LD controversy a not a true controversy -- they *know*; Steere quotes

[Guest guest]

These quotes go to my point that the Lyme disease " controversy " is a false

controversy. It's a PR spin devised to hide the fact that they *know* and

have simply changed their story. They changed their story in order to do

vaccine trials. Normally we would call that " fraud " or " lying, " or any number

of things. But here they supply us with a word they like better, and which

deceives the public and practicing physicians about what is going on ---

i.e., " controversy. "

Lynn

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Steere, MD, testimony to Senate Committee on Labor, October 18, 1995:

" [M]uch is now known about appropriate antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease,

but some patients continue to have symptoms after treatment. This is

particularly troublesome since recent research has shown that the Lyme

disease spirochete may sometimes persist in the nervous system for many

years, as with the spirochete that causes syphilis. " (emphasis added)

----------------------------

J Clin Invest 1986 Oct;78(4):934-9 <A

HREF= " http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed & cmd=Display & dopt=p\

ubmed_pubmed & from_uid=3531237 " >Related Articles,</A> >Links</A>

Antigens of Borrelia burgdorferi recognized during Lyme disease. Appearance

of a new immunoglobulin M response and expansion of the immunoglobulin G

response late in the illness.

Craft JE, Fischer DK, Shimamoto GT, Steere AC.

Using immunoblots, we identified proteins of Borrelia burgdorferi bound by

IgM and IgG antibodies during Lyme disease. In 12 patients with early disease

alone, both the IgM and IgG responses were restricted primarily to a 41-kD

antigen. This limited response disappeared within several months. In

contrast, among six patients with prolonged illness, the IgM response to the

41-kD protein sometimes persisted for months to years, and late in the

illness during arthritis, a new IgM response sometimes developed to a 34-kD

component of the organism. The IgG response in these patients appeared in a

characteristic sequential pattern over months to years to as many as 11

spirochetal antigens. The appearance of a new IgM response and the expansion

of the IgG response late in the illness, and the lack of such responses in

patients with early disease alone, suggest that B. burgdorferi remains alive

throughout the illness.

PMID: 3531237 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

From full text: " These report here the appearance of a new IgM response and

the expansion of the IgG response late in the illness. These findings suggest

that the Lyme spirochete persists for long periods in the host and triggers

new immune responses during later attacks of arthritis. " (p.934)

" Some possible mechanisms may explain the late appearance of IgM or IgG

antibodies to spirochetal proteins, two of which, the 34- and 21-kD

polypetides, have been show to be part of the outer member of B. burgdorferi

[citations]. "

In tertiary syphilis, as in Lyme disease, specific IgM has been detected

after the development of specific IgG, although the responsible antigens have

not been identified in syphilis [citations]. Similarly, in certain chronic

parasitic infections, immunosuppression occurs in the illness [citation], and

specific IgM responses have been detected in the presence of specific IgG

[citation]. " (p.938)

" IMPLICATIONS REGARDING PATHOGENESIS. Among immune-mediated diseases, it is

of central importance whether a persistent infectious agent is necessary for

continued disease activity or whether such an agent triggers disease, which

is then followed by autoimmunity. Recent evidence -- the demonstration of

spirochetes by silver staining in the synovium of two of nine patients

[citation] and the response of approximately half of patients with arthritis

to parenteral penicillin therapy [citation] -- suggest that the Lyme

spirochete is alive in the joint during arthritis. Althoug the current study

did not implicate a particular spirochete antigen as important in the

pathogenesis of the arthritis, the appearance of a new IgM response and the

expansion of the IgG response late in the disease, and the lack of su h

response in patient with ECM alone further suggest that B. burgdorferi

remains alive throughout the illness. " (p. 938)

---------------------------

NOTE: THE ABSTRACT FOR THE STUDY BELOW FAILS TO MENTION THAT THESE 12

PATIENTS HAD BEEN TREATED WITH ANTIBIOTICS PRIOR TO SYNOVECTOMY. THIS

INFORMATION IS BURIED IN THE METHODS SECTION, THE ARTICLE DOES NOT STATE

WHAT ANTIBIOTIC THE PATIENTS WERE ADMINISTERED OR THE DURATION.

