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Volume: 2
Issue: 10
Date: 27-Jun-94


Table of Contents:

I.    LDF: LD Awareness Week Press Conference Statement
II.   LYMENET: Lyme Disease Symposium, 7/9/94, San Rafael, CA
III.  BR J RHEUMATOL: Evidence for Lyme disease in urban park
      workers: a potential new health hazard for city
      inhabitants.
IV.   J MED ENTOMOL: Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) deer
      tick mesoscale populations in natural areas: effects of
      deer, area, and location.
V.    How to Subscribe, Contribute, and Get Back Issues


Newsletter:

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*                  The National Lyme Disease Network                  *
*                         LymeNet Newsletter                          *
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IDX#                Volume 2 - Number 10 - 6/27/94
IDX#                            INDEX
IDX#
IDX#  I.    LDF: LD Awareness Week Press Conference Statement
IDX#  II.   LYMENET: Lyme Disease Symposium, 7/9/94, San Rafael, CA
IDX#  III.  BR J RHEUMATOL: Evidence for Lyme disease in urban park
IDX#        workers: a potential new health hazard for city
IDX#        inhabitants.
IDX#  IV.   J MED ENTOMOL: Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) deer
IDX#        tick mesoscale populations in natural areas: effects of
IDX#        deer, area, and location.
IDX#  V.    How to Subscribe, Contribute, and Get Back Issues
IDX#


QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

     "Most importantly, everyone has to recognize that when
      it comes to Lyme disease, no one has all the answers."


    -- Thomas Forschner, Executive Director of the Lyme
       Disease Foundation, Inc.



I.    LDF: LD Awareness Week Press Conference Statement
-------------------------------------------------------
Remarks made by Thomas Forschner, Executive Director of the Lyme
Disease Foundation, Inc., at a public education forum / press
conference June 6, 1994.


Welcome to the Kick-Off of the 6th National Lyme Disease Awareness
Week.


The importance and seriousness of Lyme Disease continues to evolve
as we learn more about the elusive bacteria responsible for "The
Great Masquerader."  Since 1976, when Lyme disease was named "Old
Lyme Arthritis" by researchers at Yale, we have learned that...


 * The disease was documented in Europe as early as 1883 under
   several other names and can be traced back 100 years in the U.S.
 * Symptoms are not limited to skin rashes and arthritis
 * The bacterium is difficult to identify with currently available
   lab tests
 * The disease is not limited to the Connecticut shoreline or even
   the Northeast; it is countrywide and worldwide
 * The tick that spreads the disease in the Southeast U.S. has been
   mis-named and people who were told they couldn't have Lyme disease
   because they didn't live near the "right" tick actually did
   _and do_ have Lyme disease
 * And, most importantly, a growing number of people with Lyme disease
   are not recovering despite extensive and expensive treatment.
 * In addition, at a January National Institutes of Health meeting,
   all Lyme disease experts [in attendance] admitted to having
   patients who are chronically infected, and for whom there is no
   "cure."  It was also agreed that neurological Lyme is the single

   most important area of research.  Sixty percent of neurologically
   involved patients have ongoing brain degeneration.


Although we have made great progress we still have a long way to go.

We know the bacteria that causes the disease, but we don't have a test
that can specifically tell when the bacteria have been eradicated;
we also don't know how the bacterium does its damage.


We know that there are 3 ticks that transmit the disease.

We know that by the time people have the EM rash, 60% of them already
have the bacteria in their brain.


An article [has been released in this week's]  _Journal of the
American Medical Association_ on the safety of one of the two vaccines
being tested, but many questions are left unanswered as to long term
safety and efficacy.


Awareness of Lyme disease is critical.  The public must be aware that
this threat exists, and protect themselves and their families.
Doctors need to be vigilant and must be aware that they need to rely
on their clinical judgment and not lab tests when diagnosing and
treating their patients.  Most importantly, everyone has to recognize
that when it comes to Lyme disease, no one has all the answers.  We
hope that this week of awareness will lead to a decrease in the
number of cases and an increase in appropriate diagnosis and treatment
of this disease.


The Lyme Disease Foundation is pleased to announce that a new video
for adults, "What You Should Know," is available in every state
library.  This fall we will be releasing 3 additional videos: a
"Scientific Investigator" program for middle school students, a
Self-Help group video for patients with Lyme, and a Workplace video
for employers interested in protecting employees and their
families.


I'd like to than Senator Joseph Lieberman for his unwavering support
of the Lyme Disease Foundation as well as of my family's personal
battle with this disease.  In 1988 when the LDF first started, my
wife Karen walked the halls of Congress looking for help.  Senator
Lieberman was the only one who said he would help and actually
followed through on his promise.  His support has been instrumental
in moving awareness and research forward.  His unique combination
of commitment and compassion are an inspiration to all Lyme disease
patients.



