Post by LymeEnigma on Sept 4, 2007 19:06:54 GMT -8
Many people believe that most co-infections share two more traits in common with Lyme than just their host vector, traits that, even on their own, appear to be rare. The first is that most co-infection blood tests are just as unreliable as those for Lyme disease, and the second is that many co-infections, when allowed to become chronic with the Lyme, also require “unconventional” long-term antimicrobial therapy.
It may very well be that some co-infections, when combined with a Lyme infection, might appear elusive or difficult to treat because of effects Lyme can have on the immune system. I would still like to explore the above two assumptions, however, using the co-infection babesiosis (a co-infection for which I was also diagnosed, via blood titer) as my model.
1. “Most co-infection blood tests are just as unreliable as the blood tests used to rule out Lyme disease.” Many people are diagnosed with babesiosis clinically, which may be valid in many cases, but it is difficult for me to believe that babesiosis, which is a protozoa that clings to, lives on, and destroys red blood cells (much like malaria) can be difficult to find in the blood. Most of us know that Lyme likes to hide outside of the blood stream and therefore is often hard to find directly in the blood. Coupled with the effects it can have on the immune system, a Lyme titer can easily come back a false-negative ... but even if a patient’s immune system is below par due to infection and/or antibiotic use, isn’t it reasonable to debate that a decent number of antibodies for babesiosis should be found in the blood, considering that the protozoa lives in the blood, not in hiding, and thus exposes itself left and right to existing white blood cells? The Lyme doesn’t destroy our immune systems that profoundly ... if that were the case we’d be no better off than patients with AIDS, and I know our immune systems are not that shot ... and even AIDS titers are considered pretty reliable tests, aren’t they?
2. “Many co-infections, when allowed to become chronic along with a Lyme infection, also require ‘unconventional’ long-term antimicrobial therapy.” I actually found studies that indicated that babesiosis is often a self-limiting disease (www.emedicine.com/ped/topic193.htm); simply put, a healthy body can take care of a babesiosis infection on its own, without the help of antimicrobials. Now, it may be the case that a patient with Lyme disease may not be healthy enough to fight a babesiosis infection well enough on its own, and perhaps a person with Lyme might go on to be co-infected with babesiosis for several years as a result. However, does a long-term infection, under these circumstances, have the ability to turn the patient’s babesiosis into a chronic, or difficult to treat, disease? Does babesiosis, a protozoa (parasite) that lives on red blood cells, possess the same mechanisms and behaviors as Lyme, a spirochete (bacteria) that spirals its way into deep tissues and can go dormant for months and years on end?
I believe that 21 days of mepron, combined with azithromycin and plaquenil, was enough to rid me of my babesiosis infection. I have been off the mepron for over four months now, and my babesiosis-specific symptoms (fevers, drenching night sweats, vomiting) have yet to return. I may just have it in remission, but I'm pretty sure it's gone. I know many people who claim to suffer from persistent babesiosis infection even after several months of antimicrobial therapy. With these people in mind, I must ask two questions: 1) might a Lyme infection sometimes affect the prognosis of certain co-infections? 2) might some of the above people who were diagnosed clinically not really have babesiosis, and thus be unsuccessful in treatment because they’re treating the wrong illness?
Any thoughts?
It may very well be that some co-infections, when combined with a Lyme infection, might appear elusive or difficult to treat because of effects Lyme can have on the immune system. I would still like to explore the above two assumptions, however, using the co-infection babesiosis (a co-infection for which I was also diagnosed, via blood titer) as my model.
1. “Most co-infection blood tests are just as unreliable as the blood tests used to rule out Lyme disease.” Many people are diagnosed with babesiosis clinically, which may be valid in many cases, but it is difficult for me to believe that babesiosis, which is a protozoa that clings to, lives on, and destroys red blood cells (much like malaria) can be difficult to find in the blood. Most of us know that Lyme likes to hide outside of the blood stream and therefore is often hard to find directly in the blood. Coupled with the effects it can have on the immune system, a Lyme titer can easily come back a false-negative ... but even if a patient’s immune system is below par due to infection and/or antibiotic use, isn’t it reasonable to debate that a decent number of antibodies for babesiosis should be found in the blood, considering that the protozoa lives in the blood, not in hiding, and thus exposes itself left and right to existing white blood cells? The Lyme doesn’t destroy our immune systems that profoundly ... if that were the case we’d be no better off than patients with AIDS, and I know our immune systems are not that shot ... and even AIDS titers are considered pretty reliable tests, aren’t they?
2. “Many co-infections, when allowed to become chronic along with a Lyme infection, also require ‘unconventional’ long-term antimicrobial therapy.” I actually found studies that indicated that babesiosis is often a self-limiting disease (www.emedicine.com/ped/topic193.htm); simply put, a healthy body can take care of a babesiosis infection on its own, without the help of antimicrobials. Now, it may be the case that a patient with Lyme disease may not be healthy enough to fight a babesiosis infection well enough on its own, and perhaps a person with Lyme might go on to be co-infected with babesiosis for several years as a result. However, does a long-term infection, under these circumstances, have the ability to turn the patient’s babesiosis into a chronic, or difficult to treat, disease? Does babesiosis, a protozoa (parasite) that lives on red blood cells, possess the same mechanisms and behaviors as Lyme, a spirochete (bacteria) that spirals its way into deep tissues and can go dormant for months and years on end?
I believe that 21 days of mepron, combined with azithromycin and plaquenil, was enough to rid me of my babesiosis infection. I have been off the mepron for over four months now, and my babesiosis-specific symptoms (fevers, drenching night sweats, vomiting) have yet to return. I may just have it in remission, but I'm pretty sure it's gone. I know many people who claim to suffer from persistent babesiosis infection even after several months of antimicrobial therapy. With these people in mind, I must ask two questions: 1) might a Lyme infection sometimes affect the prognosis of certain co-infections? 2) might some of the above people who were diagnosed clinically not really have babesiosis, and thus be unsuccessful in treatment because they’re treating the wrong illness?
Any thoughts?
Just more evidence that it's not possible to do too much reading about Lyme!
