Latest news with #Borrelia
Epoch Times
09-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Old Antibiotic Shows Promise Against Lyme Disease at Ultra-Low Doses
Scientists may be closing in on two major advances in the fight against Lyme disease: an overlooked antibiotic that eliminates the infection at exceptionally low doses and new insights into why symptoms often persist long after treatment. In a pair of Unlike doxycycline, piperacillin targets the Lyme disease bacteria specifically, sparing the gut microbiome from the disruption that typically accompanies doxycycline use. 'What was remarkable to us was how well piperacillin worked at really low doses,' Brandon L. Jutras, a professor in the microbiology-immunology department at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead researcher, told The Epoch Times. 'We don't need to provide it at a concentration that could kill other microbes.' The team also found that remnants of the Lyme bacteria can remain in the body after being treated with antibiotics, which may Peptidoglycan—a component of Lyme bacteria's cell wall—can linger in the body, triggering prolonged immune reactions and helping explain the symptoms of post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD), where some patients continue to experience symptoms for months or even years after the infection is thought to be cleared. A More Targeted Approach Lyme disease is an infectious illness that is spread to people through the bites of infected black-legged ticks and can lead to neurological and heart complications if untreated. Related Stories 10/22/2023 11/13/2024 Piperacillin works by interfering with the unique way Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, builds its cell walls—a process essential for bacterial survival. Because of this targeted mechanism, researchers believe piperacillin will spare the gut microbiome, which is often disrupted by broader-spectrum antibiotics like doxycycline. However, whether this more targeted approach could help prevent PTLD wasn't addressed in the study. Jutras' team screened nearly 500 FDA-approved drugs, tracking how each compound affected the bacteria's ability to build its distinctive cell wall. 'We could literally watch what happened to the cell wall when we added antibiotics,' Jutras said. 'Piperacillin disrupted that process in a way that was incredibly specific to Borrelia.' Currently, piperacillin is used to treat pneumonia and urinary tract infections and is not approved for use against Lyme disease in humans. Beyond treatment, the researchers also see promise in piperacillin as a potential preventive measure. The idea is that one dose, received right after a tick bite, could stop the infection before it starts. Early diagnosis is challenging since small tick bites may often go unnoticed, early symptoms may not appear for days or weeks, and not all patients develop the telltale bull's-eye rash. Diagnostic tests often rely on antibodies that take time to form, resulting in false negatives during early infection. 'You get bit by a tick. You go to your doctor. Right now, they might tell you to wait for symptoms or a positive test result,' Jutras said. 'But with piperacillin, the idea is that you could receive a single prophylactic dose. It wouldn't harm your microbiome, and it might prevent illness altogether.' Jutras noted that while the findings make piperacillin a promising option, it must first be tested and proven effective in human trials before physicians can prescribe it. Some experts also caution that any antibiotic—even at low doses—can contribute to antibiotic resistance. 'The question is: does the benefit of potentially preventing Lyme disease outweigh the risk to that person's microbiome and the collective antibiotic resistance concern that we collectively face?' 'If piperacillin is proven to be highly effective, then that is a no-brainer in favor of preventing this potentially debilitating medical condition,' he said, adding that piperacillin is only available in intravenous or intramuscular form, so it's unlikely to be practical for widespread preventive use after a tick bite. Side effects of doxycycline may include gastrointestinal discomfort, increased sensitivity to sunlight, and potential risks to bone and tooth development in children. It's also avoided during pregnancy. Piperacillin, commonly used to treat pneumonia and urinary tract infections in combination with another antibiotic (tazobactam), carries risks of allergic reactions or changes in liver function. However, researchers note that the much lower dose used in this study—and the fact that it was not combined with a second antibiotic—may result in a safer profile. Why Lyme Symptoms Persist Lyme disease is now the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that approximately 500,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated Unlike most infections, where the concern is primarily the initial acute phase, a significant worry with Lyme disease is that even after treatment, some people develop chronic symptoms of fatigue, pain, and brain fog that don't respond to further treatment. A 2022 There is currently no single approved treatment for PTLD. Management typically focuses on relieving symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, and