Permethrin Susceptibility for Blacklegged Ticks on Shelter Island - Lyme Disease Association

Permethrin Susceptibility for
Blacklegged Ticks on Shelter
Island
In this recent study by Burtis
et al. published in the Journal
of    Medical     Entomology,
researchers            assessed
susceptibility      of   Ixodes
scapularis ticks to Permethrin
treatment on Shelter Island, NY
where 4-poster devices have been
implemented for deer topical
treatment from 2008 to 2019. The
4 -poster method has effectively
reduced questing tick densities, but authors question whether
the resulting selection pressure is strong enough for
resistance to emerge in tick populations .

The researchers compared susceptibility of I. scapularis ticks
from Shelter Island with I. scapularis ticks collected from
deer at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (CIES) in
Millbrook, NY where no 4-poster devices are in operation and
pesticides are not widely applied applied, as well as I.
scapularis larvae reared from a long-term laboratory-reared
colony maintained by CDC. .

Authors found that I. scapularis ticks collected from Shelter
Island and Cary Institute were less susceptible to permethrin
than the CDC colony reared ticks. They also found that ticks
from Shelter Island were significantly less susceptible than
those from Cary Institute, but noted difference in resistance
ratios was relatively small. Researchers also found that field
populations of I. scapularis ticks may be less susceptible to
Permethrin than the CDC laboratory colony, regardless of

selective pressure from 4-poster devices.

Authors suggest that Permethrin susceptibility of tick
populations should be monitored from other 4-poster control
areas regionally to support the development of guidelines for
managing pesticide resistance in the field.

Read full text article here.

Read more LDA prevention posts here.

Lenzilumab: Proven Effective
COVID Treatment
According to a Dartmouth-Hitchcock press release, Dartmouth-
Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) was one of 18 sites that
conducted patient trials with lenzilumab and found this drug
to be a safe, well-tolerated, and highly effective treatment
against COVID-19.

Lenzilumab works by preventing
and treating “cytokine storms,”
an immune hyper-response, which
is a life-threatening, systemic
inflammatory response in the
body triggered by the COVID-19
virus. Results of the trials
showed    that   patients   who
received lenzilumab and other treatments (including steroids
and/or remdesivir), had     greater relative likelihood of
survival (54%), without the intervention of a ventilator.

Humanigen, Inc., is the biopharmaceutical company that makes

lenzilumab. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is soon
expected to review lenzilumab for treatment of COVID-19.

Read full Dartmouth-Hitchcock News Release here.

Read more LDA Articles on COVID here.

Advantages   of   Multiplex
Immunoblot Assays for COVID
In this study, researchers found that
multiplex COVID-19 Immunoblot (IB)
assays offer many advantages for
evaluating antibody responses to
multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins in a
single sample in COVID-19 patients.

The authors found that IB assay results can be obtained in
less than 3 hours after serum or plasma collection using pre-
prepared IB membrane strips and require minimal washing and
reagent addition steps. The IB assays also maintain visible
signals that remain stable for several weeks and are easy to
interpret. The IB assay can also be adapted to detect
antibodies of other immunoglobulin classes, and in other
bodily fluids such as saliva and tears, which is important
because the mucosal IgA and blood IgG and IgM antibody
responses in COVID-19 can differ significantly. The COVID-19
IB assay is also easily expanded to include additional virus
antigens.

Results of the study confirmed other common observations in
COVID-19 in regard to IgM and IgG antibody levels being

variable with time after infection. Additional findings of
the study suggest that determining both IgG and IgM antibodies
early in an infection, before approximately 10 days from onset
of disease, and IgG antibodies later (at about 8 weeks after
infection), provide the best sensitivity for detecting
antibody responses in COVID-19 IBs.

The clinical sensitivity and specificity of the COVID-19 IB
assays meet the United States recommendations for laboratory
serological diagnostic tests however, authors noted may be
most useful for large seroepidemiological studies in specific
populations with a high prevalence of COVID-19.

Read the full text article here.

Read additional LDA posts on COVID here.

Surveillance of Babesiosis in
the US
New study summarizes human surveillance data
from 2011-2018 in the United States for
Babesia infections reported to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
through the National Notifiable Diseases
Surveillance System (NNDSS). Data shows an
increasing trend of reported Babesia cases (14,159 total)
during this time period, with white men in the middle and
elderly age groups most affected. Data also shows that the New
England and the Mid-Atlantic regions of the US reported
highest numbers of Babesia cases.