=====*=====


II.   LYMENET: Lyme Disease Symposium, 7/9/94, San Rafael, CA
-------------------------------------------------------------
Sender: John Setel O'Donnell <[email protected]>


* Goals and Objectives
 The conference is intended for physicians, dentists, veterinarians,
 pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals to update
 them on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.  Faculty
 represent a broad range of medical specialties and viewpoints.
 After the conference, attendees will understand:


 - the presentation of early and late-stage Lyme disease symptoms in
   adults and children;
 - the controversies in identifying the stages of Lyme disease and
   their treatment;
 - current research, both locally and world-wide;
 - the accuracy of laboratory tests and their interpretation;
 - the epidemiology of the disease and the behavior of the Lyme
   disease tick;
 - veterinary overview of Lyme disease and the manifestations of
   Lyme disease in animals


* Faculty
 Joseph J. Burrascano, MD, Southampton Hospital, Southampton, NY
 David W. Dorward, PhD, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, MT
 Brian A. Fallon, MD, MPH, Columbia University, New York, NY
 Nick S. Harris, PhD, IGeneX, Palo Alto, CA
 James H. Katzel, MD, Ukiah Valley Medical Center, Ukiah, CA
 Robert S. Lane, PhD, Div. of Entomology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
 Chinh T. Le, MD, Kaiser Permanante Medical Center, Santa Rosa, CA
 Rance B. Le Febvre, PhD, Veterinary School, UC Davis, Davis, CA
 Robert T. Schoen, MD, Yale University LD Clinic, New Haven, CT
 R. J. Scrimenti, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
 Duc J. Vugia, MD, MPH, California Dept. Health Services, Berkeley, CA
 Rosemary P. U'Ren, PHN, Marin County Health Dept., San Rafael, CA


* Registration: email me for a copy the registration form or contact
 the Lyme Disease Resource Center, PO Box 9510, Santa Rosa, CA 95405;
 707-468-8460, fax 707-468-4318.


* Tuition $150; $90 for medical students, public health officers,
 nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and dental auxiliaries.


* CME accredited by CA DHS

Following the Symposium:

* Lyme Disease Public Forum
 7/9/94 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
 Marin Association of Realtors Building, 4020 Civic Center Drive,
 San Rafael


 Overview presentations by symposium faculty, plus open Q&A period.

 Open to all.   Suggested donation of $5.  Free educational brochures.

 Cosponsored by California Department of Health Services and
 County of Marin, Department of Health and Human Services.


 For more information: contact Marla North, 415-924-3936.


=====*=====


III.  BR J RHEUMATOL: Evidence for Lyme disease in urban park
     workers: a potential new health hazard for city inhabitants.
------------------------------------------------------------------
REFERENCE: Br J Rheumatol 1994 Feb;33(2):123-8
AUTHORS: Rees DH, Axford JS
ORGANIZATION: Division of Immunology, St George's Hospital Medical
             School, University of London.
ABSTRACT:


In the UK, cases of Lyme disease have only been reported from rural
areas.  Recently, however, Ixodes ticks infected with Borrelia
burgdorferi have been found in London parks.  To determine whether
this constituted a health hazard, we questioned 44 workers from
Richmond and Bushey parks to assess their exposure to tick bites
and whether they had a clinical history of Lyme disease.  Their
serum was subsequently investigated for antibodies to two
different preparations of Borrelia burgdorferi (whole cell sonicate
and flagellin) and the specificity of these antibodies determined
by immunoblotting.  Comparison was made to zoo keepers (n = 27)
from a wildlife park outside London.  Tick bites were reported in
23% of park workers and of these, three described symptoms compatible
with Lyme disease.  Raised antibody levels were found in 10 (24%)
of the park workers compared with one (4%) of the zoo keepers using
ELISA with whole cell sonicate as antigen (P = 0.02) and 6 (14%)
of park workers and none of the zoo keepers using purified

flagellin as antigen (P < 0.05).  Analysis of the immunoblots
revealed more bands were detected in park workers (mean 1.8, range
0-6) than in the zoo keeper controls (mean 0.8, range 0-4);
P < 0.001 and 14 (32%) of the park workers had reactivity with three
or more protein bands, whilst only one of the zoo keepers showed this
level of antigen binding (P < 0.005).  These data suggest previous
infection with B. burgdorferi in London park workers which has
important health implications for these individuals, other park
workers and possibly park visitors.



=====*=====


IV.   J MED ENTOMOL: Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) deer
     tick mesoscale populations in natural areas: effects of
     deer, area, and location.
-------------------------------------------------------------
REFERENCE: J Med Entomol 1994 Jan;31(1):152-8
AUTHORS: Duffy DC, Campbell SR, Clark D, DiMotta C, Gurney S
ORGANIZATION: Lyme Disease Research Project, Seatuck Foundation,
             Shelter Island, New York.
ABSTRACT:


Nymphal Ixodes scapularis Say deer ticks were collected at 22 parks
or other natural areas on Long Island, New York, to examine the
relationship between tick populations and geographic position,
size of area, presence of white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus
(Zimmerman), and numbers of human Lyme disease cases in adjacent
communities.  Nymphal ticks were 93% less abundant when deer were
absent and were also less common in smaller natural areas.
Geographic position on Long Island was not important.  Tick numbers
were significantly correlated with human Lyme disease incidence in
adjacent townships.  A second survey of larval ticks from five areas
where deer were absent and six where deer were present found larvae
present at four of the five sites without deer, but at only 2% of the
levels found where deer were present.  These results suggest that
populations of I. scapularis can occur and reproduce in the absence
of white-tailed deer, so that eradication of all deer would greatly
reduce, but not eliminate, all risk of Lyme disease.



=====*=====


V.    HOW TO SUBSCRIBE, CONTRIBUTE AND GET BACK ISSUES
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