New study shows high tick-borne disease risk in SF Bay Area

[valentinelynx]

I haven't seen this posted yet. Sorry if it's redundant. The article is discussed on lymdisease.org at: https://www.lymedisease.org/stanford-tick-borne-disease-risk-high-in-sf-bay-area/?utm_source=senate bill&utm_campaign=21st Century Cures Act&utm_medium=email

Plos One article from 8/19/15:
Disease Risk & Landscape Attributes of Tick-Borne BorreliaPathogens in the San Francisco Bay Area, California

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0134812#pone-0134812-g001

I find this most personally pertinent, as one of the areas with the highest "density of infected nymphs" was the Los Trancos Open Space Preserve, which was a few blocks from our house at the time I got sick and I walked there as often as possible. In fact I visited most of the parks studied many times.

 

[Valentijn]

It's interesting that the Miyamotoi variant was so common. I think that one is still being downplayed as being extremely rare in the US.

 

[Research 1st]

Yes, spot on.

Of additional worry is the fact we still don't have a commercial Miyamotoi test or for any other novel variant other than the standard CDC B31 strain approved by the CDC which is likely not 'ME'. (State interference means no need to offer one). So they keep to the script, manage the situation with spin and rhetoric to reduce alarm and get bloggers online who aren't housebound, who aren't bedridden to big up the CDC CFS research C.V. and their incredible achievements so far (if you read it, it's all garbage and based on questionnaires and diagnosing people over the phone - non science). Sadly, this is standard public health protocol for an untreatable disease. Tell people with active Lyme like symptoms and damage (POTS, Neuropathic Pain, Arthritis, PCOS etc), they have Post Treatment Lyme disease (despite not being treated), and gravely ill.

Certainly sticking to one strain of Borrelia (Burgdoferi) for the crappy CDC test that requires a strong immune response (won't work in immune suppressed) and ignoring all the other pathogenic strains currently doing the rounds, and others I've forgotten:

Borrelia Afzelii
Borrelia Bavariensi
Borrelia Gariniii
Borrelia Lonestari
Borrelia Miyamotoi
Borrelia Spielmanii

Is down right neglectful to do nothing about this using large scale studies in 'CFS' and 'Chronic Lyme'. No health agency gives a damn, and that is very telling when so many people are now sick, but don't have a prior history of mental illness, but do report a strange 'flu like onset'. (Unknown by many with CFS, this is also a classic trait in those with Lyme). It doesn't take a college degree to work out the infection is either airborne, or latent and switched on by community acquired pathogens we all get.

I guess they just want to keep their heads in the sand and not see what's clearly out there, another disease other than Lyme (Burgodferi), in people lied to that they were neurotic and needed CBT/GE to do more exercise and go back to college or work - who by the way, it was again the CDC with their Fukuda Criteria supported by psychiatrists and our friend Straus who caused this to happen as they themselves created CFS!

Straus (CDC) said in writing he needs the best political solution to this problem, via creating CFS via Fukuda's agreement. That's a huge red flag, they apparently knew what they were doing from day one. Not that we hadn't worked that out in 1998 and not long after when a post infectious disease (PVFS or ME) becomes tiredness related with anyone claiming to feel tired. By removing infectious trigger (Post viral syndrome) we can all have CFS when we feel really worn out and never get research for our disease, because now we are divided and conquered by heterogeneous research phenomena. Such a clever way to manage a public health disaster, not.

 

[IreneF]

The title of the thread is misleading. The risk is not high compared to the Midwest and New England; it's just that more ticks have Borrelia in this area than were expected.

My daughter's a grad student in disease ecology at San Francisco State. She spent the summer going up to China Camp (Marin Co., north of SF) with meter square white flannel drag cloths for collecting ticks. She also lassos Western Fence Lizards and picks ticks off them. Then she runs PCR tests and looks for Lyme.

I will ask her what she thinks.

