Today's letter to the TBDWG........
---------- Original Message ----------
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: tickbornedisease@hhs.gov
Cc: (99 Undisclosed recipients)
Date: September 19, 2019 at 8:43 PM
Subject: Discovery of the Lyme Disease Agent (Alan G. Barbour and Jorge L. Benach)
To the Tick-Borne Disease working Group,
Please see the letter below (and attachment) addressed to Jorge L. Benach, Ph.D. of Stony Brook University regarding his recent publication in American Society for Microbiology
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American Society for Microbiology
Published online September 17, 2019
Discovery of the Lyme Disease Agent
Alan G. Barbour, Jorge L. Benach
https://mbio.asm.org/content/10/5/e02166-19
Excerpt:
Our review of the results that are contained in correspondence between Willy and Allen Steere in 1980 (archived at https://uvu.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/Burgdorfer did not find evidence of a specific antibody response to a Rickettsia sp.,including the “Swiss agent,” in the course of Lyme disease infection.
Sept 19, 2019
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York 11794-5222
Attn: Jorge L. Benach, Ph.D.
Dear Prof Benach,
You were previously quoted in the following 2016 article:
LYMEPOLICYWONK: Is persistent Lyme disease caused by another organism identified by Dr. Willy Burgdorfer over 35 years ago? Why hasn’t anyone looked into it?
By Lorraine Johnson Oct 12, 2016
“The STAT article reports that both Jorge Benach and Allen Steere now say it is time to take a closer look at Rickettsia helvetica’s role in Lyme disease. Benach says the research “should be done” because public health concerns warrant a closer look.”
I have attached a copy of correspondence between Steere and Burgdorfer dating back to 1980 discussing serological results of sera tested for various Rickettsia and the Swiss Agent (cgP-09) and (TC P-17) were identified in a number of patients within this group.
Could you clarify your statement that “no evidence of a specific antibody response to a Rickettsia sp., including the “Swiss agent” was found?”
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I would like to call attention to the following case study from Stony Brook Lyme Clinic. I understand the patient received thirteen spinal taps, multiple courses of IV and oral meds, and relapsed after each one, proven by CSF antigens and/or PCR. The only way this patient (said to be a physician) remained in remission was to keep her on open ended clarithromycin- was on it for 22 months by the time of publication.
Seronegative Chronic Relapsing Neuroborreliosis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7796837
Lawrence C.a · Lipton R.B.b · Lowy F.D.c · Coyle P.K.d aDepartment of Medicine, bDepartment of Neurology, and cDivision of Infectious Diseases, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and dDepartment of Neurology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, NY., USA
Eur Neurol 1995; 35:113–117 (DOI:10.1159/000117104)
Abstract
We report an unusual patient with evidence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection who experienced repeated neurologic relapses despite aggressive antibiotic therapy. Each course of therapy was associated with a Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction. Although the patient never had detectable free antibodies to B. burgdorferi in serum or spinal fluid, the CSF was positive on multiple occasions for complexed anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies, B. burgdorferi nucleic acids and free antigen.
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Prof Benach, Why didn’t this case set off a red flag indicating that we are dealing with an antibiotic resistant/tolerant superbug?
A response to this inquiry is requested.
Respectfully Submitted,
Carl Tuttle
Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH