Drug treatment for Lyme disease could lead to its eradication
Kim Lewis’s team at Northeastern University in Boston has found that a compound called hygromycin A is completely harmless to animals and has little effect on most bacteria, but is extremely deadly to spirochaete bacteria such as B. burgdorferi.
In animal tests, the team didn’t observe any harmful effects of hygromycin no matter how high the dose. “It is unusually safe,” says Lewis.
A company called FlightPath is now filing in the US for the initial go-ahead required before the chemical can be tested in people.
Massachusetts Lyme Reporting
CDC: “Changes in state surveillance practices have decreased cases reported by Massachusetts in recent years; Lyme disease remains common in the state.”
In 2016 the MA Department of Public Health “stopped spending time and resources trying to track down the clinical information, instead relying solely on positive lab results to give a more accurate estimate of Lyme disease case numbers.”
Warren, Markey Request Update on CDC’s Efforts to Support State and Local Public Health Efforts to Control the Spread of EEE Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) wrote to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requesting an update on the agency’s efforts to prevent and control the spread of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The senators’ letter comes after Massachusetts officials confirmed the first in-state human case of the season last week. Text of Letter (PDF)
Tickproof Your Yard Without Spraying: 5 steps to keep the disease-transmitting pests at bay
“Spraying your yard provides a false sense of security,” explains Michael Hansen, Ph.D., senior scientist at Consumer Reports. “Instead, consider products that treat the fur of mice or deer with small quantities of tick-killing agents.”
Suspension of Shelter Island’s 4-poster program is likely
With the anticipated suspension of the 4-poster program, the committee is encouraging property owners not to spray insecticide, but use “tick tubes” deployed around their houses.
Tipping Point: The Resistance Is Gaining In The Lyme Wars
A tragic but crucial turning point in the Lyme debate occurred last October, when former U.S. Senator from North Carolina died of complications from tick-borne Powassan virus, a virulent disease that leaves half of victims with neurologic disabilities. Her death, at 66, led to Congressional passage of the Kay Hagan Tick Act, which allocates an unprecedented $150 million for a disease long starved for money.