All Posts Tagged With: "ticks"

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20202419&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

Data regarding the type, frequency, and distribution of
tick-borne pathogens and bacterial agents are not widely
available for many tick species that parasitize persons in the
southern United States. We therefore analyzed the frequency and
identity of pathogens and bacterial agents in ticks removed from
humans and subsequently submitted to the Texas Department of
State Health Services, Zoonosis Control Program, from October 1,
2004, through September 30, 2008. The data showed associations of
bacterial agents and potential vectors. Tick-related illnesses
may pose unidentified health risks in areas such as Texas, where
incidence of human disease related to tick bites is low but well
above zero and where ticks are not routinely suspected as the
cause of disease. Cause, treatment, and prevention strategies can
be better addressed through collecting sufficient data to
establish baseline assessments of risk. 

Are you sick and tired?  My FIGHT4YOURHEALTH program can change your life even if you think LYME is your only problem. Learn more and become vibrantly healthy again.

Garry F. Gordon MD,DO,MD(H)
President, Gordon Research Institute
www.gordonresearch.com

Full article: http://bolenreport.com/feature_articles/feature_article072.htm

Excerpt:

Most people battling chronic Lyme disease think of the illness as an infection caused by a bacterium known commonly as Borrelia Burgdorferi, generally transmitted via the bite of an infected tick.  What many don’t recognize, however, is that recovery from chronic Lyme disease requires a recognition that the disease is truly a much more complex illness.  Recovery often challenges one to consider more than just infection as the single causative agent involved in the disease process.  It is through looking beyond the infectious component of Lyme disease and understanding the equally important aspects of damaging heavy metals and other toxic insults that a more full and lasting recovery may be realized.

Garry F. Gordon MD, DO, MD (H) co-founded the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and serves as the President of Gordon Research Institute.  Dr. Gordon graciously spent a couple of hours with me sharing his views on chronic Lyme disease and those factors that are important in recovering from chronic illness. 

Dr. Gordon acknowledges Lyme disease as a serious infection which can lead to a wide-variety of health challenges.  He does not, however, hyperfocus on the specific tick-borne pathogens which cause the disease.  He instead believes that a multitude of infections are prevalent in anyone with chronic ill health.  In addition to these numerous infections, our state of health is closely tied to our total body burden of endogenous and exogenous toxins.  When looking at why illness is present, it is important to look at a number of factors including genetics, chronic infections, and total body burden of heavy metals and other toxins.

Peering into one’s genetic makeup can be quite helpful when establishing the proper course of action and considering what factors may have contributed to one’s state of health.  The more precisely a practitioner can understand the genetic contributors, the more accurately a treatment protocol can be outlined to fit a person’s unique needs.  As an example, a specific gene mutation can suggest an inability of the body to remove toxic heavy metals.  Thus, even tests performed to determine whether or not one is heavy metal toxic can be incorrect if the metals are not being released due to this specific genetic profile.  Where many doctors may miss a heavy metal toxicity issue in these patients, a practitioner incorporating a genetic review into their diagnostic workup is much better equipped to evaluate the potential impact of toxic metals on the overall state of health.

Excerpt:

Connie Bennett

Special to AOL News

(May 28) — We’re in the midst of a terrifying epidemic, although you wouldn’t know it to talk to most doctors and health specialists.

The disease is growing at a rate faster than AIDS. From 2006 to 2008 alone, the number of cases jumped a whopping 77 percent. In 2008 alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 28,921 “confirmed” and 6,277 “probable” cases of the disease, but there could be as many as 420,000 because of underreporting.

Prominent victims include Parker Posey, Richard Gere, President George W. Bush, Alice Walker and Christie Brinkley.

If any other disease had stricken so many people, the medical community would be scurrying for knowledge, scrambling for cures or rushing to warn patients (think swine flu).

But that’s not the case with Lyme disease — a disease carried by ticks.

Instead, ill-informed doctors are often flummoxed when patients complain of fatigue, headaches, fever or chills, muscle or joint pain, mental confusion, swollen lymph nodes and neurological symptoms. It’s an appalling display of indifference.

As Lyme Disease Awareness Month comes to a close and Memorial Day travelers flock to grassy, tick-infested holiday spots across America, vacationers and physicians alike need to be on the alert for freckle-sized menaces that are responsible for the fastest-growing, most misdiagnosed infectious disease in the country. The CDC has a map that shows where the ticks are most prevalent.

For my part, I was lucky because my smart nutritionist friend, JJ Virgin, immediately grew suspicious when, almost overnight, I became an exhausted, headache-ridden, nightmare-plagued, memory-challenged zombie suffering from vertigo, sleeping problems, swollen glands, achy eyes, sensitivity to light and noise, fever, chills and a sore neck.

