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HEADLINES: Lyme Disease & Autoimmune Disease * B. afzelii in Children * Post-COVID Reactivation of Bartonella henselae * Infective Endocarditis with Glomerulonephritis Points toward Bartonella * More
Lyme Disease & Autoimmune Disease
Borrelia burgdorferi and Autoimmune Mechanisms: Implications for Mimicry, Misdiagnosis, and Mismanagement in Lyme Disease and Autoimmune Disorders by B Doshaliuk & O Zimba publishing from Ukraine and Poland – Borrelia burgdorferi has a complex relationship with the host immune system that can lead to mimicry of autoimmune diseases, promotion of autoimmune diseases, and misdiagnosis that ultimately harms the patients.
B. afzelii in Children
Cutaneous Borreliosis in Children – A Challenging Problem by A Diaconeasa et al. publishing from Romania and Germany – Lyme disease in Europe is most commonly caused by B. afzelii and shows in children as an EM rash. Brief discussion with photographs.
Find out more about the Lyme Borrelia Nanotrap Antigen Test, a revolutionary test method to confirm active Borrelia infection.
Post-COVID Reactivation of Bartonella henselae
Post-COVID Reactivation of Latent Bartonella henselae Infection: A Case Report and Literature Review by Y Dong et al. publishing from China, Belarus and Egypt – A man developed an abscess on his arm that was improving with antibiotics until he acquired #COVID19, then it worsened and ruptured. Tissue from subsequent surgery was sent for testing and was positive for Bartonella henselae.
Visit our test webpage for more about our unique serology test, the Bartonella 4 species IFA panel, including a video with Dr. Breitschwerdt.
Infective Endocarditis with Glomerulonephritis Points toward Bartonella
Association Between Causative Pathogen and Occurrence of Infection-Related Glomerulonephritis in Infective Endocarditis by NK Shrestha et al. publishing from the Cleveland Clinic – Glomerulonephritis (a kidney condition) sometimes accompanies infective endocarditis. In the case of culture-negative infective endocarditis, the question becomes, “What are alternative methods of identifying the pathogen?” New research finds that infectious endocarditis with glomerulonephritis is most likely caused by Bartonella species infection.
MORE: Honoring the Life of Jake Picker * On the Differential * One Health Positive News * D. auratus Tick Range * Awareness Days
Honoring the Life of Jake Picker
Thank you to Crystal A. Frost for sending us this music honoring the life of Jake Picker. Our thoughts continue to be with Jake’s mother, family and friends. We will work harder on our mission and in our work with disease advocates, researchers and other partners to drive better clinical solutions for patients in Jake’s memory.
On the Differential
Case Report: Acute Myocarditis Complicated with Persistent Complete Heart Block: A Clinical Dilemma When Myocardial Inflammation Remains by MR Lima et al. publishing from Portugal – Borrelia burgdorferi is an infectious agent that can cause blockage in the heart’s electrical rhythm, but this is a different kind of case. Here, EBV may be involved.
Next-Generation Sequencing Survey of Acute Febrile Illness in Senegal (2020-2022) by SS Orf et al. publishing from the US and Senegal – Control of malaria in Senegal is revealing other causes of acute febrile illness. In this study, next-generation sequencing was completed on samples from 228 patients. Pathogens were identified for 51 of them, including Bartonella quintana.
Two Hunters from the Same Lodge Afflicted with Sporadic CJD: Is Chronic Wasting Disease to Blame? (P7-13.002) by J Trout et al. publishing from UT Health San Antonio – Chronic wasting disease, a prion disease that affects deer in North America, may cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. In 2022, a second man from a hunting lodge died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Animal-to-human transmission is plausible, though not proven, in these cases.
One Health Positive News
Reservoir Displacement by an Invasive Rodent Reduces Lassa Virus Zoonotic Spillover Risk by EA Eskew et al. publishing from the US, Sierra Leone and Germany – In an intriguing turn of events, the invasive black rat (R. rattus) displaced M. natalensis in Africa, removing them entirely from some regions, and reduced the risk of Lassa virus.
Minimal Zoonotic Risk of Cryptosporidiosis and Giardiasis from Frogs and Reptiles by S. Egan et al. publishing from Australia, Brazil and China – Concerns about diseases from pet reptiles and amphibians prompted this review finding “minimal zoonotic risk” of cryptosporidiosis or giardiasis from these animals.
D. auratus Tick Range
Dermacentor (Indocentor) auratus Supino 1897: Potential Geographic Range and Medical and Veterinary Significance by EJM Teo et al. publishing from Japan, the US and Australia – D. auratus is a tick that primarily infests pigs in Southeast and South Asia. It carries a range of human pathogens and sometimes bites people. The range of the tick is expanding, though its expansion depends on the distribution of wild pigs.
Awareness Days
Lyme Disease Awareness Day and Month – Historically, May has been the start of tick season, but moderate weather now makes tick season year-round. For us, every month is Lyme disease awareness month, but we will be posting some more specific material this month.
International Undiagnosed Day – An estimated 40% of undiagnosed people could be diagnosed with current technologies. Recordings of an event for Undiagnosed Day at Harvard are available at this link.
World Axial Spondyloarthritis Day – Saturday is World Axial Spondyloarthritis day. This autoimmune disease most commonly presents as back pain, but it can also be associated with other conditions including uveitis.