brain fog through a combination of supportive care, lifestyle changes, and in some cases, extended or repeated antibiotic courses. Jutras and his team believe that lingering bacterial debris may trigger an immune response that mimics chronic illness, even when no live bacteria remain. These peptidoglycan fragments were found in the liver and in joint fluid of patients with Lyme arthritis, where they continue to provoke an immune response. Compared to other bacteria, Lyme bacteria's peptidoglycan is more resistant to breakdown, possibly due to its unique structure—a feature that scientists say is altered by the tick's biology. Holistic Approaches for Prevention To help reduce the risk of persistent symptoms, many doctors who specialize in Lyme treatment take a holistic approach to prevention and recovery. By lowering the number of lingering pathogens and supporting immune function, these strategies can help manage and even reduce the chances of developing PTLD. Bell highlighted the importance of identifying co-infections, such as Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, or Rocky Mountain spotted fever, as well as addressing mold exposure and mycotoxins. 'If co-infections or mold toxins are present and go untreated, the patient will have a much more challenging time recovering from Lyme,' he said. Herbal remedies such as Cryptolepsis and Japanese knotweed Once symptoms indicating an acute infection are gone, these two botanicals may be a superior choice to antibiotics for long-term maintenance therapy after infection, Bell said. In addition to herbal treatments, lifestyle changes—such as prioritizing quality sleep, engaging in gentle movement like walking or yoga, and minimizing exposure to environmental toxins—are a key part of recovery. Clean tick bites with soap and water, and remove any attached ticks by using tweezers to pull them upward—without twisting or crushing them. Early symptoms of Lyme disease, occurring 3 to 30 days after exposure, include: Bull's-eye rash (erythema migrans) Fever, chills, or fatigue Muscle aches and joint pain Swollen lymph nodes Later symptoms, which may occur weeks to months after infection, include: Severe joint swelling or pain Drooping on one side of the face (facial palsy) Numbness or tingling Irregular heartbeat Cognitive issues, such as memory loss
Agriland
30-04-2025
- Health
- Agriland
More ticks carrying Lyme disease bacteria in pheasant areas
New research has revealed that ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in areas where pheasants are released. The research was carried out by the University of Exeter and the UK Health Security Agency, which subsequently published the study titled 'The release of non-native gamebirds is associated with amplified zoonotic disease risk' in the journal Ecology Letters recently. According to Bird Watch Ireland, pheasants are not native to Ireland or the UK, but rather to Asia, where they were imported from and first introduced here as game birds in the 16th century by the Normans. Pheasants Researchers from the University of Exeter have claimed that approximately 47 million pheasants are released into the wild in the UK each year for recreational shooting. To conduct the research, scientists at the university studied ticks in 25 woodland areas in south-west England where pheasants were released and 25 nearby control sites where no pheasants were released. They discovered that Borrelia spp. – the bacteria that causes Lyme disease – was almost 2.5 times more prevalent in ticks in the pheasant-release areas compared to the control areas. Head researcher from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, Emile Michels said: 'Borrelia bacteria can live in a wide range of hosts, including pheasants, wild birds and mammals and humans. 'Pheasants are known to be competent hosts of Borrelia spp, meaning they have a relatively high likelihood of contracting and retransmitting the bacteria. 'More research is needed, but our findings suggest there may be an increased risk of potential exposure to Borrelia-infected ticks for people, such as gamekeepers, who work in woodlands where pheasants are released in numbers.' According to researchers, the control sites in the study were 1-2km from the pheasant-release sites, so more research would be required to see if Borrelia spp in ticks declines further at greater distances. Researchers tested ticks at different life stages, nymphs and adults, and found that, overall, the proportion containing Borrelia spp was 7.8% in pheasant-release woodlands, and 3.2% where pheasants were not released. University of Exeter professor, Dr. Barbara Tschirren said: 'Our findings are evidence of spillback, where non-native species increase the prevalence of native pathogens. This can be an important route for the emergence of zoonoses (diseases that animals can give to humans).' Head of the Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology team at UKHSA, Dr. Jolyon Medlock also commented on the study: 'While we have observed an increase in the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in ticks, we do not have data on the resulting impact on human health, including evidence of Lyme infection. 