" All patients had received antibiotic therapy and nonsteroidal

antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) prior to arthroscopic synovectomy. " (p.488);

" Those with Lyme disease had received antibiotic therapy prior to

synovectomy. " (pp. 492-493)

Arthritis Rheum 1988 Apr;31(4):487-95 <A

HREF= " http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed & cmd=Display & dopt=p\

ubmed_pubmed & from_uid=3258751 " >Related Articles,</A> >Links</A>

Spirochetal antigens and lymphoid cell surface markers in Lyme synovitis.

Comparison with rheumatoid synovium and tonsillar lymphoid tissue.

Steere AC, Duray PH, Butcher EC.

Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New

Haven, Connecticut.

Using monoclonal antibodies to spirochetal antigenes and lymphoid cell

surface markers, we examined the synovial lesions of 12 patients with Lyme

disease, and compared them with rheumatoid synovium and tonsillar lymphoid

tissue. The synovial lesions of Lyme disease patients and rheumatoid

arthritis patients were similar and often consisted of the elements found in

normal organized lymphoid tissue. In both diseases, T cells, predominantly of

the helper/inducer subset, were distributed diffusely in subsynovial lining

areas, often with nodular aggregates of tightly intermixed T and B cells.

IgD-bearing B cells were scattered within the aggregates, and a few

follicular dendritic cells and activated germinal center B cells were

sometimes present. Outside the aggregates, many plasma cells, high

endothelial venules, scattered macrophages, and a few dendritic macrophages

were found. HLA-DR and DQ expression was intense throughout the lesions. In 6

of the 12 patients with Lyme arthritis, but in none of those with rheumatoid

arthritis, a few spirochetes and globular antigen deposits were seen in and

around blood vessels in areas of lymphocytic infiltration. Thus, in Lyme

arthritis, a small number of spirochetes are probably the antigenic stimulus

for chronic synovial inflammation.

PMID: 3258751 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

" In Lyme arthritis, a few spirochetes and globular antigen deposits were seen

in and around blood vessels in areas of lymphocytic infiltration. " (p.487)

" In general, these patients were young adult men or women who had had

arthritis for 1-2 years. " (p.488)

" Using monoclonal antibodies to the 31- or 34-kd polypeptides of B.

burgdorferi, a few spirochetes and globular antigen deposits were seen in and

around normal or injured blood bessles in areas of lymphocytic infiltration,

in 6 of the 12 patients . . . " (p.492)

" In addition, using the Dieterle silver stain, a few spirochetes were seen in

and around blood vessles in the specimens from 2 patients [citatoin]. These

findings implied that the Lyme spirochete may survive for years in affected

synovium and may be directly responsible fo the microvascular injury In the

present study, we confirmed these distinctive features of Lyme synovia.

Obliterative microvascular lesions at various stages of development were seen

in 5 of the 12 Lyme synovial specimens. In addition, using monoclonal

antibodies against the 41-kd flagellar antigen of the spirochete ([citation]

or the 31-kd outer membrane component [citation], a few B. burgdorferi were

seen in and around normal or injured blood bessels in areas of heavy

lymphocytic infiltration, in 6 of the 12 specimens. " (p. 494)

" It is likely that the numbers of organisms were reduced by previous

antibiotic therapy, and only whole organisms located completely within the

plane of the tissue section could be identified as spirochetes. Small

globular antigen deposits were sometimes seen near whole spirochetes. Perhaps

these were parts of organisms located in different planes or proteins from

partially degraded organisms. " (p. 494)

" The scarcity of organisms in the synovial lesions of Lyme arthritis is

reminiscent of the findings in lesions of tertirary syphilis or tuberculoid

leprosy. In these diseases, it is very difficult to detect organisms in the

lesions, but the small number present are able to persist and trigger a

florid, chroinc lymphoplasmacytic immune response. Similarly, the antigenc

stimulus in Lym earthritis would appear to be a small number of live

spirochetes, demonstrated here by monoclonal antibodies, which may persist in

the synovial lesion for years. " (p.494)