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Tigecycline has been found to kill spirochetes in-vitro, according to Pam Weintraub in her new book, “Cure Unknown – Behind the Lyme Epidemic.” [/size%;”>Quote below, taken from Chapter 53, pages 345 & 346, “Starting Over – Don't Get Slymed Again.” [/size]
One has to wonder if this new tetracycline derivative, only available in IV form at this point, would work well for scleroderma, as its currently being used for “infections of the abdominal organs and skin.” I find the information about the “efflux pump” to be fascinating and wonder if other pathogens functions similarly.
Peace, Maz
In this quoted material, Weintraub shares her interview infectious disease specialist, Ben Luft, of Stony Brook's research institute:
“Examining the B Burgdorferi genome, the Luft team found that it coded for the same kind of “efflux pump” found in E. Coli. A virtual sump pump, the molecular apparatus literally ejected tetracycline and doxycycline out of cells before they could build concentations high enough to stamp the infection out. These drugs inhibit the infection, says Luft, but cannot wipe it out.
Based on this finding, Luft, the scientist who pioneered the use of Rocephin for Lyme Disease back in the 1980s, is now studying another drug – Tigecycline, an intravenous antibiotic currently used for infections of the abdominal organs and skin. Its mechanism is much like that of doxycycline and tetracycline – except that its chemical structure literally inhibits the efflux pump, keeping itself from being ejected by the cells. “It's a hundred times more active against the spirochete than doxycycline,” says Luft. Instead of just inhibiting spirochetes, like doxy, it kills them dead. Rocephin kills them, too, but requires a very long period of time to do the job. In the test tube, tigecycline kills Borrelia fast, in fact, in twenty-four hours flat.
Currently testing Tigecycline in the test tube and soon, in mice and maybe dogs, Luft says he must demonstrate its efficacy in experiments before he unleashes it on us. “The only way I can be of service is by being as rational as possible, so that my work will be reproducible,” he says.”]
Thanks for that Maz I use a Rife machine which has a frequency for it. I was not aware that an antibiotic could kill a spirochete like that. I knew they inhibited them. but we need to get them permenantly. That is wonderful news. I will try and get the book.
[user=27]Maz[/user] wrote:
One has to wonder if this new tetracycline derivative, only available in IV form at this point, would work well for scleroderma, as its currently being used for “infections of the abdominal organs and skin.” [/size%;”>[/size]
If this Tigecycline will work, that will be a prayer answered for all diffuse SD patients. Let's keep our hope high. JB
This tigecycline sounds like a dream come true for Lymies. Let's hope it'll work in people like it does in the test tube !
Thanks for that message of hope Maz. 😀
Katie
[user=467]katieb[/user] wrote:
This tigecycline sounds like a dream come true for Lymies. Let's hope it'll work in people like it does in the test tube !
Katie, the exciting part is that we may be able to know sooner than was previously possible, with new imaging capabilities (see link below) that have enabled the spirochete to be visualised in mice. Some believe that the spirochete immediately reverts to a spheroplast L-Forms in the body, making it difficult to treat. This Canadian study clearly shows, however, that in the active form of the disease spirochetes can be seen literally boring through skin blood vessels into surrounding tissues. Of course, the use of tigecycline to kill spirochetes in-vivo may still be moot if the dormant cystic form is ignored and left untreated. Hopeful, nonetheless!
Peace, Maz
[user=94]wendi[/user] wrote:
I wonderr if it will work on RA too?
Hi Wendi…yes, me, too. I guess we won't know until such time as AP docs start using it. It's still relatively new (2 years old, I think) and, according to my doc, is currently being reserved for serious acute infections in a hospital setting.
Definitely something to watch to see where this goes….and maybe to ask our AP docs about as it may relate to rheumatoid disease.
Peace, Maz
Someone asked TM about Tigecycline. His resonse:
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I noted that a case of Tigecycline-induced-Lupus was reported during the European safety trials, so I suspect it will be effective against the Th1 pathogens.
But the bottom line is that Minocycline is good enough. It has the extra spectrum against Staph that Doxy lacks, and has a history of safety dating back to 1968:)
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I find his comment interesting on several accounts; staph, induced lupus, safety and the original question.tigecycline already made it to wikipedia. And, Guess who owns it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TigecyclineHi John and SuperPerro,
Thanks for sharing TM's perspective of Tigecycline and also the Wiki link.
John – I suppose it depends if you want to kill those spirochetes outright…if indeed it works in-vivo as it does in-vitro. The tetracyclines certainly work well to suppress pathogens, but if they can be killed quickly, all the better. 😉 I guess we just won't know for sure until it's tried in humans for this purpose.
The drug-induced Lupus thing makes sense, especially as according to the Wiki article Tigecycline is a minocycline derivative.
Peace, Maz
Yes Maz the spirochete needs a solution permanently, although it sounds too good to be true. Mino is fine for the others but Lyme kills ruthlessly often before patients are diagnosed, especially here in my country. We all need a better solution to picking up all of these bugs so we can be treated, asap, instead of having to fight to get treatment like most of us do.
It is wonderful to think someone out there is doing something about Lyme and other spirochetes. Really the minocycline is a wonderful drug.
[user=94]wendi[/user] wrote:
Is the induced lupus really that or is it a herx?
Hi Wendi,
It's not really known whether MIL (minocycline induced lupus) is a result of the drug, itself, or whether it is the result of a sub-clincial manifestation of previously undiagnosed lupus. That is, a person may have an, as yet, undiagnosed form of lupus (doesn't show in bloodmarkers) and, when minocycline is started, it manifests as an exacerbation – a herx from die-off.
For those who adhere to infectious theory, there seem to also be two schools of thought…that MIL is a herx and may have manifested at some point anyway, so continue with treatment. Others prefer to change their antibiotic protocol to one that doesn't elicit this particular reaction, like doxycycline. I think continuing with minocycline in this type of instance really has to be a personal choice, based physician advice, preference and belief systems. (There is a bit of info on MIL on the main board).
I've questioned this and wondered why minocycline might induce lupus and not doxy, if it is indeed a herx. People also herx on doxy and tetracycline. Perhaps it is that minocycline has better tissue permeability…it gets deeper into places other tetracyclines don't? Or, minocycline just has different properties and there is some additional chemical that may trigger a bio-chemical reaction in some people?
I understand that there are a number of drugs out there that can cause drug-induced lupus. Would be kind of interesting if a study was done to see if there was some correlation could be found between them all.
If memory serves (but please don't quote me on this! ;)), I think that stats are that MIL can occur in 1 in 10,000 patients receiving minocycline. Joe shared a very interesting British study on this about a week or so ago. If you're interested, might be worth doing a bit of a scavenge through the recent threads to see if you can find it. The patient case studies are fascinating.
Peace, Maz
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