Access to full article can be found here.

Read more LDA articles on Babesia here.

New Test: Detecting Lyme With
“Footprints” of Bacteria
New study shows that detection
of Borrelia prophages, equated
as “footprints” of Borrelia,
can be used to identify the
bacteria due to the close
correlation between them and
the exact prophages found in
each Borrelia host. Evidence
presented in this study shows
that prophages can be released outside the bacterial cell
following stressors such as antibiotic use and are easier to
detect than the bacteria itself.

Testing for prophages rather than the bacteria in blood
samples, when bacteria may not be present or present in very
low numbers, yields a higher chance of detection. The study
further states that this test can be developed not only as a
diagnostic marker for accurate identification of Lyme disease,
but also to differentiate Lyme disease from related infections
and co–infections such as relapsing fever.

Read full article here.

Read more LDA articles on Lyme testing here.

Periodontitis Associated With
Severe COVID
Case study shows that periodontitis
was associated with COVID-19
complication including death, ICU
admission and need for assisted
ventilation. Findings also show COVID
patients with periodontitis to have
higher white blood cell counts, D-
dimer and C Reactive Protein levels, biomarkers that are
linked to worse disease outcome.

Read full case study here.

Read more LDA posts on COVID here.

Congressional                        Lyme      Caucus
2021
The Congressional Lyme Disease Caucus is a bi-partisan group
working together in the U.S. House of Representatives to take
action on Lyme & tick-borne diseases. Under the continued
leadership of Congressmen Chris Smith (NJ) and now with the
new 2021 co-chair, Henry Cuellar (TX), the Caucus will help
the Lyme Community by focusing on Lyme & TBD issues in
Congress.

Any interested Representative can contact the office of
Congressman Christopher Smith (NJ) for more details or to sign
onto the Caucus. Check the list to see if your Congress Member
has signed on.

                                   Lyme Disease Association’s
                                   President, Pat Smith, and
                                   Vice President, Richard
                                   Smith, met with House Lyme
                                   Caucus   Co-Chair Cong.
                                   Chris Smith,  to discuss
                                   actions to take in DC to
                                   help those with Lyme and to
                                   stop the spread of Lyme &
                                   TBD.

List of Current House Lyme Disease Caucus as of 6/16/21
Smith, Christopher H. (R-NJ-04), Co-chair
Cuellar, Henry. (D-TX-7), Co-chair
Cohen, Steve (D-TN-9)
Connolly, Gerald E. (D-VA-11)
Courtney, Joe (D-CT-2)
DeGette, Diana (D-CO-1)
Delgado, Antonio (D-NY-19)
Deutch, Ted (D-FL-22)
Fitzpatrick, Brian (R-PA)
Gottheimer, Josh (D-NJ-5)
Hartzler, Vicky (R-MO-04)
Higgins, Brian (D-NY-26)

Holmes Norton, Eleanor (D-DC)
Keating, William R. (D-MA-9)
Krishnamoorthi, Raja (D-IL-08)
Langevin, James R. (D- RI-02)
Lofgren, Zoe (D-CA-19)
Malinowski, Tom (D-NJ-7)
Maloney, Sean Patrick (D-NY-18)
McCaul, Michael (R-TX)
McGovern, James P. (D-MA-02)
Moulton, Seth (D-MA-06)
Peters, Scott (D-CA-52)
Pingree, Chellie (D-ME-01)
Pocan, Mark (D-WI-02)
Posey, Bill (R-FL-8)
Reed, Tom (R-NY)
Stefanik, Elise (R-NY-21)
Steil, Bryan (R-WI-01)
Thompson, Glenn (R-PA-15)
Tonko, Paul (D-NY-20)
Wexton, Jennifer (R-VA-10)
Wild, Susan (D-PA)
Wittman, Robert J. (R-VA-01)

More about the Caucus
The bipartisan Congressional Lyme Disease Caucus is dedicated
to educating Members of Congress and staff about Lyme and
other tick-borne diseases, as well as advancing initiatives
that are designed to help the estimated 476,000 Americans who
develop Lyme disease each year and all of those individuals
living with the disease long term.

