Re: Fw: [EuroLyme] New study

[Guest guest]

I know someone with a European strain of Lyme and it is supposed to

be much worse then we have here in the US. The article on the ABX

not working always was very good too. This is good info, thanks.

> Bacterium manipulates the human defence system

>

> The Borrelia bacterium is a master of disguise

> 20 May 2005

>

> http://www.aka.fi/index.asp?id=78fc92314f6a4ed0b1dd1a690165a6ce

>

> Borrelia bacteria are capable of masking themselves in the human

> body and deceiving the immune defence system. In this way they can

> hide in the human organism even for periods of years. In their

> recent studies Professor Seppo Meri and his team have managed to

> trace the evasive movements of the Borrelia bacterium in the body.

> Their work is part of the Microbes and Man research programme,

> jointly funded by the Academy of Finland and the Swedish

Foundation

> for Strategic Research.

>

>

> When they first enter the human organism, Borrelia bacteria do not

> always cause very intense inflammation. However, they proliferate

> unnoticed and later on the symptoms get worse. The immune system

is

> unable in this situation to respond because the bacterium actively

> prevents any defensive reactions.

>

>

> Professor Meri and his team have found that Borrelia bacteria,

which

> are carried by ticks and birds, are capable of absorbing the

protein

> that controls human inflammation (complement factor H). Normally,

> antibodies and the complement would kill off the bacteria, but

this

> ingenious kidnap operation allows the Borrelia bacteria to

disguise

> themselves and avoid being killed or devoured by inflammation

cells.

> Consequently, the bacteria can continue to proliferate in the body

> and even reach the brain. An advanced bacterium may lead to a

> serious condition known as neuroborreliosis, which among other

> things may cause chronic headache or facial nerve paralysis.

>

>

> One of the difficulties in diagnosing the symptoms caused by the

> Borrelia bacterium is that only half of all people who get a tick

> bite develop the tell-tale rash. Therefore, the bacterium often

gets

> to make its way into the body and eventually into the bloodstream

> through the skin. Some one in ten patients are unable to shake off

> their symptoms even if they receive proper antibiotic treatment.

>

>

> MICMAN is a three-year research programme in 2003-2005. The

> programme is a joint Finnish-Swedish venture funded by the Academy

> of Finland and the Swedish Strategic Research.

>

>

> For further information:

> - on the project: Professor Seppo Meri (University of

> Helsinki), tel. +358 50 581 2462, seppo.meri@h...

> - on the Microbes and Man Research Programme

> www.aka.fi/micman and Programme Director Soile Juuti tel. +358 40

> 565 1529, soile.juuti@k...

>

>

> Academy of Finland Communications

> Tiina Pohjois-Koivisto

> tel. + 358 9 7748 8327, +358 40 833 2978, tiina.pohjois-

> koivisto@a...