Grizzled Gran
13-02-09, 12:19 AM
Note the date - this isn't new but I have many friends with CFS. I know one NZer with Lyme (after visiting the US) and it was immediately dx'd in NZ despite it seldom being seen here!
http://sci.tech-archive.net/pdf/Archive/sci.med.diseases.lyme/2006-10/msg01250.pdf
__________________________________________________ ________________
CFS Patients Subsequently Diagnosed with Lyme Disease Borrelia burgdorferi: Evidence for Mycoplasma species Co-Infections
Garth L. Nicolson1, Nancy L. Nicolson1, Jorg Haier2
1The Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, California,
2Department of Surgery, University Hospital, Munster, Germany
Objective: The majority of CFS patients have chronic bacterial infections.1-3
Therefore, we examined the blood of North American CFS patients subsequently diagnosed with Lyme Disease (LD) and compared these to CFS patients without evidence of LD for presence of Mycoplasma species co-infections.
Methods: We examined the blood of 48 CFS patients subsequently diagnosed with Borrelia burgdorferi (confirmed using Western blot analysis of serum) and compared these to 50 CFS patients without evidence of B. burgdorferi infections for presence of Mycoplasma spp. co-infections using forensic polymerase chain reaction of leukocyte blood fractions.
Results: We found that 68.75% of CFS/Lyme patients show evidence of mycoplasma co-infections (Odds Ratio=41.8, Confidence Limits=11.26-155.16, p<0.001 compared to controls), whereas 50% of CFS patients without a diagnosis of B. burgdorferi show mycoplasma co-infections (OR=19.0, CL=5.25-68.78, p<0.001 compared to controls).4 Since CFS patients without a diagnosis of LD have a high prevalence of one of four Mycoplasma species and a majority show evidence of multiple infections,1-3 we examined CFS/Lyme patients˘ blood for various Mycoplasma species. We found that CFS patients with LD B. burgdorferi mostly had single species mycoplasma infections (OR=31.67, CL=8.63-116.16, p<0.001) with a preponderance of M. fermentans infections (50% of patients, OR=59.0, CL=7.55-460, p<0.001), whereas the most commonly found Mycoplasma spp. in CFS patients without LD was M. pneumoniae (34% of patients. OR=14.94. CL=3.25-68.73, p<0.001).4
Conclusions: The results indicate that a subset of CFS patients show evidence of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, and a large fraction of these patients were also infected with M. fermentans and to a lesser degree with other Mycoplasma species. In contrast, in CFS patients without evidence of LD the most commonly found mycoplasma co-infection was M. pneumoniae.
1. Nasralla M, Haier J, Nicolson GL. Multiple mycoplasmal infections detected in blood of Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Syndrome patients. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 1999; 18:859-865.
2. Nicolson GL, Nasralla M, Gan R, Haier J, De Meirleir K. Evidence for bacterial (Mycoplasma, Chlamydia) and viral (HHV-6) co-infections in chronic fatigue syndrome patients. J Chronic Fatigue Syndr 2003; 11(2):7-20.
3. Nicolson GL, Gan R, Haier J. Multiple co-infections (Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Human Herpesvirus-6) in blood of chronic fatigue syndrome patients: association with signs and symptoms. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand (APMIS) 2003; 111: 557-566.
4. Nicolson GL, Nicolson NL, Haier J. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients subsequently diagnosed with Lyme Disease Borrelia burgdorferi: evidence for Mycoplasma species co-infections. J Chronic Fatigue Syndr 2008; 14(4):5-17.
Prof. Garth L. Nicolson, PhD, The Institute for Molecular Medicine, P.O. Box 9355, S. Laguna Beach, California 92652. Tel: 949-715-7958; Email: gnicolson@immed.org (http://us.mc1100.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=gnicolson@immed.org); Website: www.immed.org
http://sci.tech-archive.net/pdf/Archive/sci.med.diseases.lyme/2006-10/msg01250.pdf
__________________________________________________ ________________
CFS Patients Subsequently Diagnosed with Lyme Disease Borrelia burgdorferi: Evidence for Mycoplasma species Co-Infections
Garth L. Nicolson1, Nancy L. Nicolson1, Jorg Haier2
1The Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, California,
2Department of Surgery, University Hospital, Munster, Germany
Objective: The majority of CFS patients have chronic bacterial infections.1-3
Therefore, we examined the blood of North American CFS patients subsequently diagnosed with Lyme Disease (LD) and compared these to CFS patients without evidence of LD for presence of Mycoplasma species co-infections.
Methods: We examined the blood of 48 CFS patients subsequently diagnosed with Borrelia burgdorferi (confirmed using Western blot analysis of serum) and compared these to 50 CFS patients without evidence of B. burgdorferi infections for presence of Mycoplasma spp. co-infections using forensic polymerase chain reaction of leukocyte blood fractions.
Results: We found that 68.75% of CFS/Lyme patients show evidence of mycoplasma co-infections (Odds Ratio=41.8, Confidence Limits=11.26-155.16, p<0.001 compared to controls), whereas 50% of CFS patients without a diagnosis of B. burgdorferi show mycoplasma co-infections (OR=19.0, CL=5.25-68.78, p<0.001 compared to controls).4 Since CFS patients without a diagnosis of LD have a high prevalence of one of four Mycoplasma species and a majority show evidence of multiple infections,1-3 we examined CFS/Lyme patients˘ blood for various Mycoplasma species. We found that CFS patients with LD B. burgdorferi mostly had single species mycoplasma infections (OR=31.67, CL=8.63-116.16, p<0.001) with a preponderance of M. fermentans infections (50% of patients, OR=59.0, CL=7.55-460, p<0.001), whereas the most commonly found Mycoplasma spp. in CFS patients without LD was M. pneumoniae (34% of patients. OR=14.94. CL=3.25-68.73, p<0.001).4
Conclusions: The results indicate that a subset of CFS patients show evidence of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, and a large fraction of these patients were also infected with M. fermentans and to a lesser degree with other Mycoplasma species. In contrast, in CFS patients without evidence of LD the most commonly found mycoplasma co-infection was M. pneumoniae.
1. Nasralla M, Haier J, Nicolson GL. Multiple mycoplasmal infections detected in blood of Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Syndrome patients. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 1999; 18:859-865.
2. Nicolson GL, Nasralla M, Gan R, Haier J, De Meirleir K. Evidence for bacterial (Mycoplasma, Chlamydia) and viral (HHV-6) co-infections in chronic fatigue syndrome patients. J Chronic Fatigue Syndr 2003; 11(2):7-20.
3. Nicolson GL, Gan R, Haier J. Multiple co-infections (Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Human Herpesvirus-6) in blood of chronic fatigue syndrome patients: association with signs and symptoms. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand (APMIS) 2003; 111: 557-566.
4. Nicolson GL, Nicolson NL, Haier J. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients subsequently diagnosed with Lyme Disease Borrelia burgdorferi: evidence for Mycoplasma species co-infections. J Chronic Fatigue Syndr 2008; 14(4):5-17.
Prof. Garth L. Nicolson, PhD, The Institute for Molecular Medicine, P.O. Box 9355, S. Laguna Beach, California 92652. Tel: 949-715-7958; Email: gnicolson@immed.org (http://us.mc1100.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=gnicolson@immed.org); Website: www.immed.org