'Following these findings, we continue to work with academic partners to better understand what drives Borrelia transmission, including the roles of climate and environmental change.' Lyme disease Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks. According to the HSE, it is usually easier to treat if it is diagnosed early. According to the Annual Infectious Disease Report, published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre in conjunction with the HSE on April 28, 2025, seven cases of Lyme disease were diagnosed in Ireland last year, up one from the six reported in 2023. The HSE has also indicated that about 5% of ticks in Ireland are thought to carry Lyme disease bacteria. It has urged individuals to remove ticks as soon as possible, explaining that Lyme disease can be prevented if infected ticks are removed within 36 hours of embedding themselves in a person. It published three steps to remove a tick safely, which included: Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible; Slowly pull upwards, taking care not to squeeze or crush the tick – dispose of it carefully; Clean the bite with antiseptic or soap and water.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Antibiotic shows promise against Lyme disease at a fraction of the dosage
A Northwestern University study reveals that piperacillin, a common antibiotic, effectively treats Lyme disease in mice at a much lower dose than doxycycline, the current standard. This reduced dosage minimizes harm to beneficial gut bacteria, a significant drawback of existing treatments. Piperacillin, already FDA-approved, could also potentially serve as a preventive measure against Lyme disease following tick bites. Lyme disease affects nearly half a million individuals in the United States annually. The disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and rarely, Borrelia mayonii is spread to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, known as deer ticks. Lyme disease can be devastating even in acute cases, so early treatment with antibiotics is crucial to prevent chronic symptoms like heart and neurological problems and arthritis. Scientists from Northwestern University have found that a specific antibiotic can cure Lyme disease effectively, and only requires 1/100th of the dose of the treatment currently being used. The study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine revealed that piperacillin, an antibiotic in the same class as penicillin, effectively Lyme disease in mice at 100 times less than the dose of doxycycline, the current gold standard treatment. The study revealed that at such a low dose, piperacillin also had the added benefit of 'having virtually no impact on resident gut microbes.' Though doxycycline and other generic antibiotics treat the disease, they wreak havoc on the microbiome by killing the beneficial gut bacteria. Doxycycline also fails in 10 and 20% of individuals who take it, and it is not approved for use in young children, who are especially at the highest risk of tick bites, resulting in Lyme. 'Powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotics that kill extracellular bacteria are seen as the most effective medication because physicians want to just kill the bacterium and don't care how. This is certainly a reasonable approach, but I think the future for Lyme disease patients is bright in that we are approaching an era of customized medicine, and we can potentially create a particular drug, or a combination to treat Lyme disease when others fail. The more we understand about the various strains and species of Lyme disease-causing Borrelia, the closer we get to a custom approach,' Brandon L. Jutras, who led the research, and ios an associate professor in the microbiology-immunology department of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and a member of Northwestern's Center for Human Immunobiology, said in a statement. Trump Demands This From China Amid Tariff War... | 'U.S. No Longer Lose On Trade' The researchers stated that the piperacillin, which has already been FDA-approved as a safe treatment for pneumonia, could also be used as a preventive treatment. If someone is bitten by a deer tick and might have been exposed to Lyme disease, they could get a one-time shot of the medication to help prevent infection. The study said that penicillin is relatively the most effective and targeted treatment. Piperacillin is usually given with another drug, tazobactam, to treat serious strep infections. This is because strep can block piperacillin from working unless tazobactam is there to stop the enzyme that breaks it down. Jutras also looked at the option of using both drugs together as they might work better than using piperacillin alone. 'Bacteria are clever. Strep and some other bacteria combat antibiotics by secreting beta-lactamases that inactivate piperacillin. We found the approach is totally irrelevant in the context of Lyme disease, and another way that makes piperacillin more specific. Adding the beta-lactamase inhibitor doesn't improve the therapy because Lyme Borrelia don't produce beta-lactamase, but the cocktail does negatively impact the microbiome by becoming more broadly functional against beneficial residents,' Jutras added. Curbing Lyme disease is a challenge, given that there are no approved human vaccines as of now, and this new research could be a way forward.
