonymous and both define tertiary neurosyphilis or tertiary Lyme neuroborreliosis. The use of chronic and late Lymeneuroborreliosis as different entities is inaccurate and can be confusing. Further pathological investigations and the detection of spirochetes in infected tissues and body fluids are strongly needed.
http://www.benthamscience.com/open/toneuj/openaccess2.htm
