One new development on the Lyme disease front: The attorney general of Connecticut had announced an "investigation" of the Infectious Diseases Society of America over its guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. The IDSA has been the focus of criticism by some Lyme disease patient advocates for not accepting the existence of "chronic Lyme disease", an unproven entity which results in some people with fatigue and other symptoms being given powerful antibiotics (sometimes intravenously) for years, by the sort of "Lyme literate" doctors sam md talks about. Despite this political pressure, the IDSA has refused to be buffaloed into changes its recommendations. "In rare cases, people who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease and properly treated have lingering symptoms, typically generalized pain, joint pain and fatigue. These symptoms have been interpreted by some to suggest the presence of chronic Borrelia burgdorferi infection. However, an extensive review of scientifically rigorous studies and papers available to date, has determined that there is no convincing biologic evidence to support a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease after completion of the recommended treatment. There is no doubt that patients with persistent symptoms are suffering, but many report non-specific symptoms that also are associated with a number of other medical conditions. To be certain they receive the proper medical care, people who continue to have symptoms that persist after appropriate antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease should talk to their physicians about whether the original diagnosis of Lyme disease was accurate or if they may have a different or new illness." People with symptoms ascribed to "chronic Lyme disease" will continue to be vulnerable to certain physicians, alt med practitioners and supplement hucksters seeking to exploit them. The IDSA has a good FAQ page on Lyme disease, its cause (a spirochetal organism, Borrelia burgdorferi) and treatment.

Another reason (also probably related to global warming): invasion by Japanese barberry! A good reason to rip out this invasive. A recent study by researchers at the CT Agricultural Experiment Station found that the number of ticks present in woodlands infested by Japanese barberry was hugely greater than the number in woodlands where barberry is not present. "In 2008, a sampling of areas with more barberry showed an average of 496 ticks infected with the bacterium that causes Lyme Disease, whereas areas without barberry showed an average of 89 ticks." This refers to results reported in a paper that will be published in an upcoming issue of Environmental Entomology. The theory is that the areas where barberry patches exist have higher humidity level than areas where they don't (no idea why that is but it's apparently a scientific fact). Higher humidity apparently improves tick survival rates. Here's the reference: Williams, S. C., J. S. Ward, T. E. Worthley, and K. C. Stafford, III. 2009. Managing Japanese Barberry (Ranunculales: Berberidaceae) Infestations Reduces Blacklegged Tick (Acari: Ixodidae) Abundance and Infection Prevalence with Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae). Environmental Entomology (In Press). Another study by Yale researchers determined that climate impacts the prevalence of Lyme Disease. Deer ticks live for two years and obtain one blood meal during each of their three stages of life. In the moderate climate of the northeastern United States, larval deer ticks feed in the late summer, long after the spring feeding of infected nymphs. This long gap between feeding times correlates to more cases of Lyme Disease reported in the Northeast. The Yale paper appears in the April issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Interesting stuff. A good argument (as if bigger, more potent poison ivy wasn't enough of one!) for doing something about global warming ASAP. Here is a link that might be useful: CT Ag Station Tick Testing Results for 2008

This is really timely for me for personal reasons. Not to belabor my personal medical problems, but the last month or so I've had strange pains in my right hand. They started out as seemingly nerve-related (coldness, itchiness and pain upon pressure in the finger-tips) and then moved to joint pain, with severe pain in the knuckle joints and loss of motion. It seemed to move from one finger to the next. The doctors have not ruled out carpal tunnel yet, but seem perplexed by the symptoms. Fast forward two weeks. I wake up feeling absolutely lousy, sleep for way longer than is normal for me, and have two bloodshot eyes. Figure it's allergies. Start to feel better, but my eyes are still wacky, so I went to the eye doctor thinking I had an infection. He took one look at my eyes (not an examination, mind you, just a quick look), sees the splint on my wrist and asks what's wrong, and says, "I think you have Lyme disease". What a surprise to me! I'm hoping it's not, since I still haven't seen any evidence of a tick on me. So after seeing two doctors, (a GP and an orthopedic hand specialist) my eye doctor, of all people, wrote a prescription for a Lyme test. Hopefully I'll know by the end of the week. I have a friend who is suffering greatly from this disease. The doctors think she may have contracted it when we were teenagers, meaning she may have had it for 25 years - perhaps before it was even widely known. I believe she was diagnosed about 10 or 15 years ago. It saddens me to see what she goes through. Thanks, everyone, and especially Claire, for all the info and research here, and the link. It's all very helpful and informative. :) Dee

Your sad situation really does hit a very raw nerve with me. I live in an area on the east coast where there are lots of white tailed deer, they carry the ticks that carry lyme. About five years ago I rescued a dog from West Virginia, where the situation is about the worst in the country for lyme. When I got the dog, she was completely skinny, she literally looked like a walking skeleton. She's a large dog, probably a cross between a Lab and Weimaraner. I couldn't figure out why if she was so thin and obviously hungry she wasn't eating any or all of her food. Then, two days after getting her, I petted her face and mouth area and she screamed in horrible pain. I rushed her to the vet, gave them the dogs history, and after an examination, they made the diagnosis of a brain tumor. Estimates about how to deal with it and when were in the works before I gave any type of authorization. I was completely horrified and didn't know what to do. I consulted a vet in WV, she told me to have a lyme disease test done. It came back positive, after meds, she was fine. I have vented before on this forum about this issue. I do realize that vets make mistakes, this is not the issue for me. It's that they sometimes refuse to listen to common sense, and expect the worst, and proceed with that thinking, which is probably going to cost big $. My current vet who I love and adore, always takes the "path of least resistance" which is completely my way of thinking. I'm on my 7th vet in 17 years (I think) and my feelings toward the profession would be completely different if they would have simply said that they were sorry for a mistake, that did cost me lots of money and frustration. One time I was so furious about a mis diagnosis that almost cost me my dogs life, I almost put my cell phone through a plate glass window. And I am considered a very calm person. I have also learned the hard way to question everything vet says and research every little speck of information I can find. This has saved me tons of time and money and my vet is on the same page with me on this one. The last time this issue came up, Meghan (bless this persons heart) pointed out that vets are not money planners, nor are they in business to become millionaires. With the amount of debt each vet incurs when studying not to mention start up costs for a practice, all of this is a huge issue. BUT, something in the profession has been lost, and a severe disconnect is in place between client and vet. I would like to know if there is a "code of conduct" for vets. If there is, it needs to be reviewed and revised. IF there is not, there needs to be one. We as pet owners are at the mercy, yes mercy, of vets when we have a sick pet. We simply do not know what is going on and the thing we want is to have our pet well again, or at least an honest diagnoses. We need pity from vets. Plain and simple. Honest pity. If we get this, the money will flow to the vet without question. Without it, the profession is in a dire situation. SG