Telegraph
22-04-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Pheasants could be spreading Lyme disease, study suggests
Pheasants released for game hunts may spread Lyme disease, a study has suggested. Research indicates ticks are more likely to carry the infectious disease in areas where the game birds are found. About 47 million pheasants are released across Britain every year for shooting. The plump fowl are known to be particularly susceptible to being infected by ticks carrying the bacteria which causes Lyme disease, and also to retransmitting the bacteria to other ticks that feed on them. Now research by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and academics at the University of Exeter has found infected ticks were 150 per cent more common in areas with pheasants. Researchers tested ticks at different ages and found that the proportion containing Borrelia spp. – the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease – was 7.8 per cent in pheasant-release woodlands compared with 3.2 per cent in those without the birds. Emile Michels, a doctoral candidate at the University of Exeter, said the findings suggested gamekeepers and beaters could have a greater risk of contracting Lyme disease. Gamekeeper died of Lyme disease Highland gamekeeper Scott Beattie, 43, died in 2012 after contracting the disease. Steven Macdonald, from Glen Lyon, caught the disease while working as a deerstalker on the Isle of Lewis, losing five stone in weight before making a recovery. Andrew Profit, a deerstalker from Criccieth, Gwynedd, lives with near-constant pain because of his Lyme disease. Mr Michels said: 'Pheasants are known to be competent hosts of Borrelia, meaning they have a relatively high likelihood of contracting and retransmitting the bacteria. 'More research is needed, but our findings suggest there may be an increased risk of potential exposure to Borrelia-infected ticks for people who work in woodlands where pheasants are released in numbers.' Julia Knight, of Lyme Disease UK, said: 'As ticks now seem to be staying active in some areas throughout the colder months due to our warming climate, it is essential to know what drives the spread of this bacteria. 'Infected ticks have been found all over the UK so awareness is essential for everyone but is especially important for people in high-risk occupations such as gamekeeping.' Dr Barbara Tschirren, from the University of Exeter, said pheasants, which are not native to Britain, could be making Lyme disease more widespread. 'Our findings are evidence of spillback, where non-native species increase the prevalence of native pathogens,' she said. 'This can be an important route for the emergence of zoonoses [diseases that animals can give to humans].' Medical entomologist Dr Jolyon Medlock, of UKHSA, added: 'While we have observed an increase in the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in ticks, we do not have data on the resulting impact on human health, including evidence of Lyme infection. 'Following these findings, we continue to work with academic partners to better understand what drives Borrelia transmission, including the roles of climate and environmental change.' However, Roger Seddon, a spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, warned against the findings 'Lyme disease is something that no one should take lightly, but to believe that reducing pheasant numbers will wipe out the disease is total folly,' he said. 'There are many different animal vectors of ticks carrying Lyme-causing bacteria. The proliferation of those ticks is attributed to a wide range of causes such as climate change and local overpopulations of deer,' he added.
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
We're Releasing Millions Of Birds. The Ticks Are Thriving.
BURSA, TURKIYE - OCTOBER 07: A pheasant is seen among grasses in Bursa, Turkiye on October 07, 2024. ... More Pheasants are not native to the UK, but millions are released every year for shooting. (Photo by Alper Tuydes/Anadolu via Getty Images) Each summer in the UK, up to 50 million pheasants are released into woods and fields for recreational shooting. At their seasonal peak, the biomass of these birds rivals that of all native UK breeding birds combined — an astonishing ecological intervention repeated year after year. The practice is legal, well-established, and supports rural economies. But new evidence suggests it may also be increasing the prevalence of Borrelia — the bacterial cause of Lyme disease — in local tick populations. The study, published in Ecology Letters, found that ticks from pheasant-release sites were more than twice as likely to carry Borrelia bacteria as those from comparable control woods where pheasants had not been released. The increase was especially pronounced for Borrelia garinii, a bird-adapted genospecies linked to neurological Lyme disease in humans. This result fits into a broader pattern of rising Lyme disease incidence in the UK and across the northern hemisphere. Lyme disease increased in the UK from 2013 to 2021. It's long been known that pheasants can serve as competent reservoirs for Borrelia. A 1998 study showed they could remain infectious for months without obvious symptoms. But until now, it wasn't clear whether that trait translated into real-world effects. The new study moves us one step closer to answering that question. What it does not show — and this distinction is crucial — is whether people are getting sick as a result. The increase in Borrelia prevalence in ticks is biologically meaningful, but its implications for human health remain unproven. Whether Borrelia amplification by pheasants poses a risk to gamekeepers and land managers, or even to the general public through broader ecological diffusion, is still unknown. Even so, the results deserve attention. Wildlife management often aims to maintain populations at levels that support hunting, conservation, or commercial activity. But any large-scale intervention — especially one involving tens of millions of non-native birds — will have knock-on effects. Changing disease ecologies is one of them. Borrelia - pathogenic bacteria (Spirochaetota) responsible for Lyme disease, (Borrelia burgdorferi, ... More Borrelia spielmanii, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii give other variants of Lyme disease). (Photo by: CAVALLINI JAMES/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) This study adds to a growing literature showing that when we manipulate animal populations, we also manipulate the conditions under which pathogens circulate. Most released pheasants don't survive the winter. Fewer than 10% are still alive by spring. But their temporary presence may shift local tick dynamics in lasting ways — especially if they feed adult ticks, amplify infection rates, or alter the composition of host communities in subtle, under-appreciated ways. We are still early in understanding how pheasant releases influence tick populations, infection dynamics, and host communities — and whether those ecological changes ultimately translate into measurable impacts on human disease burden. But the findings are a signal that wildlife policies should be evaluated not only for their economic or ecological aims, but also for their downstream effects on human health. To manage landscapes wisely means taking pathogens into account.
