Chronic Lyme borreliosis at the root of multiple sclerosis-- og andre spennede studier

Jeg har funnet en relativt ny og spennende artikkel som jeg tenkte å dele. Her er abstract (lenke til kilde).

Av Fritzsche M.
Clinic for Internal and Geographical Medicine, Soodstrasse 13, 8134 Adliswil, Switzerland.

Apart from its devastating impact on individuals and their families, multiple sclerosis (MS) creates a huge economic burden for society by mainly afflicting young adults in their most productive years. Although effective strategies for symptom management and disease modifying therapies have evolved, there exists no curative treatment yet. Worldwide, MS prevalence parallels the distribution of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi, and in America and Europe, the birth excesses of those individuals who later in life develop MS exactly mirror the seasonal distributions of Borrelia transmitting Ixodes ticks. In addition to known acute infections, no other disease exhibits equally marked epidemiological clusters by season and locality, nurturing the hope that prevention might ultimately be attainable. As minocycline, tinidazole and hydroxychloroquine are reportedly capable of destroying both the spirochaetal and cystic L-form of B. burgdorferi found in MS brains, there emerges also new hope for those already afflicted. The immunomodulating anti-inflammatory potential of minocycline and hydroxychloroquine may furthermore reduce the Jarisch Herxheimer reaction triggered by decaying Borrelia at treatment initiation. Even in those cases unrelated to B. burgdorferi, minocycline is known for its beneficial effect on several factors considered to be detrimental in MS. Patients receiving a combination of these pharmaceuticals are thus expected to be cured or to have a longer period of remission compared to untreated controls. Although the goal of this rational, cost-effective and potentially curative treatment seems simple enough, the importance of a scientifically sound approach cannot be overemphasised. A randomised, prospective, double blinded trial is necessary in patients from B. burgdorferi endemic areas with established MS and/or Borrelia L-forms in their cerebrospinal fluid, and to yield reasonable significance within due time, the groups must be large enough and preferably taken together in a multi-centre study.
PMID: 15617845 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Abstract av megan blewett (lenke til kilde)

Zoonotic diseases, especially those with insect or arthropod vectors, are recognized public health problems. This class of diseases includes West Nile Virus, Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (HGE), Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Lyme Disease. This study examines whether Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which is the most common primary neurological disorder of young adults, also belongs in this category. Visual and geostatistical analyses of MS and Lyme reveal striking similarities between the two diseases. Maps displaying each disorder’s geographic distribution by county reveal this overlap visually. In addition, the statistical correlation between MS and Lyme deaths (specifically all arthropod-borne disease deaths) is significant at the state-level and highly significant at the county-level. MS incidence is known to vary with latitude; the study’s statistical analysis reveals that Lyme Disease follows the same trend. Discussion of possible biological explanations of these geographical and statistical trends is included in this article. Significant correlations also exist with other diseases: on the state level, the correlation between MS and breast cancer is 0.330, and between MS and ALS (Motor Neuron Disease used in this study), the value is 0.618. The control, external accident/injury, did not yield significant correlations. Producing the maps and data required contacting all of the state epidemiologists in the nation for Lyme incidence data. Compiling the data has resulted in one of the most comprehensive Lyme databases available to researchers. The results of the visual, geostatistical, and biochemical analyses suggest common spirochetal involvement in MS and related diseases.
A Geostatistical Analysis of Possible Spirochetal Involvement in Multiple Sclerosis and Other Related Diseases

Av Brorson O, Brorson SH, Henriksen TH, Skogen PR, Schøyen R. lenke til kilde

Dept. of Microbiology, Vestfold Sentralsykehus, Tønsberg, Norway.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to search for infectious agents in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: CSF from ten patients with the diagnosis relapsing remitting MS and from five controls without MS were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dark field microscopy (DF), interference contrast microscopy (ICM) and UV-microscopic examination of acridine orange staining (AO). All CSF samples from patients and controls were cultured.

RESULTS: Cystic structures were observed in CSF of all ten patients by AO and TEM. DF revealed eight cyst-positive patients out of nine. One of five control persons had such structures in the CSF; this person had suffered from erythema migrans. Spirochete or rod-like structures emerged after culturing two of the MS patient CSF samples and these structures could be propagated.

CONCLUSION: A significant association of CSF cysts and MS was identified in this small study among residents in a coastal area of southern Norway. The cysts could be of spirochetal origin. Our study may encourage other researchers to study larger patient groups.

Abstract: A total of 769 adult neurological patients hospitalised in clinics and hospitals
situated in the Lublin region (eastern Poland) were examined during the years 1997-
2000 with ELISA test for the presence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato
antibodies. A statististically significant (p = 0.0422) relationship was found between the
clinically confirmed diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and the positive serologic reaction
with Borrelia antigen. Ten out 26 patients with multiple sclerosis (38.5%) showed
positive serologic reaction to Borrelia, whereas among the total number of examined
neurological patients the frequency of positive findings was twice as low (19.4%). The
result suggests that multiple sclerosis may be often associated with Borrelia infection.

Sensitiviten til dagens ELISA tester for borreliose varier fra 14 - 50 % ved tidlig sykdom (se studien under). Ved sen sykdom er det sterk uenighet om hvor sensitive testene er. Noen hevder at de er 100% sensitive, og andre hevder de nærmere aldri gir utslag. Noen hever spinalpunksjon er 100% sikker (også ELISA) andre hevder det ikke stemmer.

http://www1.nrk.no/nett-tv/indeks/172514

Tre falsk negative ELISA-tester (spinalvæske og blod) SMP 10. mars 2009

Falsk negativ, tre år med smerter NRK 27. mai 2009

Finnes drøssevis av andre også.

Når en sykdom er så ille som MS så skulle det bare mange at alle som ønsket det fikk tilbud om gratis og bedre tester. Eksempelvis de som har blitt brukt her: http://www.tv2.no/gmn/nettprat/article2686498.ece

Sitat fra filmen:
"Multiple sclerosis, parkinson's ALS -- could it be that some of the cases of spinal cord degeneration are actually due to a sneaky manifistation of Lyme Disease?"