Genetic Engineering Raises Hope for Lyme Disease Vaccine

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Thanks for this article, but the explanation of the experiment needs some clarification before I can understand it. You say that mice (15?) were injected with the Borrelia containing the 'disabled' bba64 gene. What happened to these mice? Did they become ill? Presumably, ticks that fed on these mice were infested with the bba64-minus Borrelia? The sample of 15 healthy mice were then exposed to these ticks. You say that 2 of the 15 were symptomatic. The same altered bacteria were taken from the same ticks that infested this latter group of - exposed, or only the sick? - mice, and injected into a fresh batch of mice, which then became symptomatic. But did this happen to the originally infected (via injection) mice? What was the purpose of this last injection? I don't know how to interpret this. Was the bba64 gene reactivated by passage through the originally injected mice and the ticks that fed on them? Were the bacteria from the last serum and the mice actually tested for the bba64 disability?

Mark Harder of OR 11:33PM May 10, 2011

I am terrified. Did anyone read about the prior vaccine mess? Weintruab told the story. Here's another link from the internet.
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/01/briefing/3680b2_17.pdf
Combine this with the conflicts of interest surrounding IDSA in the CT Class Action Lawsuit and the murky less than honorable actions of some. How can we believe anyone? Let these researchers and physicians be the test population first in clinical trial. If they don't get sick after a few years, then maybe... Don't forget what happened before.

LymeMom16 of MD 6:39PM August 02, 2010

Lyme (Borrelia) infection is usually caught from infected ticks of all kinds, found everywhere, as they are carried by birds, domestic animals and wildlife. Even if you remove the tick before it has time to transmit Lyme, you can still get other serious co-infections such as Bartonella, Ehrlichia, Babesia which is a malaria-like infection, or even TBE. Lyme can be transmitted by biting insects like stable-flies, fleas, lice, mites - and can be transmitted from a mother to her offspring, via the placenta or milk. Or like its cousin syphilis, by sexual contact. It appears to be a major cause of autism in children and also Alzheimer's. The scary thing about Borrelia infection is that it can mimic every other disease. The bacterium itself is the most sophisticated known to man. A corkscrew-shape spirochaete, it resembles that of Weil's Disease caught from rats, and Syphilis, but it has more genes to generate its outer surface proteins so it can change its coat to avoid detection by the immune system. Our current blood tests (serology) are basic and often come up negative. Simple bacteria can move around by being driven by a rotating filament at one end, that acts like an outboard motor, spins and moves the bacterium. Borrelia has a bundle of flagellae wrapped around its cellular contents, which act like an "inboard motor" and drive the bacterium like a corkscrew so it can penetrate every cell in the body.
It gets into joint cartilage causing arthritis that moves from joint to joint, so-called "migratory arthritis". It was first described from an outbreak of arthritis in children. It gets into nerve tissue and causes paralysis, aka "neuro-borreliosis". Facial nerves are attacked causing droopy eyelids and jaw (Bell's Palsy), or intestinal nerves causes constipation and colic. Many people recover from allergies when treated for Lyme. If treated correctly in the first few (4 to 6) weeks it may be eliminated. But people may not know whether they've been bitten, as they may not have the classic "bull's eye" rash. If the bacteria penetrate deep tissues they can be difficult to reach with antibiotics. High-doses long courses are essential. The bacterium can hide in the form of cysts, coccal forms, or biofilms where they are neither recognised by the immune system nor accessible to antibiotics, the same as Syphilis and Tuberculosis. Once established, you may never cure it, even with repeated antibiotics. Antibiotics might have side effects but are often worth the risk considering the life destroying effects of Lyme Disease. It is normal to take long-term antibiotics for TB, Brucellosis, Syphilis, even acne. Lyme is at least as important as these. Bacterial resistant, like MRSA in hospitals, is about hospital hygiene and little to do with antibiotics. "Under-treatment" by doctors has allowed resistant organisms to survive. Drug resistance in Lyme isn’t a problem if antibiotics are rotated properly - it's co-infections like Babesia that cause the problems.

Laurence Swift 5:45PM August 01, 2010

I have stage 3 lyme disease. I have had severe headaches, numbness on both sides of my body, chills, fevers, heart pain, spinal muscular pain, swollen knees, facial paralysis, arthritis, and many other horrible symptoms that disable me weekly. Another set of awesome symptoms are that you have cognitive impairment as a possibility( I do...I hate it! I had a 3.5 GPA until this stupid tick!) and symptoms that can be mistaken for bipolar or scitzophrenia. Be aware. Wear the DEET and help the cure. Send them yo money. I want to be better.

Ashlee of MD 10:39AM July 08, 2010

Here's a good link as to healthy alternatives in dealing with Lyme disease and good resources for that.
http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com

LymeAdvocate of NC 2:53PM April 20, 2010

You can listen to an interview with Dr. Raphael B. Stricker on the Lyme Disease Research Database. We will be covering the gene research in future interviews.
http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com/lyme_disease_blog_files/category-lyme-disease-expert.html

Ev of NC 9:47AM April 08, 2010