 

[Calihope]

B. miyamotoii doesn't have a commercial test yet, but because its in the relapsing fever group it is possible that it could have cross-reactivity with B. hermsii. There are a number of patients in the Santa Cruz area who have tested positive for b. hermsii and whose symptoms appear to be more like that of miyamotoii (strong and quick reaction in the CNS). Might be worth asking for b.hermsii test through Quest labs if you are wondering about miyamotoii.

 

[valentinelynx]

The title of the thread is misleading.

Didn't mean to be "misleading." Was just quoting the lymedisease.org blog posting title,
Stanford: Tick-borne disease risk high in SF Bay Area

If you want to be precise, I suppose you would say, "... risk higher than some people might have previously thought!" But, then, how do you define "high risk" anyway?

It was notable to me, because I got sick in the area studied. At the time, I thought I was "low risk" for Lyme disease. After all, despite tick bites and red round rashes, I never got a swollen knee... just crushing fatigue, inability to exercise, stiff hands, new onset allergies, lactose intolerance, headaches, eye problems, etc.

 

[IreneF]

The title of the thread is misleading. The risk is not high compared to the Midwest and New England; it's just that more ticks have Borrelia in this area than were expected.

My daughter's a grad student in disease ecology at San Francisco State. She spent the summer going up to China Camp (Marin Co., north of SF) with meter square white flannel drag cloths for collecting ticks. She also lassos Western Fence Lizards and picks ticks off them. Then she runs PCR tests and looks for Lyme.

I will ask her what she thinks.

She said, "This isn't really super new info. It's just that it just got published." (That's from her perspective, of course.)

I think the take-home message is to wear appropriate clothing and repellent if possible, and don't go crashing thru the underbrush. Stay in the middle of the trail. When you get home do a tick check.

Many people in the Bay Area, including some doctors, don't realize you can pick up Borrelia in this area. (People are more worried about poison oak.) I think some of the publicity is just to inform people that they need to be aware of the risk and take precautions.

 

[valentinelynx]

IreneF - I am wondering about something that perhaps your daughter has an opinion on. Now we know that B miyamotoi is around in the Bay Area as well as other places, but what I would like to know is how long has it been here? There may be no way to answer this question, but perhaps your daughter, knowing people in this field, might have some insight? As I was bitten in Portola Valley in the early 1990's, it would be interesting to know whether B miyamotoi was present in the area at that time. Thanks for any input you might have.

 

[IreneF]

IreneF - I am wondering about something that perhaps your daughter has an opinion on. Now we know that B miyamotoi is around in the Bay Area as well as other places, but what I would like to know is how long has it been here? There may be no way to answer this question, but perhaps your daughter, knowing people in this field, might have some insight? As I was bitten in Portola Valley in the early 1990's, it would be interesting to know whether B miyamotoi was present in the area at that time. Thanks for any input you might have.

She's sick right now, I don't want to bother her.

B. miyamotoi was discovered only in 1995, so who knows? These studies take time. For one thing, you are literally out there beating the bush, collecting ticks. You need a test to detect the various kinds of Borrelia or Babesia or whatever you are looking for. And your lab has to get the funding for all the stuff it needs to pay for.

According to the CDC, there have been only 60 well-documented cases in the US, so either it's rare or it hasn't been well enough characterized yet to be recognizable as a distinct disease.

 

[valentinelynx]

She's sick right now, I don't want to bother her.

B. miyamotoi was discovered only in 1995, so who knows? These studies take time. For one thing, you are literally out there beating the bush, collecting ticks. You need a test to detect the various kinds of Borrelia or Babesia or whatever you are looking for. And your lab has to get the funding for all the stuff it needs to pay for.

According to the CDC, there have been only 60 well-documented cases in the US, so either it's rare or it hasn't been well enough characterized yet to be recognizable as a distinct disease.

Sorry your daughter's ill. Hope she feels better soon. It doesn't surprise me that it hasn't been found much, yet. As you say, these things take time. People have to know what they are looking for. Since there is no commercially available test for miyamotoi, it would be hard for a physician to diagnose.