The Caucus co-chairs have led annual appropriations requests
in support of Lyme disease research through the Labor-HHS
Appropriations Act and also the Defense Appropriations Act. In
2015, the Caucus secured for the first time ever, inclusion of
tick-borne diseases (TBD) into the Congressionally Directed

Medical Research Program,     (CDMRP).  $5 million from the
Department of Defense (DoD) budget was included through the
Defense Appropriations Act for Lyme disease research through
the   CDMRP.   Subsequently, the TBD CDMRP continued to be
funded each year at that level, and then $7 million was
secured for the program in 2020.

The Caucus helped advocates secure another major win for Lyme
disease. In December of 2016, the United States House of
Representatives passed, and former-President Obama signed, the
21st Century Cures Act. The Cures Act included language –
similar to a bill that Rep. Smith introduced previously –
which created the HHS Tick-Borne Disease Working Group
(TBDWG). Specifically, the TBDWG under the auspices of HHS, is
comprised of federal and non-federal members tasked with
reporting to Congress every two years for 6 years on
scientific advances, research questions, surveillance
activities and emerging strains in species of pathogenic
organisms. Patients, advocates and treating physicians sit at
the same table with government officials. In 2018, the WG sent
a report to Congress with recommendations on Lyme and other
tick-borne diseases. The 2020 Working Group report was
submitted early in 2021 with its recommendations.

See 2018 WG Report

See 2020 WG Report

Missouri Tick Study: Citizen
Tick Submissions Requested

Photo by J. Occi, PhD
                                   (cand.), Rutgers Univ.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and A.T. Still
University are partnering on a Missouri tick study. This two-
year research study is designed to better understand the
distribution and species of ticks as well as the pathogens
that they carry throughout Missouri. The study will run from
April 2021 through September 2022.

During that time, MDC and the University are asking for
citizens of Missouri to collect, save, and mail ticks that
they encounter to A.T. Still University. To learn more about
the research, submission directions, or to submit questions
online visit atsu.edu/ticks.

Read full MDC news release here.

For additional LDA articles on tick and tick-borne disease
studies/clinical trials visit here.

NOTE: The Lyme Disease Association, Inc.(LDA) thanks Lyme
Association of Greater Kansas City (LAGKC) for this
information. LAGKC is an affiliate partner of the LDA.

Lyme Treatment Ctr!/Aspirin &
COVID/Lyme     &   Long-Haul
COVID/TB Encephalitis/Babesia
Botanicals/Lyme           Vax
Study/Ivermectin/COVID
Treatment
Trial/Babesiosis/COVID      &
Pregnancy/Maternal-Fetal Lyme
Trans/DoD Research $/Lyme in
Horses/LDA & US Biologic

Patients Win! Columbia Gets
$16M to Establish Treatment
Center/Trials Network

Brian Fallon, MD

A new center at Columbia University will open this summer to
patients. The Cohen Center for Health & Recovery from Tick-
Borne Diseases has been established through a $16M grant from
the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation to Columbia. Brian
Fallon, MD, will be Center Director, Shannon Delaney, MD, co-
director. Patients at the Center will be invited to enroll in
clinical trials, brain imaging and neuropsychiatric studies.
Physicians will be invited to annually submit treatment study
ideas to the trials network for consideration.

Lyme Disease Association Pat Smith had this to say: “This is
the best possible news for patients who have been neglected
for decades by much of the medical community. Often unable to
get a timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment, many
patients have gone on to develop chronic Lyme disease, facing
debilitating manifestations, which have prevented them from
working or going to school and even causing death. Having a
Treatment Center, a Clinical Trials Network, and a Research
Center in one institution will certainly provide a three prong
attack on a disease causing 476,000 people annually to be
diagnosed and treated in the U.S.–Lyme disease–and allows for
other tick-borne diseases to be addressed at the same time. ”

Dr. Fallon is also Director of the Columbia Lyme & Tick-Borne
Diseases Research center, which was established in 2008 by the
Lyme Disease Association Inc. and Time for Lyme (now GLA).

Thanks to the Cohen Foundation!      Congratulations to Drs.

Fallon and Delaney!

Read Press Release on Columbia University Irving Medical
Center website