BRAIN INFECTIONS SOLVE THE RIDDLE OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Review of Infectious Borrelia species Chronic Brain Infections and the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease from Alan MacDonald on Vimeo. This is a 37 minute video describing important research into Borrelia Chronic Brain Infections and the development of Alzheimer’s disease by Alan B. MacDonald,MD. Included in this lecture are select citations from the work of Dr. Judith Miklossy, MD,PhD,ScD, also connecting Chronic Spirochaetal Brain Infections, Borrelia species, and Oral Treponema Species of Spirochaetes with the development of future Alzheimer’s disease. The research tools used by Dr. Alan MacDonald includes: Culture of Fresh Autopsy Alzheimer’s Brain tissue with Positive recovery of Borrelia burgdorferi spirochaetes in Vitro ( 5 cases). The use of Borrelia burgdorferi Specific DNA probes to image single Borrelia spirochaetes, and to image Biofilm Communities of Borrelia Spirochaetes in Alzheimer’s Amyloid Plaques. Single Cortical Brain neurons with Granulovacuolar Degeneration ( GVB), and single Borrelia spirochaetes in brain tissue between the Plaques and the GVB lesions. Notably, Dr. MacDonald, calls to attention the role of Granular Borrelia as viable and virulent pathogens distinct from the Spiral Borrelia corkscrew shaped forms. The role of Round body Borrelia (cystic borrelia) in the evolution of Alzheimer’s disease, and the paramount role to biofilm communities of Borrelia in granular form as the actual nidus of the Amyloid Plaques seen in Alzheimer’s disease autopsy brain tissues. It was in 1986, that Dr Alan MacDonald first found and cultured Borrelia spirochaetes from Alzheimer’s brains. His findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=362744&resultClick=3 Links to further information regarding Dr MacDonald’s work can be found on his website –...BORRELIA AND ALZHEIMER’S
Researchers Identify Virus and Two Types of Bacteria as Major Causes of Alzheimer’s Neuroscience News March 9, 2016 ‘A worldwide team of senior scientists and clinicians have come together to produce an editorial which indicates that certain microbes – a specific virus and two specific types of bacteria – are major causes of Alzheimer’s Disease. Their paper, which has been published online in the highly regarded peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, stresses the urgent need for further research – and more importantly, for clinical trials of anti-microbial and related agents to treat the disease.‘ The full article can be read – http://neurosciencenews.com/microbes-alzheimers-neurology-3826/ The original editorial can be found on ISO press Microbes and Alzheimer’s Disease http://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad160152 ‘We are researchers and clinicians working on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or related topics, and we write to express our concern that one particular aspect of the disease has been neglected, even though treatment based on it might slow or arrest AD progression. We refer to the many studies, mainly on humans, implicating specific microbes in the elderly brain, notably herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), Chlamydia pneumoniae, and several types of spirochaete, in the etiology of AD [1–4]. Fungal infection of AD brain [5, 6] has also been described, as well as abnormal microbiota in AD patient blood [7]. The first observations of HSV1 in AD brain were reported almost three decades ago [8]. The ever-increasing number of these studies (now about 100 on HSV1 alone) warrants re-evaluation of the infection and AD concept. One of the authors is Prof Judith Miklossy who has published a number of papers on Borrelia and...Cancer Researcher Who Nearly Died of Lyme Discusses the Similarities Between the Two Diseases
Neil Spector, MD, author of Gone in a Heartbeat: A Physician’s Search for True Healing spoke at the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) annual conference. FT. LAUDERDALE, FL., October 15, 2015– Neil Spector, MD knows cancer. As a leading researcher, he led the development of two targeted cancer therapies which were FDA approved. He is currently the Sandra Coates Chair in Breast Cancer Research at Duke University. But in 2009, Dr. Spector faced his own mortality when a physician informed him he would die without a heart transplant. Dr. Spector’s heart had been destroyed by an undiagnosed case of Lyme disease. Dr. Spector discussed his experiences as an oncologist and Lyme disease survivor on Friday, October 16, 2015 at the ILADS conference held at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fr. Lauderdale, Florida. His presentation was titled: How Lessons from Personalized Cancer Care Can Inform Management of Lyme Disease. Dr. Spector calls Lyme disease “the infectious disease equivalent of cancer.” Cancer is not one specific disease and neither is Lyme, says Spector. “We talk about Lyme Disease as if it is ONE disease caused by one uniform strain of Borrelia when we know there are at least 16 pathogenic strains of the bacteria that cause disease in the United States.” Spector notes both cancer cells and Borrelia burdoferi (the spirochete which causes Lyme disease) are equipped with mechanisms to resist therapeutic interventions. Both pathogens have a “sweet tooth,” says Spector, since each relies on glucose as a source of energy. Yet, while cancer specialists design personalized treatment plans for cancer patients, Lyme disease treatments are...Bartonellosis: One health perspectives on an emerging infectious disease
