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Exciting research! Drug-tolerant persister cells susceptible to pulsing abx.

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Posted 7/10/2015 6:53 PM (GMT 0)
I know someone else published this abstract recently, but I couldn't find the post. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26014929. If you have connections with a University library you should be able to get the full text. It is worth reading!!! According to this research B. burgdorferi does not develop antibiotic resistance. Instead, while most B. burgdorferi spirochetes are killed during the first 5 days of abx therapy, a percentage form resistant persister cells when threatened by abx. These revert to active forms after abx are withdrawn. Allowing them to revert, then pulsing abx, then allowing to revert, then pulsing over multiple cycles can eliminate the spirochetes. Ceftin was most affective. This is in vitro research, but it makes sense that if you could get the timing right it could work in vivo. Obviously this doesn't deal with co-infections, but it is really good research, and fills me with hope.

The paper has much more information that is valuable. I highly recommend reading it.
Posted 7/10/2015 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
So maybe 5 days on, then some off...did it suggest how many days to bring them back out of hiding?
Posted 7/10/2015 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
My LLMD is trying this out with a group of his patients. I am one who agreed to try for a couple months. He has me 1 week on Omnicef and Azithromycin and 1 week off. On the off week I focus on treating Babesia. I'm only on my 3rd week so it's early. Fingers crossed!
Posted 7/10/2015 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
GreenBlue - if you treat for babesia on the week off - isn't part of the treatment a medication that also targets lyme? - like Mepron and Zithro?

Or is your Babesia treatment herbal?
Posted 7/10/2015 8:02 PM (GMT 0)
And is it not specific to the abx, ceftriaxone? How do you get signed up for a study?

And once again, I have outrage. Because this NIH, the AMA, the Northeastern (all of the same study, mind u), state PERSISTER cells, i.e. how can ANY of the establishments say there is no such thing as LD or chronic LD??

I had to look this up again so to add this re the university doing the study:
http://www.northeastern.edu/news/2015/06/researchers-discovery-may-explain-difficulty-in-treating-lyme-disease/

And the American Society for Microbiology:
http://aac.asm.org/content/early/2015/05/20/AAC.00864-15.abstract
Posted 7/10/2015 8:07 PM (GMT 0)
This reminded me of what my excellent LLMD said in regards to the 3 major areas to a full recovery from Lyme and co-infections. Persister organisms, biofims and unsuspected co-infections. Right now I'm pulsing abx, on a biofilm protocol and depending on symptoms will treat primarily based upon that and not blood work. This is how a good LLMD should be think being open to each patient and their unique situation.
Posted 7/10/2015 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
GreenBlue:

I'm also being treated to Lyme and Babesia. To compare approaches my doctor has me on Omnicef and Tindamax on a M,W,F pulsing schedule which will go after both organisms same time. Was taking Zithromax/Mepron for 3 months but after 2 months I reverted probably due to resistance. I'm also taking A-BAB for Babesia. My doctor who's treated hundreds of patients said he's had very good success with A-BAB so might be worth adding to your protocol.
Posted 7/10/2015 8:27 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I asked that too. He is basically experimenting with me for a few months (with my consent). He's trying other pulsing protocols with other patients then will take a look at everything in the next couple months to see what is successful and what is not. It could be true that my type of pulsing won't achieve anything and that it had to be more "pure". I think the reason why he wanted to try this with me is to see if there is a short cut - essentially eradicating 2 infections at the same time. The Omni/Zithro combo got rid of 95% of my arthritis, then I sort of plateaued. He tried 3 other combos but none did anything and my foot joint arthritis has come creeping back. He believes that whatever Borrelia strain I have, it is susceptible to Omni/Zithro. For Babesia, he has me on Malarone and Clindamycin - I take Malarone always and also pulse Clindamycin. The only caveat he gave me was that if I started feeling awesome on the Clindamycin, then to stay on it and skip the pulsing. So I don't know - the other combos of antibiotics didn't seem to touch whatever I have left so maybe the Clindy won't make the Lyme "hide". It's all so new and of course he kept reminding me that people are different than a Petri dish. In the end, I took the gamble. :)
Posted 7/10/2015 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Ricky- yes my LLMD uses ABab too. My symptoms have become fairly pronounced so he wanted to "hit it hard". I'm assuming after a few months he'll start in with the herbals. That seems to be his pattern. He is definitely hitting it - my hot flashes at night and my weird air hunger that makes me cough all day is ridiculous. My LLMD also mentioned some resistance to the Mepeon/Zithro combo which is why he put me on Malarone. It makes me nervous because my husband who is also being treated for Babesia by a different doc is also on the Mepron protocol and seems to be plateauing. I'll mention A-Bab to him.
Posted 7/10/2015 10:49 PM (GMT 0)
And this is why acute infections turn ugly months or years later... that 10 days of Doxycycline did what it could (possibly wiping out the bacteria), but after that amount of time anything that was left had changed form--abx no longer doing a thing.
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