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Volume: 6
Issue: 12
Date: 14-Dec-98


Table of Contents:

I.    LYMENET: Burrascano 12th edition of Guidelines Now Available
      on LymeNet
II.   NIH: Notice of Call for Nominations for the Director's Council
      of Public Representatives
III.  J INFECT DIS: Borreliacidal antibody production against outer
      surface protein C of Borrelia burgdorferi.
IV.   ACTA MED AUSTRIACA: Cardiac manifestations of Lyme borreliosis
      with special reference to contractile dysfunction.
V.    EPIDEMIOL INFECT: Transmission risk of Borrelia burgdorferi
      sensu lato from Ixodes ricinus ticks to humans in southwest
      Germany.
VI.   ABOUT THE LYMENET NEWSLETTER


Newsletter:

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                   Volume 6 / Number 12 / 14-DEC-98
                                INDEX


I.    LYMENET: Burrascano 12th edition of Guidelines Now Available
     on LymeNet
II.   NIH: Notice of Call for Nominations for the Director's Council
     of Public Representatives
III.  J INFECT DIS: Borreliacidal antibody production against outer
     surface protein C of Borrelia burgdorferi.
IV.   ACTA MED AUSTRIACA: Cardiac manifestations of Lyme borreliosis
     with special reference to contractile dysfunction.
V.    EPIDEMIOL INFECT: Transmission risk of Borrelia burgdorferi
     sensu lato from Ixodes ricinus ticks to humans in southwest
     Germany.
VI.   ABOUT THE LYMENET NEWSLETTER



=====*=====


I.    LYMENET: Burrascano 12th edition of Guidelines Now Available
     on LymeNet
------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: December 6, 1998


The 12th edition of Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano's protocol for the
diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and related tick borne
illnesses is now available on LymeNet. The web address for the
document is:


                  http://guidelines.LymeNet.org


=====*=====


II.   NIH: Notice of Call for Nominations for the Director's Council
     of Public Representatives
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: November 18, 1998


On September 23, 1998, the NIH Director chaired a meeting on public
participation in NIH activities (FR Doc. 98-24463 Filed 9-10-98;
8:45 a.m.). At the meeting, 23 individual public participants invited
by the NIH discussed future activities and responsibilities of the
proposed NIH Director's Council of Public Representatives (COPR),
which will serve as a forum for discussing issues and concerns and
exchanging viewpoints that are important to NIH policies, programs,
and research priorities. The individual participants at the meeting
also discussed the processes, mechanisms, and criteria that should be
used for identifying appropriate candidates to serve on the COPR.
A notice about the creation of the COPR was published in the Federal
Register on November 17, 1998 (FR Doc. 98-30695 Filed 11-16-98;
8:45 a.m.).


The COPR will help bring to NIH the concerns and interests of the
many external publics that have a stake in the agency's activities,
programs, policies, and research. In addition to serving as a forum,
the COPR will assist the NIH in enhancing the participation of the
public in myriad NIH activities that have an impact upon the public,
in increasing public understanding of the NIH and its programs, and
in bringing important matters of public interest forward for
discussion in public settings.


The COPR will consist of up to 20 individuals who have an interest in
the NIH's mission. The NIH will bring together these individuals from
diverse backgrounds approximately twice each year, enabling them to
interact directly with NIH leaders on a wide range of programs and
issues. In addition to these two meetings annually, the COPR may
suggest other activities, subject to approval by the Chair of the
COPR, the Director of the NIH. Members of the first COPR will serve
one, two, or three-year terms. In subsequent years, members will
serve three-year terms.


More information is available at:

     http://www.nih.gov/welcome/publicliaison/frnpublic.htm


=====*=====


III.  J INFECT DIS: Borreliacidal antibody production against outer
     surface protein C of Borrelia burgdorferi.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTHORS: Rousselle JC, Callister SM, Schell RF, Lovrich SD, Jobe DA
        Marks JA, Wieneke CA
ORGANIZATION: Department of Infectious Diseases, Gundersen Lutheran
             Medical Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 54601
REFERENCE: J Infect Dis 1998 Sep;178(3):733-41
ABSTRACT:


Early Lyme borreliosis sera with significant titers of anti-outer
surface protein C (OspC) borreliacidal antibodies were identified.
Human anti-OspC borreliacidal antibodies could be either IgM or IgG.
Significant concentrations of borreliacidal activity were detected
after vaccination of mice with OspC.  Detection of anti-OspC
borreliacidal activity was dependent on surface expression of OspC
by Borrelia burgdorferi isolate 50772. The ability of OspC to induce
borreliacidal antibodies in vivo and after vaccination offers another
possible explanation for the ability of vaccination with OspC to
protect against infection with B. burgdorferi. Furthermore, detection
of anti-OspC borreliacidal antibodies, especially IgM antibodies, in
early Lyme borreliosis sera provides additional evidence that
borreliacidal antibody detection may be useful for the serodiagnosis
of early Lyme borreliosis.



