Very informative video clips!

[Maz]

These video clips posted on the CT Lyme Disease website of some of the foremost experts in Lyme were from the 30th Anniversary of Lyme Disease Conference on May 7th, 2005. Although three years ago, this information is still current and you will recognize many of the speakers….Dr GN, Dr TM, Dr LM, etc. Very worth watching these short sound bytes that provide enormous amounts of information.

Dr RH, a well-known LLMD (Lyme Literate MD) in the NY area, gives a wonderful talk and goes through some of the many symptoms associated with Lyme and its “autoimmune” connection. He also points out that the palindromic type arthritic pain some people experience is definitively linked with Lyme, because “no other disease presents in this way.” I was very surprised by this statement and think others with PRA may also find it to be an eye-opener. He also mentions Bell's Palsy, costochondritis (rib pain) and uveitis (eye inflammation caused by the coinfection Bartonella) as being associated with Lyme amongst other manifestations of the disease….all things that have been mentioned here on the board a number of times.

My LLMD, Dr SP (seventh from the top of the list), is also giving a talk on the connection of Lyme and MS.

http://www.ctlymedisease.org/videoclips.htm

Peace, Maz

[Joe M]

hey Maz,

I don't know that much about Lyme, so I have a question for you.  There was a story on the local news here today about Lyme and how it is increasing in Iowa, especially NE Iowa.  They gave the usual recommendations to keep ticks off and then added that it is important to get the tick off as soon as possible because the disease is not transferred immediately upon the bite and it is possible to get the diseased tick off before the spriochette is transferred.  Is that true? 

Thanks
Joe

[Maz]

Hi Joe,

Opinions vary a lot on the length of time that a tick needs to be attached for infection to pass. Dr H is worth watching on the video clips as he covers this question…his opinion being that a couple hours may be all that is needed. Also, he adds that as soon as the tick embeds itself in the skin, if the body is brushed off and the head remains, it is still possible to be infected by its saliva and one may not know the tick head remains hidden in the skin. The nymphal ticks are the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen…a tiny spec that is easily missed. And, Dr H also mentions the possibility of transmission from the larval form of the tick, which isn't recognised on the skin as such…just tiny little whitish-yellow blobs that may stick to your legs in the hundreds as you're walking outside. These are just as hard, if not harder, to identify.

So, the jury is out. The IDSA (Infectious Diseases Society of America) say that ticks need to be attached for 24 to 48 hours to pass infection. My personal feeling about this is that if the tick is embedded (broken the skin) then the potential for its saliva passing infection begins at that point….much like a mosquito can pass its itchy toxins when it breaks skin….but I'm no expert….just feel it's best to err on the side of caution. I'd say Dr H is more on the mark than the IDSA when he says it's likely to take only a few hours.

I was at a wedding a few weeks ago and we were all outside taking pictures under this balcony. One of the guests had a tick literally drop from the balcony onto the lapel of his suit, so these little critters get about. :sick:

Peace, Maz

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