Volume: 6 Table of Contents: I. LYMENET: LymeNet Bachmann Bash Fundraiser Set for October 3 II. LYMENET: Northern California Tick Borne Disease Conference October 9 III. LYMENET: Patient Describes Positive NIH Intramural Study Experience IV. J MED ENTOMOL: Participation of birds (Aves) in the emergence of Lyme disease in southern Maine. V. J WILDL DIS: Serologic survey for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in white-tailed deer in Ontario. VI. ABOUT THE LYMENET NEWSLETTER Newsletter: *********************************************************************** * The National Lyme Disease Network * * http://www.LymeNet.org/ * * LymeNet Newsletter * *********************************************************************** Volume 6 / Number 09 / 16-SEP-98 INDEX I. LYMENET: LymeNet Bachmann Bash Fundraiser Set for October 3 II. LYMENET: Northern California Tick Borne Disease Conference October 9 III. LYMENET: Patient Describes Positive NIH Intramural Study Experience IV. J MED ENTOMOL: Participation of birds (Aves) in the emergence of Lyme disease in southern Maine. V. J WILDL DIS: Serologic survey for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in white-tailed deer in Ontario. VI. ABOUT THE LYMENET NEWSLETTER =====*===== I. LYMENET: LymeNet Bachmann Bash Fundraiser Set for October 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sender: Angela Bachmann <[email protected]> Fundraiser for the LYME DISEASE NETWORK of New Jersey "3rd Annual Bachmann Bash" The Third Annual Bachmann Bash for the Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey will take place on Saturday, October, 3, 1998, at St. Michael's Church Hall in Paterson, New Jersey. The party will begin at 6:45PM. The non-profit Lyme Disease Network, which operates on individual donations, is responsible for the LymeNet series of services available on the Internet since 1994. It is very important that we support them so they'll be able to continue educating the public about the prevention and treatment of Lyme. Our daughter, Lori, has Chronic Lyme Disease and, in this manner, we became acquainted with the LDN and the wonderful work they do. We find that the LDN is a great source of comfort especially to the newly afflicted, misdiagnosed, and, sometimes, misguided patients who have a lot of unanswered questions. We hope you can join us this year at the 3nd Annual Bachmann Bash where there will be music, dancing, delicious Italian food, raffles and so much more! Please try to attend. PLEASE SEND A DONATION IF YOU'RE UNABLE TO BE WITH US THIS YEAR! Our best to you, Angela and Lou Bachmann ______________________________________________________________________ RSVP by 9/20/98 Return this section with your check made payable to: Angela Bachmann 16 Willow CT, Totowa, NJ 07512 Ticket:$20 per person -----(Tickets *NOT* sold at door) If not attending, donations gratefully accepted Name__________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________ # People Attending______________________________________ Enclosed $_____________________________________________ DONATION AMT. $_________________________________________ Please contact me at my email address if directions are needed or if you have any further questions. My email address is [email protected] For more information and directions, please visit: http://members.tripod.com/~Angela_Bachmann/index-3.html =====*===== II. LYMENET: Northern California Tick Borne Disease Conference October 9 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sender: Rene Landis <[email protected]> TICK BORNE DISEASES CONFERENCE October 9, 1998 Chico, CA 2:30 - 5:15 Esplanade Conference Center Health Care Professionals only $25 Application Fee 2.5 Credits for Continuing Education Applications can be requested by emailing [email protected] with name and address. This conference is offered by the Lyme Disease Resource Center to update physicians and other professionals on tick-borne diseases in the U.S. and present conditions in the West. James Katzel. MD-Moderator Robert Lane, PhD-Ecology of Lyme Disease Spirochetes Walter Prehn, MD-A California Practitioner Nick Harris, PhD-Role of Laboratory Testing in Lyme Disease Joseph Burrascano, MD-The New Lyme Disease William Fife, PhD-Experimental HBO Treatment for Lyme Disease Since space is limited to healthcare professionals only, we are providing a Public Forum for the community in the evening from 7 to 9 PM at the Conference Center. =====*===== III. LYMENET: Patient Describes Positive NIH Intramural Study Experience -------------------------------------------------------------- Sender: Lindell Lee McElfresh <[email protected]> Regarding the National Institutes of Health Lyme Study # 96-I-0052 For five days, beginning August 23rd, I could be found at the NIH campus in Bethesda MD. You would have found me in a better state of mind than had been possible in a long while. Applying to take part in this study is the best thing I have done since the tick bit me. Here are my impressions of the experience. The support staff: Starting with the help I got over the phone while a applying, the shuttle driver that collected me at the airport, the ladies that registered me, the patient representative, the social worker, the food service people, the librarian, the escorts that got me where I needed to be, right through to the travel agent who arranged my trip home, I was treated with politeness at worst and cheerful helpfulness more times than not. This was a far cry from the bureaucratic malaise I was prepared to find at such a large institution. The food, selection and quality, was surprisingly good as well. The doctors and technicians: All the doctors and technicians who looked after, tested, poked, prodded, x-rayed, and scanned me were wonderful. Not once was I confronted with indifference much less arrogance. The nursing staff: Each nurse was kind, friendly and caring. When a shift changed and I was disappointed at not seeing the nurse who had been so nice yesterday, it wasn't long before the new nurse would win me over with a smile and some care and attention. It seems as if a helpful attitude and friendly disposition are required to get and keep a job at this clinic. The Principle Investigator: Dr. Adriana R. Marquees At this point it becomes difficult for me to express my feelings for Dr. Marquees and her associate Dr. Norberto E. Soto. To begin with they took great care and attention with my physical examination. During my stay they spent a good