Bacterium manipulates the human defence system

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Bacterium manipulates the human defence system

The Borrelia bacterium is a master of disguise

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 Foundation for Strategic Research.

For further information:

- on the project: Professor Seppo Meri (University of Helsinki), tel.

+358 50 581 2462, seppo.meri@...

- on the Microbes and Man Research Programme www.aka.fi/micman and

Programme Director Soile Juuti tel. +358 40 565 1529,

soile.juuti@....

Academy of Finland Communications

Tiina Pohjois-Koivisto

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

Other releases

Print Last modified: 20.05.2005 13:32:07

--

Per Sjöholm

Stockholm, Sweden

[Guest guest]

Per:

Another intersting research project.

Since you are in a country with cuting edsge borrelia

research.. How is your case going?

Does the research influence the therapy Lyme infected people

get?... meaning is the testing for Lyme reliable.?

Thanks Barb

> http://www.aka.fi/index.asp?

id=C246FDBBF34447C2AB9264F51FADE214 & data=1,URL,http://www.aka.fi/modul

es/release/show_release.asp?

Id=BB5DD1244986402A89DFA498DD25AD8D & groupid=E82067DF32C049A8A2DF50940D

BAA893 & laytmp=akatemia2003-sisa_swe

>

> Bacterium manipulates the human defence system

> The Borrelia bacterium is a master of disguise

>

> 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 Foundation for 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...

>

> Other releases

> Print Last modified: 20.05.2005 13:32:07

>

> --

> Per Sjöholm

> Stockholm, Sweden

[Guest guest]

Barb Peck wrote:

> Per:

> Another intersting research project.

>

> Since you are in a country with cuting edsge borrelia

> research.. How is your case going?

I have zero help regarding treatment,

The maddening thing is to see kids that may be going down the same

road(incliding my son).

I see several family illness that looks like borelia and not treated properly.

Resulting joint pains, facial pains......

I think I may be in remission. If a stay within bounderies I feel quite good

except for the reaktions

and the head reaktions is awfull. Most reaktions are old friends or variations.

Time will tell.

At the moment there is not much I can do execept NOT to stress the body or give

it alot of rest.

> Does the research influence the therapy Lyme infected people

> get?... meaning is the testing for Lyme reliable.?

IMO no reliable borelia testing.

I did send to germany and they ID specialist refused to trust that finding.

In sweden they belive that burn-out due to stress is the main problem.

We don't even have a ME clinic it has been shutdown.

IMO ME(CFS) and chronic borelia is strongly related.

>

> Thanks Barb

--

Per Sjöholm

Stockholm, Sweden

[Guest guest]

Per:

Before I was connected to the internet (about 1995)I had to borrow

a Medical student's library card to enter the Medical Library of our

local teaching hospital and do any research on anything.

The Library was closed to the public.

And there was no way to get information, and prior to about the mid

1990's you couldn't even get your medical records (The Patient's bill

of Rights changed that in the 90s).

At least now, all the arguing we do aside.. we can connect with other

people with similar illnesses, in countries all over the world.. and

compare notes.

It's very interesting to read about the history of microbes,

infection, invention and discovery of antibiotics and

immunosuppressives.... In the USA, IMO, things just took a turn in

the wrong direction in the 1950s when cortocid steroids were

discovered... these were like a miracle- they took every symptom away

immediately, and made the person feel better.

Unfortunately (also my opinion) this resulted in just treating or

supressing the immune systems response to the presence of bacteria,

or bacteria's by products...so unlike the 3rd world countried where

acute infections kill - now we have chronic infections that kill

slowly and get dx as autoimmune disorders- and how do they treat

that? With more(novel) immunosuppressive...

it's a viscous circle going backwards.

I'm glad you are now in remission. I know you had a rough time of it.

How are your eyes.?

Barb

It was extremely time consuming. But I did that.

> > Per:

> > Another intersting research project.

> >

> > Since you are in a country with cuting edsge borrelia

> > research.. How is your case going?

> I have zero help regarding treatment,

> The maddening thing is to see kids that may be going down the same

road(incliding my son).

> I see several family illness that looks like borelia and not

treated properly.

> Resulting joint pains, facial pains......

>

> I think I may be in remission. If a stay within bounderies I feel

quite good except for the reaktions

> and the head reaktions is awfull. Most reaktions are old friends or

variations. Time will tell.

> At the moment there is not much I can do execept NOT to stress the

body or give it alot of rest.

>

> > Does the research influence the therapy Lyme infected people

> > get?... meaning is the testing for Lyme reliable.?

> IMO no reliable borelia testing.

> I did send to germany and they ID specialist refused to trust that

finding.

>

> In sweden they belive that burn-out due to stress is the main

problem.

> We don't even have a ME clinic it has been shutdown.

> IMO ME(CFS) and chronic borelia is strongly related.

> >

> > Thanks Barb

>

>

> --

> Per Sjöholm

> Stockholm, Sweden

[Guest guest]

Barb:

Barb Peck wrote:

> At least now, all the arguing we do aside.. we can connect with other

> people with similar illnesses, in countries all over the world.. and

> compare notes.

I believe that we are in the position to do some professional research here.

It may be a matter of organisation.

IN total I believe that every profession has people that is affected or have

family that is affected.

This means that it should be possible to get all kinds of resource, but not in

the same place/building.

Some of us may only be able to work 0-1-x% but in total number of hours this is

huge.

We have an advantage of knowing /feeling how things work out.

Even if the research is starting to grasp that it's a problem here, when will

the

clinical research find a way a path? S bergström is not clinical research, P

forsberg may be.

One problem i see in sweden is that even if you have a clear cut diagnose you

don't

get an appropiate care.

For a borelia, ME... you can forget to even enter the quelist. Many women is

sweden are NOT recognized as

sick, they are laze and not to be believed(ARGGGh). How can they ever get well ?

>

> It's very interesting to read about the history of microbes,

> infection, invention and discovery of antibiotics and

> immunosuppressives.... In the USA, IMO, things just took a turn in

> the wrong direction in the 1950s when cortocid steroids were

> discovered... these were like a miracle- they took every symptom away

> immediately, and made the person feel better.

> Unfortunately (also my opinion) this resulted in just treating or

> supressing the immune systems response to the presence of bacteria,

> or bacteria's by products...so unlike the 3rd world countried where

> acute infections kill - now we have chronic infections that kill

> slowly and get dx as autoimmune disorders- and how do they treat

> that? With more(novel) immunosuppressive...

> it's a viscous circle going backwards.

>

> I'm glad you are now in remission. I know you had a rough time of it.

I not there yet. but so far nothing has come close to the first 6 month(they

were awfull)

Gloria Gaynor song 'I will survive' is still in me head.

> How are your eyes.?

I'm taking the seriose, so far the tests they have mad is OK.

I'm waiting for the results from VEP,ERG and EOG.

The visit to neurophys made me be away for 6 hours(the test took 2,5 hours),

usaually I flip out after

30 min car trip. This time I brougth a mat and rested several times during 6

hours.

AND i made it OK.

> It was extremely time consuming. But I did that.

Thanks you and others are an inspritation fro me.

--

Per Sjöholm

Stockholm, Sweden