LDA NEWS & UPDATES
October 2020
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Dr. Richard Horowitz et al. just published a new in vitro study on dapsone (diaminodiphenyl sulfone) and dapsone combination therapy (DDS CT). The study is suggestive that dapsone combination therapy may well characterize both a novel and successful option to treat Borrelia burgdorferi “persister” cells, which are the biofilm form of the bacteria. Dr. Horowitz’s research evaluated the effectiveness of dapsone against B. burdorferi “persisters” by testing in individual as well as in combination therapy with several other drugs including cefuroxime, doxycycline, rifampin, and azithromycin in vitro. Read more.
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The recent 2-day virtual meeting of the Federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (WG) on Day 1 was more subdued than prior meetings, but Day 2 again brought forth an effort to minimize the patient access to care chapter and issue of chronic Lyme.
On day one, September 15, members of the public delivered verbal comments, including advocate Carl Tuttle, who asked LDA's Pat Smith “to hold Shapiro’s feet to the fire” in regard to persistent Lyme, and patient advocate Lucy Barnes, who stated “patients are fighting for their lives” and “you know better.” Erin Walker, wife of PGA tour winner Jimmy Walker, a Lyme patient, emphatically expressed the need for better testing and better treatment as Lyme is a “real disease that affects real Americans.” Problems with
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Throughout Day 2, Drs. David Walker and Eugene Shapiro surfaced on the topic of “persistent Lyme" and review of Chapter 7 was again the longest and most contentious of all chapters discussed.
Dr. Walker started off by disputing the patient percentage numbers that describe chronic and often debilitating symptoms. He believes the cited 35% to be too high and inconsistent with numbers used previously in the report. Walker's comments on the sidebar of the report continue to argue that ”persistent/chronic Lyme disease is an unproven hypothesis," and accuses Pat Smith of using this chapter to address ”the author’s pet topics.” She explained that these numbers were generated from a study conducted by Dr. John Aucott, Johns Hopkins University. Shapiro went on to discredit the Aucott study arguing the validity of the patient cohort, to which Smith responded that the patient cohort was comprised of all EM rash patients. Read more about Day 2.
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First announced at the HHS Tick-Borne Disease Working Group’s (TBDWG) September 22 meeting, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in a Capitol Hill Announcement, presented plans to join with five federal departments and the Environmental Protection Agency in developing the National Public Health Framework for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in Humans (Framework).
The CDC acknowledges that over the past 15 years, the number of vector-borne disease cases has dramatically increased due to expanding vector ranges and the proliferation of emerging pathogens. The Framework will address Americans’ continually increasing risk for contracting vector-borne diseases, which are a growing public health threat that the U.S. has not sufficiently responded to. Read More.
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Framework Schematic (CDC.gov) |
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Larval bat tick (Carios kelleyi) removed from big brown bats in Mercer County, NJ. Credit: J. Occi/Rutgers Center for Vector Biology, 2019
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In a recent Rutgers University-led study (Occi et al., 2020), researchers identified Carios kelleyi, a “soft” tick species associated with bats, for the first time in New Jersey. This parasite, almost exclusively of bats, is thought to be widespread in the US (as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and Cuba), with known occurrences in 29 of the 48 contiguous United States. Larvae collected from big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in Mercer and Sussex counties were confirmed as C. kelleyi and added to the list of New Jersey ticks.
The risk of this tick to human health in New Jersey is unknown although C. kelleyi has been reported to feed on humans in other states. Read More.
James Occi is a PhD candidate and a member of LDA's Scientific & Professional Advisory Board.
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West Virginia University researchers received a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, for a vaccine to prevent humans from contracting Lyme disease.
Mariette Barbier, assistant professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, is leading the five-year project, along with Timothy Driscoll, assistant professor of biology in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and Heath Damron, assistant professor and director of the WVU Vaccine Development Center.
Barbier and her team will try to develop a vaccine effective against the various species of Borrelia (the Lyme disease bacteria). They will be using RNA sequencing to examine how pathogens respond in both infected ticks and mice, and identify relevant antigens during infection. Read more.
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The issue of Lyme disease and pregnancy is a serious one, and much more research and education are needed to understand the extent and scope of the problems related to pregnancy and Lyme. The Lyme Disease Association (LDA) is providing information on a study on Lyme and Pregnancy which is led by researchers from the McMasters Midwifery Research Centre in Canada.
Click here for detailed information on the research survey and to participate.
Click here to view a post about the study on LymeHope.
The LDA does not recommend or endorse the study but provides the information as a service to those who may want to participate.
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The federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG) will meet online October 27, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET. During this meeting, members will review chapters and the template for the 2020 report to the HHS Secretary and Congress. This meeting is open to the public via online access. An agenda will be provided prior to the meeting.
Written comments and requests to make verbal comments must be submitted before midnight, ET on Friday, October 16, 2020. Click here for more information about how to submit your public comment.
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