Excerpt:

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, carried by Ixodes ticks, is one of the most significant human pathogens, causing Lyme disease. As there is no standardized PCR method for detection and identification of spirochaete DNA, we carried out a comparative analysis using a set of complementary primers for three regions in the genomic DNA of these bacteria (genes fla and rrs and the non-coding rrs–rrlA region). DNA extracted from 579 Ixodes ricinus ticks was subjected to nested PCR. DNA of the examined spirochaetes was detected in 43 (7.4 %) lysates when the fla gene was used as a molecular marker, in 7 (1.2 %) lysates when using primers complementary to the rrs gene, and in 12 (2.1 %) lysates using primers complementary to the non-coding rrs–rrlA sequence. RFLP analysis based on the fla gene helped identify species from the B. burgdorferi sensu lato complex (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia valaisiana), detect co-infections, and also identify Borrelia miyamotoi. Therefore, the fla gene is the most sensitive and specific molecular marker for the detection and identification of Borrelia spirochaetes in I. ricinus.

Excerpt:

Widespread illness has been observed in children in the Yaroslav Oblast
following immunization with tickborne encephalitis (TBE) vaccine. The
vaccine in question is named “Encevir” and has been temporarily withdrawn
from use due to high rates of adverse reactions. The regional
administration of Rospotrebnadzor [the Russian equivalent of a health
protection agency] has stated that adverse reactions affected 70 children
and 10 adults. 49 cases were assessed as moderately affected and the
remainder as mildly affected. Encevir is a product of the Russian
Federation company Microgen, which is based in Tomsk. Currently only a
vaccine of German origin is in use and there have been no complaints
following its use.

Meanwhile tick activity is increasing and has resulted in 750 tick attacks
including 102 attacks on children. 2 suspected TBE cases have been
hospitalized. By contrast, only 56 tick attacks were registered during the
same period of last year [2009]. The risk of infection after tick attack is
proportional to the duration of blood sucking. Transmission is negligible
during the first 24 hours, whereas by 72 hours transmission of infection
occurs in almost 100 per cent of cases. Epidemiologists warn that the risk
of tick attack is increasing and it is not safe even in suburban parks
within Moscow.

Excerpt:

A group of 16 isolates with genotypic characteristics different
from those of known species of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato
(sl) complex were cultured from ear biopsies of the rodents
Peromyscus gossypinus and Neotoma floridana trapped at 5
localities in South Carolina, United States. Multilocus sequence
analysis involving 16S rRNA, 5S-23S (rrf-rrl) intergenic spacer
region, flagellin, ospA and p66 genes was used to clarify the
taxonomic status of the new group of B.
burgdorferi sl isolates. Phylogenetic analysis based on
concatenated sequences of 5 analyzed genomic loci showed that the
16 isolates clustered together but separately from the other
species in the B. burgdorferi sl complex. The analyzed group
therefore represents a new species, for which the name Borrelia
carolinensis was proposed, with the type strain Borrelia
carolinensis strain SCW-22T (=ATCC BAA-1773T =DSMZ 22119 T).
Multilocus sequence analysis of new species was conducted and
published previously. Here we present the formal description of
Borrelia carolinensis sp. nov., isolated from rodents and tick
from southeastern United States.

Full article: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14799704

Excerpt:

CHINO HILLS, Calif.—There’s an unusually large population of bloodsucking ticks in Chino Hills State Park.

The Ontario-based West Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District blames an increase in vegetation after winter rains and animals attracted to those areas for food.

Ticks can harbor Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can infect a tick-bitten human. No human cases have been reported so far.

District manager Min-Lee Cheng says 843 ticks have been found in rural parts of Chino Hills, mostly in the park area, and a small number of ticks have been detected in the Mystic Canyon Area.

Cheng urges people avoid walking too close to vegetation in open areas and use insect repellents containing DEET.

Full article: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/18/394678/lyme-disease-found-in-wake.html#ixzz0iaCT9D44

Excerpt:

RALEIGH — As the weather warms and walks through tick-laden woods beckon, state officials have confirmed that Wake County is among the North Carolina counties where Lyme disease is a known threat.

The state Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that in 2009 two cases of the tick-borne disease were found in patients who had not left the county during the 30 days before they contracted the infection.

Four similar cases were confirmed in the state last year, health officials said: one each in Wilkes, Wilson, Pitt and Carteret counties.

Excerpt:

In Italy, dogs and cats are at risk of becoming infected by
different vector-borne pathogens, including protozoa, bacteria,
and helminths. Ticks, fleas, phlebotomine sand flies, and
mosquitoes are recognized vectors of pathogens affecting cats and
dogs, some of which (e.g., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia
burgdorferi, Dipylidium caninum, Leishmania infantum, Dirofilaria
immitis, and Dirofilaria repens) are of zoonotic concern. Recent
studies have highlighted the potential of fleas as vectors of
pathogens of zoonotic relevance (e.g., Rickettsia felis) in this
country. While some arthropod vectors (e.g., ticks and fleas) are
present in certain Italian regions throughout the year, others
(e.g., phlebotomine sand flies) are most active during the summer
season.