Three-antibiotic cocktail clears ‘persister’ Lyme bacteria in mouse study
April 23rd, 2019
A new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that a slow-growing variant form of Lyme bacteria caused severe symptoms in a mouse model. The slow-growing variant form of Lyme bacteria, according to the researchers, may account for the persistent symptoms seen in ten to twenty percent of Lyme patients that are not cured by the current Lyme antibiotic treatment.
…”There is a lot of excitement in the field, because we now have not only a plausible explanation but also a potential solution for patients who suffer from persistent Lyme disease symptoms despite standard single-antibiotic treatment,” says study senior author Ying Zhang, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Bloomberg School.
Brilliant work. Now what will it take for this to gain acceptance with the powers that be?
Related material:
3rd Annual “Lyme Disease in the Era of Precision Medicine” Conference: Zhang Y, New York Academy of Medicine, YouTube 18-10-19: ,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op48l-XifTg length 27:54
Persisters, persistent infection and the Yin-Yang model, Emerging Microbes & Infections, Zhang Y, Vol 3, page e3 (2014) Nature.com: https://www.scienceopen.com/document_file/e1237689-dd8a-4d8b-bf60-df3df7561249/PubMedCentral/e1237689-dd8a-4d8b-bf60-df3df7561249.pdf
Related articles and links:
1.) Persisters, persistent infection and the Yin-Yang model, Emerging Microbes & Infections, Zhang Y, Vol 3, page e3 (2014) Nature.com: https://www.scienceopen.com/document_file/e1237689-dd8a-4d8b-bf60-df3df7561249/PubMedCentral/e1237689-dd8a-4d8b-bf60-df3df7561249.pdf
2.) 3rd Annual “Lyme Disease in the Era of Precision Medicine” Conference: Ying Zhang, New York Academy of Medicine, YouTube 18-10-19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op48l-XifTg length 27:54
3.) Discovery Medicine: “Stationary Phase Persister/Biofilm Microcolony of Borrelia burgdorferi Causes More Severe Disease in a Mouse Model of Lyme Arthritis: Implications for Understanding Persistence, Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), and Treatment Failure” Feng, Jie, Zhang Y, Discovery Medicine 19-03-28: http://www.discoverymedicine.com/Jie-Feng/2019/03/persister-biofilm-microcolony-borrelia-burgdorferi-causes-severe-lyme-arthritis-in-mouse-model/
I wish to participate in a study and clinical trials of the three antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease in Canada. Can anyone guide me where to apply?