Published on Sep 10, 2014 Ian Beveridge Memorial Lecture 2014 by Professor Ed Breitschwerdt, DVM, is Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, College of Veterinary Medicine North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. A series of papers on Bartonella are found at this link here from North Carolina State University These three latest articles raise many important findings and questions:- difficulties culturing the bacteria. 30 different species -13 found to infect humans finding Bartonella in patients with Chronic illnesses – migraines, seizures, Rheumatoid illnesses, endocarditis Bartonella is found in red blood cells making diagnosis and treatment difficult and possibly causing multi organ and multisystem illnesses. It may have implications for the Blood Banks. May be passed on by biting insects and ticks. We need more research and better understanding from the medical community. Dr Breitschwerdt talks about the difficulties he had in funding his research hence his involvement in setting up Galaxy Diagnostics http://www.galaxydx.com/web/ Links to further research...Prof Ying Zhang Borrelia persisters – Interview and drug activity
Interview with Prof. Ying Zhang at the NorVect Conference 2015 Published on Sep 29, 2015 Prof Ying Zhang from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health explains why Lyme disease is so difficult to treat. Having worked with Tuberculosis (TB) for many years, he sees the similarities and differences between these to bacteria. With Tuberculosis it is known that you have to treat with certain drug combinations that kill the growing form and the non-growing form (persisters) and if you treat shorter than 6 months, the patient will get a relapse. The bacterium that causes Lyme disease is much more advanced than the TB bacterium, and the main reason is that it also takes a persisting form. These persister forms of the Borrelia bacteria cannot be cultured. The two views – ILADS and IDSA are two different ways of seeing the same disease. Prof. Zhang thinks they are both right. When it comes to acute Lyme disease, IDSA is right. Then you only need shorter courses of treatment. When the disease turns chronic, longer courses of treatment with the right drug combinations are needed (ILADS view). The full presentation from Dr Zhang is available on the Norvect website from their 2015 conference http://norvect.no/about-norvect/ Identification of novel activity against Borrelia burgdorferi persisters using an FDA approved drug library Jie Feng, Ting Wang, Wanliang Shi, Shuo Zhang, David Sullivan, Paul G Auwaerter and Ying Zhang Published online 2 July 2014 from abstract – ‘We identified 165 agents approved for use in other disease conditions that had more activity than doxycycline and amoxicillin against B. burgdorferi persisters. The top 27 drug candidates from the 165 hits were confirmed to have higher anti-persister activity than the current frontline antibiotics....Prof Kim Lewis – Persister Borrelia
The Paradox of Chronic Infections – Kim Lewis What processes take place in a bacteria population under antibiotic treatment? What important discovery made during World War II was forgotten? How can we circumvent the protection mechanisms used by bacteria populations? Professor of Biology at Northeastern University Kim Lewis explains the significance of a rediscovered phenomenon. Northeastern University researchers have found that the bacterium that causes Lyme disease forms dormant persister cells, which are known to evade antibiotics. This significant finding, they said, could help explain why it’s so difficult to treat the infection in some patients. Researchers’ discovery may explain difficulty in treating Lyme disease – “This is the first time, we think, that pulse-dosing has been published as a method for eradicating the population of a pathogen with antibiotics that don’t kill dormant cells,” Lewis said. “The trick to doing this is to allow the dormant cells to wake up.” He added: “This gives you an idea that you could, in principle, establish a similar regiment for treating patients for this and other chronic diseases.” http://www.northeastern.edu/news/2015/06/researchers-discovery-may-explain-difficulty-in-treating-lyme-disease/ Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, forms drug-tolerant persister cells. Bijaya Sharma, Autumn V. Brown, Nicole E. Matluck, Linden T. Hu and Kim Lewis —————————————————– Other videos of Prof Lewis Principles of Antibiotic Discovery – Kim Lewis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89MdHzNHGZI&list=UUComKOHir2WrDuRZXP8DT-A Uncultured Bacteria – Kim Lewis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ojRvlwanSA What lights my fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBZ9hyrMsoM Prof Lewis team at Northeastern were recently in the news for their discovery of a new antibiotic Teixobactin http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25561178 Prof Lewis featured in a BBC documentary on Panorama on his research into finding new antibiotics http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32701896 and earlier http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30657486 ...Welcome
A warm welcome to Vis-à-Vis Symposiums We are a small charity focusing on the welfare of patients whose lives have been decimated, courtesy of a Tick. A parasite so invasive, capable of destroying and reducing formerly active healthy humans, and their companion animals, to lives of complete devastation and a miserable existence. A quote from a patient, and echoed by thousands of others globally; “ Lyme won’t kill you………… but there are days when you wish it would” Correction: in extreme cases Tick-borne diseases will kill you, hence the need for you to know about them. Our first symposium was held in June 2014, and was funded by a patient and organized by a group of patients and dedicated tick-borne disease specialists. We joined forces with the aim of bringing doctors, veterinarians, and researchers together in a united effort to tackle the dilemma of ill- health caused by the many tick-borne infections that are increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world. The event was so successful and generated so much goodwill and interest that it was obvious we should keep the momentum, and so here we are, ready to join forces again. Please, let us work in a united effort to combat these insidious and destructive infections before more lives are left unnecessarily in...
