@MedicineUVA@liv_lyme Plattis-Mills | presentation of #AlphaGal allergy (onset 2-6 hours after exposure) different than severe anaphylaxis. Amblyoma americanum Lone star tick responsible in US, In France & Australia Ixodes is responsible for alpha-gal. New invasive Asian tick can also transmit.
Plattis-Mills | IgE to alpha-gal is a reaction to oligosaccharides. Question: “Is it due to tick saliva or something found in the tick?” #LivLymeSummit
Plattis-Mills | Patients with #AlphaGal allergy need to avoid read meat but also dairy products. #LivLymeSummit Plattis-Mills not only has alpha-gal but also tests positive for rickettsia but is negative for RMSF. Feels there may be a connection between the two.
Plattis-Mills | says there is a link between fire ants. It appears fire ants kill Amblyoma ticks. Big question is whether the ants will kill (or is killing) Ixodes ticks. He thinks yes, #LivLymeSummit
Plattis-Mills | The anaphylaxis severity from alpha-gal is related to the delay. Two cells are responsible: Basophils and mast cells. CD63=Basophil activation; #LivLymeSummit
Plattis Mills | Hypothesis: Alpha-gal enters the circulation via the thoracic duct then activates mast cells. Explains the delay in reaction. Raises issue of (meat/dairy) IgE risk for atherosclerosis. #LivLymeSummit
Plattis-Mills | alpha-gal conclusion 👇
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@Lymenews The largest study, on which the CDC based its recommendation, showed one thing—a single dose of doxycycline reduced the incidence of rash in a small group of people. That’s it. (Nadelman 2001) 2/
@Lymenews End point: "Erythema migrans occurred at the site of the tick bite in 8 of the 247 subjects in the placebo group (3.2 percent), as compared with 1 of the 235 subjects in the doxycycline group (0.4 percent, P<0.04)" Seven fewer rashes! nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NE…
@Lymenews The ticks in the Nadelman study were identified by an entomologist. As the authors pointed out, patients and clinicians are not skilled at distinguishing I. scapularis from other ticks and arthropods, and even from scabs or debris. (Sood 1997) 4/
"In the USA, B. burgdorferi often disseminates in the blood during the first few weeks of infection in a process that requires the binding of Borrelia surface adhesins to host integrins on the vascular endothelium28–30. " 2/
"As shown in mice, the spread of B. burgdorferi through the vasculature or lymphatics is dependent on the inter-actions of spirochaetal surface molecules and endothe-lial cell membrane proteins." 3/
Thread: A major barrier to progress in understanding the neurologic manifestations of #LymeDisease has been a lack of a tractable laboratory animal model to evaluate the mechanisms of central nervous system pathogenesis.
For decades we have seen study after study of Lyme arthritis. As it turns out the most frequently reported Lyme symptoms are neurological symptoms: memory loss and cognitive impairment, sleep impairment, psychiatric manifestations, headaches, neuropathy and more. 2/
This is the first study, to my knowledge, that shows how Borrelia burgdorferi gets into the central nervous system, how the immune system responds, and how the bacteria adapt to the immune system. #Lyme
Meet the researcher Catherine Brissette, Ph.D. globallymealliance.org/meet-researche…
In an encouraging development yesterday @CDC_NCEZID representative Ben Beard made an important announcement--a new "national strategy" for vector-borne diseases. I'll explain in a thread 1/n lymedisease.org/framework-vect… via @Lymenews
The Kay Hagan Tick Act, passed in 2019, called for @hhs to develop a national strategy to address issues related to vector-borne diseases. The Lyme community fought hard for the passage of the #TICKactlymedisease.org/tick-act-appro… via @Lymenews 2/
The geothermal features in Yellowstone are amongst my top 10 favorite sites on this planet. Here’s a bit of #microbio history on the PCR test I’d like to share.
Pictured: Grand Prismatic at the Midway Geyser Basin @YellowstoneNPS
“Until the 1980s, our ability to study DNA was limited. Things we take for granted today such as DNA fingerprinting to identify criminals, DNA medical diagnoses, DNA-based studies of nature, and genetic engineering did not exist.”
“But in 1985, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was invented. PCR is an artificial way to do something that living things do every day—replicate DNA. PCR is the rocket ship of replication, because it allows scientists to make billions of copies of a piece of DNA in a few hours.