=====*=====


IV.   ACTA MED AUSTRIACA: Cardiac manifestations of Lyme borreliosis
     with special reference to contractile dysfunction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTHORS: Seinost G, Gasser R, Reisinger E, Rigler MY, Fischer L
        Keplinger A, Dattwyler RJ, Dunn JJ, Klein W
ORGANIZATION: Klinischen Abteilung fur Kardiologie, Medizinischen
             Universitatsklinik Graz, Osterreich.
             [email protected]
REFERENCE: Acta Med Austriaca 1998;25(2):44-50
ABSTRACT:


Borrelia burgdorferi infection (BBI) is suggested to be associated
with dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC). Stanek et al. were able to
cultivate Borrelia burgdorferi (BB) from myocardial biopsy tissue of
a patient with longstanding dilated cardiomyopathy. Here we present a
study in which we examined the effect of standard antibiotic
treatment on the left ventricular ejection fraction (LV-EF) in
patients with dilated cardiomyopathy associated with BBI. In this
study we assessed the serum (IgG, IgM ELISA; Western Blot) and the
history of 46 IDC-patients with specific respect spect to BBI (mean
LV-EF: 30.4 +/- 1.3%; measured by cardiac catheterisation and
echocardiography--length-area-volume method). All 46 patients received
standard treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy: ACE-inhibitors,
digitalis and diuretics. 11 (24%) patients showed positive serology
and a history of BBI; 9 of these also had a typical history of tick
bite and erythema chronicum migrans (ECM) and/or other organ
involvement, 2 had no recollection of tick bite or EMC, but showed

other BB-associated disorders (neuropathy, oligoarthritis). These 11
patients with BBI received standard antibiotic treatment with
intravenous ceftriaxone 2 g bid for 14 days. 6 (55%) recovered
completely and showed a normal LV-EF after 6 months, 3 (27%) improved
their LV-EF and 2 (18%) did not improve at all. This amounts to 9
(82%) recovery/improvement in the BB-group. The 35 patients who did
not show positive serology or a history of BBI did not receive
antibiotic treatment. In this group without BBI 12 (26%) showed
recovery/improvement following the standard treatment of dilated
cardiomyopathy (see above). Our results indicate that BBI could play
a decisive role in the development of dilated cardiomyopathy,
especially in a geographical region as Graz, where BB is endemic.
While aware of the small number of BB-patients in this study, we
nevertheless conclude that, in a remarkable number of patients with
signs of BBI, dilated cardiomyopathy could be reversed and LV-EF
improved upon standard antibiotic treatment.



=====*=====


V.    EPIDEMIOL INFECT: Transmission risk of Borrelia burgdorferi
     sensu lato from Ixodes ricinus ticks to humans in southwest
     Germany.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
AUTHORS: Maiwald M, Oehme R, March O, Petney TN, Kimmig P, Naser K
        Zappe HA, Hassler D, von Knebel Doeberitz M
ORGANIZATION: Hygiene-Institut der Universitat, Abt. Hygiene und Med.
             Mikrobiologie, Heidelberg, Germany.
             [email protected]
REFERENCE: Epidemiol Infect 1998 Aug;121(1):103-8
ABSTRACT:


The risk of Borrelia burgdorferi infection and the value of antibiotic
prophylaxis after tick bite are controversial. In this study,
performed in two areas of southwestern Germany, ticks were collected
from 730 patients and examined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
for B. burgdorferi. To assess whether transmission of B. burgdorferi
occurred, the patients were clinically and serologically examined
after tick removal and during follow-up examinations. Data from all
tick bites gave a total transmission rate of 2.6% (19 patients).
Eighty-four ticks (11.3%) were PCR positive. Transmission occurred to
16 (26.7%) of 60 patients who were initially seronegative and could
be followed up after the bite of an infected tick. These results
indicate that the transmission rate from infected ticks in Europe is
higher than previously assumed. Examination of ticks and antibiotic
prophylaxis in the case of positivity appears to be indicated.



=====*=====


VI.   ABOUT THE LYMENET NEWSLETTER
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