deal of time explaining all aspects of the protocol, it's tests, examinations and procedures. Both doctors listened attentively to what I had to say about my experience with lyme disease. They took the time to answer all my questions about the study and the many aspects of Lyme disease that concern me. The compassion that they showed with regard to the emotional dilemmas that the disease presents me has resulted in my seeking help in addressing this difficult issue. I know that my Lyme world is a much better place with these two in it. When I told some people in the Lyme community that I wanted to tell this positive story and to encourage others to take part in this study, they wanted to know, "how did I benefit from the study?" The first thing I got out of it was hope. Without insurance and unable to work, there seemed to be no way possible for me to get adequate testing for lyme disease. Not to mention co-infection or any of the myriad of afflictions that Lyme disease mimics. Participation in the study has provided me with a full work up of my disease. I was advised as to the status of all my test results while at the clinic and Dr. Marques or Dr. Soto sat and explained what the results meant to me. As some of the tests involve some slow growing cultures, it will be two to three weeks before I know my final status within the protocol. If I qualify for reevaluation, I would certainly look forward to tracking my progress with the disease by going back to Bethesda as is necessary. Just knowing that people like Dr. Marques and Dr. Soto are working at solving some of the great mysteries surrounding Lyme disease has bought me some piece of mind. Having actually been able to sit and talk with them has given me knowledge and confidence as well as hope that I can get through this disease. This has not always been the case. I might also be able to take some small satisfaction in knowing that my participation in the study might help just a little bit in the war against Lyme disease. To learn more about this study, visit: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/recruit/lyme.htm or write to: NIAID Chronic Lyme Disease Study Building 10 Room 11n228 10 Center Drive MSC 1888 Bethesda, MD 20892-1888 or fax: 301-496-7383 For an application to the study call:1 800 772 5464 Ext.605 Please contact me if you have any questions: [email protected] The study that Dr. Marques is conducting does not make use of placebos. Thanks for your time and consideration. Please help if you can. No protocol is ideal, but these people are working really hard to help solve some of the mysteries surrounding lyme disease =====*===== IV. J MED ENTOMOL: Participation of birds (Aves) in the emergence of Lyme disease in southern Maine. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHORS: Rand PW, Lacombe EH, Smith RP Jr, Ficker J ORGANIZATION: Maine Medical Center Research Institute, South Portland REFERENCE: J Med Entomol 1998 May;35(3):270-6 ABSTRACT: The contribution of migratory and resident birds to the introduction of Lyme disease will vary with the degree to which various species expose themselves to, and are infested by, juvenile vector ticks, and their ability to support and transmit the infectious agent. To examine the relative contribution of various passerine species during the emergence of this disease, we compared the abundance and infection rates of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, removed from mist-netted birds with those from live-trapped mice at a coastal study site in southern Maine, collected during an 8-yr period in which the range of this tick and the incidence of Lyme disease increased in the state. Weekly bird-banding sessions using six 12-m Japanese mist nets were carried out from May through August 1989-1996. In 1989, 1991 and 1993, mice were live-trapped in a Sherman trap grid (7 by 7m) during five 3-night sessions, June through August; in 1994-1996, 2 such grids were similarly trapped. Annual adult tick abundance was estimated by flagging vegetation. We removed 2,633 juvenile deer ticks from 1,713 of 1,972 birds examined. Twenty-five of 64 bird species were infested. The percentages of birds infested and the rate of infection among removed larvae and nymphs increased over the years, but species varied markedly in their ability to infect ticks. No infected larvae were removed from catbirds or towhees. The larval to nymphal ratio was higher in mice than in birds. Infection rates among bird-derived larvae were less than among mice-derived larvae, but increased with time. Because of the different ways in which individual species of passerine birds contribute to the availability of vector ticks and respond to the agent of Lyme disease in emerging areas, further research into host competency and borreliacidal mechanisms is needed. =====*===== V. J WILDL DIS: Serologic survey for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in white-tailed deer in Ontario. -------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHORS: Gallivan GJ, Barker IK, Artsob H, Magnarelli LA, Robinson JT Voigt DR ORGANIZATION: Department of Pathology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada. REFERENCE: J Wildl Dis 1998 Apr;34(2):411-4 ABSTRACT: Serum samples collected from 623 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in southern Ontario (Canada) from 1985 to 1989 were tested for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi using an indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) staining method. Samples from 150 of the deer were also tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). At IFA titers of 1:64 and 1:128 deer with antibodies to B. burgdorferi appeared to be widespread throughout southern Ontario, with an apparent prevalence ranging from 3 to 47%. At IFA titres > or = 1:256 and ELISA titres > or = 1:160 deer with antibodies to B. burgdorferi were only present on Long Point which is the only known endemic focus of Ixodes scapularis, the primary vector for B. burgdorferi, in southern Ontario. At these titres the apparent prevalence of antibodies to B. burgdorferi on Long Point was only 5 to 7%, even though the mean intensity of infestation of adult I. scapularis on deer was > 180, and 60% of the adult ticks are infected with B. burgdorferi. Based on these results, white-tailed deer do not appear to be a good sentinel species for the distribution of B. burgdorferi. =====*===== VI. 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