RESEARCH GRANT – Enhanced Testing for the Diagnosis of Bartonellosis in Dogs
The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation 07/25/2016 The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent, treat and cure diseases in all dogs, announces a second round of new grants awarded through its Tick-Borne Disease Initiative. This comprehensive Initiative addresses important health concerns that include Lyme disease, bartonellosis, and ehrlichiosis, through much-needed research in diagnostics, disease pathogenesis and prevalence. Edward B. Breitschwerdt, DVM, DACVIM, of North Carolina State University, will study “Enhanced Testing for the Diagnosis of Bartonellosis in Dogs.” Bartonellosis is a potentially life-threatening zoonotic disease distributed throughout the world by approximately ten different Bartonella bacteria species. Bartonella bacteria are transmitted to dogs and humans by ticks, fleas, lice, mites, and sand flies. Due to a lack of sensitive and reliable diagnostic tests, definitive diagnosis of bartonellosis in dogs remains a significant problem. Because these bacteria invade cells and infect tissues throughout the body, this chronic intracellular infection is difficult to cure with currently used antibiotic regimens. Dr. Breitschwerdt and his team aim to develop improved blood tests for bartonellosis in dogs that can also be used for world-wide sero-epidemiological prevalence studies, and to establish early and accurate diagnosis. Go to this link to read further on the various awards of grants :- http://www.akcchf.org/news-events/news/tick-borne-disease-initiative-second-round-funding.html Research Program Area: Immunology and Infectious Disease Donate to Support this Grant ABSTRACT Bartonellosis, a zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution, is caused by approximately 10 different Bartonella species. Bartonella are transmitted to canines and humans by ticks, fleas, lice, mites, and sand flies. Dr. Breitschwerdt’s laboratory demonstrated the first evidence for Bartonella infections in dogs in 1993....Lyme Disease and Borrelia species spirochetes.
Michael J Cook Lyme disease was named by Alan Steere to cover an arthritic illness in juveniles in the townships of Lyme and Old Lyme in Connecticut. In 1984 Willy Burgdorfer determined the cause to be an infection with a species of borrelia spirochete subsequently named after him. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has defined Lyme disease as being transmitted by Borrelia burgdorferi carried by Ixodes scapularis ticks. In Europe where the disease was first described by Afzelius in 1910, the definition includes other species of borrelia including B. afzelii and B. garinii, carried I. ricinus and I. persulcatus species of ticks. In 1874 the first cases of Relapsing Fever were reported and the cause attributed to a borrelia species named B. recurrensis carried by the human louse. Between 1874 and 1984 another 17 borrelia species were identified as causing Relapsing Fever. All were carried by soft bodied ticks of the genus Ornithodoros. From 1984 until now 19 species of borrelia spirochetes have been assigned to the Lyme Borreliosis group, all are carried by hard bodied ticks. Based on disease symptoms and records of the presence of only one species in a patient, it is now demonstrated that more than B afzelii, B burgdorferi and B garinii are associated with Lyme disease and Lyme like illnesses. With evidence for 10 species definitively causing disease a more appropriate name is Lyme Borreliosis. The following 2 charts show the assigned date of discovery of 47 species borrelia, and the 19 species currently classed within the Lyme Borreliosis group including a species with the proposed name of B. mayonii...DRUG COMBINATIONS FOR BORRELIA PERSISTERS
A Drug Combination Screen Identifies Drugs Active against Amoxicillin-induced Round Bodies of Borrelia burgdorferi Persisters from an FDA Drug Library Jie Feng1, Wanliang Shi1, Shuo Zhang1, David Sullivan1, Paul Auwaerter2 and Ying Zhang1* 1Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, USA 2Fisher Center for Environmental Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, USA Although currently recommended antibiotics for Lyme disease such as doxycycline or amoxicillin cure the majority of the patients, about 10-20% of patients treated for Lyme disease may experience lingering symptoms including fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches. Under stress conditions such as starvation or antibiotic exposure, Borrelia burgdorferi can develop round body forms, which are a type of persister bacteria that are not killed by current Lyme antibiotics. To identify more effective drugs that are active against the round bodies of B. burgdorferi, we established a round body persister model induced by amoxicillin and screened the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug library consisting of 1581 drug compounds and also 22 drug combinations using the SYBR Green I/propidium iodide (PI) viability assay. We identified 23 drug candidates that have higher activity against the round bodies of B. burgdorferi than either amoxicillin or doxycycline. Eleven of these scored better than metronidazole and tinidazole which have been previously described to be active against round bodies. While some drug candidates such as daptomycin and clofazimine overlapped with a previous screen against stationary phase B. burgdorferi persisters, additional drug candidates active against round bodies we identified include artemisinin, ciprofloxacin, nifuroxime, fosfomycin, chlortetracycline, sulfacetamide, sulfamethoxypyridazine and sulfathiozole. Two triple drug combinations had...DEPT. HEALTH TO COMMISSION 3 REVIEWS ON LYME DISEASE
Today’s House of Commons debates – Tuesday 10 May 2016 Lyme Disease 4. Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con): What progress has been made on improving diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.[904940] The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Jane Ellison): Lyme disease is a complex infection, so we recognise that there are real challenges in diagnosis and treatment. In the light of this, I am pleased to say that the Department plans to commission three reviews on the diagnosis, treatment and transmission of Lyme disease to inform future decision making. Andrew Stephenson: A constituent in Earby was struck down with a debilitating illness several years ago, which has totally destroyed her quality of life. Since then, I have been visiting her regularly at home every few months, as she has fought to get a diagnosis. Over recent months, all the evidence has started to point towards Lyme disease, but there seems to be precious little support out there for people with this condition. What more can my Hon. Friend do to support constituents like mine? Jane Ellison: In addition to the reviews that the chief scientific adviser is overseeing, we have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop a new evidence-based guideline for care, specifically to respond to the sort of situation that my Hon. Friend describes with his constituent. That is for publication in 2018 and it is being prioritised because of the interest in this area. https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-05-10/debates/16051027000003/OralAnswersToQuestions Here is the link to the actual announcement in parliament. You need to select 09.47.07 on the RH side. http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/fbd45ac2-43c6-41c0-b2d0-48a9f49b3b0b...Lyme disease: a ticking time bomb
An article in The Conversation written by Vis-a-Vis Patron Hany Elsheikha, was published 28th April 2016 Concludes- Tackling the threat The effects of the disease on so many body systems, and the debilitating impact on the life of the affected patient, have triggered a crisis that has far-reaching implications for public health and policy. When people get diagnosed with Lyme, they make a shift to a life of increasing uncertainty, particularly from a lack of adequate and credible information. It’s clear, given the rise in clinical cases across the world and the number of people who continue to suffer even after antimicrobial treatment, that Lyme disease is spreading rapidly. For example, in the US the number of annual reported Lyme cases has increased about 25-fold since the national surveillance began in 1982. Many aspects of the disease mechanisms, such as the chronic condition, remain controversial or evolving, due to the scarcity of robust evidence-based data. There is not even one consistent terminology that defines “chronic Lyme disease”. More measures are also needed to resolve the crippling uncertainty surrounding the infection. We need more research to help develop reliable diagnostic tests, identify sub-populations of patients who are most likely to benefit from antibiotic treatment, and ultimately to ensure that Lyme disease does not become a pandemic reality. Go to this link to read the full article – https://theconversation.com/lyme-disease-a-ticking-time-bomb-57844...
