Lyme disease risk from dogs ‘higher than thought’
This is in the UK, it’s potentially higher in the US.
The expected prevalence of infected ticks on dogs is 0.5% or 481 infected ticks per 100,000 dogs.
Lignin-encapsulated (LE) nootkatone, a component of essential oil in grapefruit peels and other sources, has been found to be a good repellent against ticks that transmit Lyme disease.
The researchers identified 738 proteins found in the CFS patients, but not healthy people or the treated Lyme patients. And they identified 692 proteins in the treated Lyme patients that weren’t in either CFS patients or healthy controls.
Update on the Viral Genetics, Inc. (VRAL) Lyme drug program linked to previously. Reminder: IND means “Investigational new drug”, so Pre-IND is even earlier in the process.
We have recently entered into an agreement with a physician associated with one of the leading medical centers in the country to act as the “clinical lead” for this drug program. This doctor will complete the clinical portions of the pre-IND including an outline of the clinical trial protocol, as well as possibly serve as primary investigator for the planned clinical trial of our Lyme disease compound.
“We can’t completely rule out the existence of Lyme disease in the South,” she added, “but it appears highly unlikely.”
Here’s the link to the map.
This is an interesting article. Previously known was that Western fence lizards carry a protein that kills B. burgdorferi bacteria (including from ticks that feed on them). In this study, the researchers removed the lizards from a test plot of land and found the tick population dropped 95% compared to a control group.
“When you have an animal like Western fence lizards that ‘support’ such a huge population of ticks, you can’t assume that those juvenile ticks will go to another host if the lizard population drops,” said Robert Lane, a UC Berkeley entomologist who discovered the microbe-killing protein in lizard blood
The remarks were made at a workshop organized by the IOM in Washington DC on 11 and 12 October.
“Our session wasn’t supposed to talk about treating chronic Lyme,” says Sam Donta, an infectious disease specialist at Falmouth Hospital in Massachusetts who spoke at the workshop. “But when we had our pre-session conference call and they said this is supposed to be about diagnosis and management, I said how can you talk about management without talking about treatment?”
This is in the UK, it’s potentially higher in the US.
The expected prevalence of infected ticks on dogs is 0.5% or 481 infected ticks per 100,000 dogs.
This feels like a press release from a company but some of the things they are discussing are interesting. Mentioned on the page is that they have pre-IND (Investigational New Drug) for Lyme.
Lyme Disease Program: The Company is in the process of completing its pre-IND for the Lyme Disease drug program. A clinical investigator is now being recruited who will assist in completing the clinical design aspects of the pre-IND.
http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/66740/Viral+Genetics+Has+Made+Great+Progress+in+2011++
These results demonstrate that B. burgdorferi can withstand antibiotic treatment, administered post-dissemination, in a primate host.
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This finding raises important questions about the pathogenicity of antibiotic-tolerant persisters and whether or not they can contribute to symptoms post-treatment.
