Lyme disease - USA clinical trials of Lyme disease vaccines, 2023

Yahoo news: A woman is trying out a 4-dose Lyme disease vaccine as we approach the worst summer for ticks yet

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/woman-try...yW4np-1duTlm1snyr6XL8aXu9CupxauXVpimZhpqDSlHU

 

Interesting - if they vaccinate and people still get "Lyme" then ---?

The EU spent about 5 million euros funding research to develop a PCR diagnostic test --- which yielded nothing --- suggesting there isn't a persistent pathogen [i.e. causing post treatment Lyme] and/or there's another pathogen [other than Borrelia burgdorferi]?

I'd like to see a GWAS study in Lyme/further larger GWAS studies in Lyme.

From - "Preprint The genetics of ME: a commentary on Hajdarevic et al. Chris P. Ponting1 and Simon J. McGrath2"
"Inevitably, the lack of a diagnostic test for ME introduces misdiagnosed individuals into ME cohorts. There is interesting evidence of this in the UK Biobank. A common genetic variant strongly associated with diagnosed Lyme disease (Strausz et al., 2022*) is also modestly associated with CFS in the UK Biobank cohort (p=2.4x10-3 ; Dönertaş et al., 2021). This could be explained by some UK Biobank participants with Lyme disease being diagnosed with CFS instead. Future studies will need to be inclusive – resulting in larger cohort sizes and greater statistical power – and also exclusive – removing from consideration any individual lacking core symptoms of ME, especially postexertional malaise."
*Strausz, S., Blacker, G., Galloway, S., Hansen, P., Jones, S.E., Sanders, E., Sinnott-Armstrong, N., FinnGen, Weissman, I.L., Daly, M., Aivelo, T., Caspi Tal, M., Ollila, H.M. 2022. Secretoglobin family 1D member 2 (SCGB1D2) protein inhibits growth of Borrelia burgdorferi and affects susceptibility to Lyme disease. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.05.27.493784
https://mecfsresearchreview.me/wp-c...nting-McGrath-2022-BBI-The-genetics-of-ME.pdf

 

Yes, what is the CDC doing? And the NIH?

Another OspA vaccine. It may not be a bad idea for someone considering taking a new vaccine to find out what happened with the first almost 25 years ago. Do the research as opposed to letting questionable sources do it for one.

 

The simpler take-away is a PCR is lacking as a diagnostic when a given pathogen flees blood.

Yeah, this would be a dangerous association regardless of the infection being researched. Genes don't cause Lyme disease; a spirochete does.

 

Precisely and some state that they have a ongoing infection --- the failure of the PCR test challenges that ---.

GWAS identifies genes which increase/decrease risk; in Lyme it seems there was one stand out gene SCGB1D2.
I was actually surprised by the identification of an immune related gene (SCGB1D2) i.e. support for the theory that Lyme is a result of this pathogen(s)

Interesting that it may support the theory that some ME is post infection and/or that Lyme/ME populations cannot be separated accurately. Interesting to see how strong the link between SCGB1D2 & ME, in DecodeME, will be.

Anyway, I found this interesting.

 

But it doesn't, much in the same way that saying we cannot find the spirochete in direct testing in most cases after the bull's-eye doesn't. PCR is a direct test, usually used in blood serology, and Bb flees blood first chance it gets.

I don't believe that for a nano-second. This appears to be just a derma-thing that may reduce the tick's likelihood of transmitting Bb, I'm not sure if that qualifies as immune-related.. The competing interest statement is curious, too.

BTW, I like PCR testing, especially in Lyme, it's just very much a hit or miss proposition. And you're right, this can get interesting on many levels.

 

Jonathan pointed out that in shingles the dormant virus reactivates --- so would your theory need (est) 1 million people in the EU (+ worldwide) to have Lyme and no cases of reactivation/detection?
EDIT - plus they'd need to test -ve, via PCR, after acute infection has passed.

Difficult to cheat GWAS --- so if something is found then it's of interest --- may be debate about what the gene does, how that relates to mechanism --- is it an artifact, assume tested by further/larger studies

 

I'm sorry, I'm not following you. What theory? Lyme is tissue-tropic. That's not a theory. PCR tests for agents - or their remnants' - DNA, hence it's a direct test of sorts. It's typically employed in serum draws, so the DNA needs to be in the blood. None of that is theory. It may be helpful if you explain your testing 1 million people - I'm not sure what you're asking.

If you read the abstract, it appears they are talking about some sort of mechanism that helps prevent the tick from transferring its pathogens in some cases. Maybe I'm misreading that. So while kind of cool, it does not change the equation that Lyme disease is caused by the Bb spirochete, and no gene of which we are aware causes any sort of patient predisposition to Lyme.

I think you may be trying too hard.This is a pathogen-based disease; no genetic contribution is needed to explain it. Bb causes Lyme - unless it's the Swiss Agent, and then we've gone down altogether other rabbit hole. The issues that swirl around Lyme are primarily a) diagnostic (PCR falls under this) and b) therapeutic.

 

I think any disease has genetic element. Simon McGrath posted a while back that a GWAS in migraine identified the (known) key/common pathway. If your theory were correct then the migraine GWAS wouldn't have found anything i.e. since genes are irrelevant to disease---?

I think we may indeed have different views.

I think this vaccination attempt may not be entirely unfounded & the Lyme GWAS seems to me to support a pathogen driver --- I'd like to see the elucidation of the mechanism but I don't think it will be a live/viable (hidden) pathogen.

EDIT - there's actually an interesting mechanism. I.e. in MS EBV infection causes some people to produce autoimmune antibodies to myelin. Something like that, in Lyme, would be really interesting. Immune related genes turn up in MS GWAS - so that type of mechanism would result in (immune) genes turning up in a [Lyme] GWAS - so sort of solvable via GWAS