Just a few things. Did they culture what they found under the microscope. If not, it's a bit premature to label the organisms as spirochetes and then go on and speculate that it is borrelia or another Lyme related bacteria.
From reading on PR and other websites, I was under the impression that borrelia is found in such low numbers in fluids and tissue that it requires many many hours to do a good search of just a few mm of tissue. I have read repeatedly that finding Lyme bacteria under a microscope is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Obviously, there is something on the images. Are they spirochetes -- they seem to be a bit indistinct but I know very little about that. When there is direct observation of an organism via microscopy, it is impossible to determine the species just by looking at it. I believe live blood cell analysis is not currently used as a worthwhile diagnostic lab test because it reveals very little diagnostic information. Can it be used to diagnose -- no, unless you go on to determine what the organism actually is. Can it be used to treat -- no, because you have to know what organism it is first to provide proper treatment.
I have the same question. How did this group find it so easily while others cannot
I think this is a very important question. One would think if it was a test that could be helpful in diagnosis of lyme it would be widely used already
During centrifugation, the plasma separates from the blood cells. Experience shows that any spirochetes, if available, accumulate in the area between the plasma and blood cells. Precisely this is important to remember! Titti was mad at me because I revealed this method. But, I think it is important that everyone learns. The accumulation of "middle" is placed under a microscope (darkfield). Then we can see if there are spirochetes or not.
Are you talking about 'Quantitative Buffy Coat Analysis' -- this has been used before in looking for syphilis, malaria etc. -- eg for rapid diagnosis. I have seen slides of that and the spirochetes for syphilis look distinctly like spirochetes.
It's all very interesting. If these people whose blood was tested have some kind of microorganism in their blood, the next step would be to find out what that microorganism is or what exactly it is that we are looking at. Is it borrelia or related, is it something else? Is it something unique to patients in Sweden etc, etc.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether chronically ill people without known biomarkers (n=40), may have abnormalities in their blood compared to healthy people (n=5).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Venous blood is centrifuged to separate plasma and blood cells. The liquid in the area between the plasma and blood cells is sucked up with a pipette. Then it is centrifuged again and finally applied to a glass lens for microscope (dark field), 800 x magnification.
A diagnostic checklist was used with 75 (77 in swedish) questions of symptoms. At least 20 positive answers are believed to increase an active Lyme infection, except in cases erythema migrans occurs (can often sole basis for diagnosis).
RESULTS: In the group of chronically ill were spirochetes detected in the blood of 32 patients (80%) of the 40. None of the healthy subjects showed any abnormalities in the blood. Of the participants, 31 had diagnosis ME/CFS. Spirochetes were detected in the blood of 27 patients (87%).
CONCLUSION: Spirochetes are very common in some group of patients, especially with diagnosis ME/CFS.
I know this is a private study. I have only read the abstract. The purpose of the study was to investigate 'chronically ill people without known biomarkers that might have abnormalities in their blood compared to healthy people. The results seems to indicate that there is something in the blood of the "unhealthy" people.
Question -- how did they make the leap to that it was 'spirochetes' that they were looking at because they don't appear to look like spirochetes? Did they do any further tests to determine the DNA of the organisms?
I think for any meaningful results, one would have to do further analysis before naming the organism. Are there any plans to do this? Sorry if I missed anything in this thread, I have only glossed over it.
