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Is gene editing the answer to Lyme disease prevention?

For the last couple of years, MIT evolutionary biologist, Kevin Esvelt, has been in discussions with residents and health officials of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, about the release of transgenic mice to fight Lyme disease.

His research and ideas are part of a new Netflix docu-series, Unnatural Selection. CRISPR is the name of the technology, which allows us to cut and paste DNA into any living thing – plant, animal, human – to change, or arguably improve the DNA of the recipient. CRISPR could be the answer to congenital disease eradication. Alzheimer’s and Cystic Fibrosis could become diseases of the past. But at what cost? Truth is, we don’t know. What does CRISPR mean for Lyme disease prevention?

Is gene editing the answer to Lyme prevention?

Esvelt presents a strong case when it comes to the idea of using CRISPR technology to prevent Lyme disease. It all begins with the white-footed mouse, conveyor of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. When a tick feeds on the blood of white-footed mice, it contracts the bacteria. This bacteria is then transmitted to humans, who are bitten by an infected tick. About 50% of the residents of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket report having acute Lyme infection at least once in their lives. Currently, tick control is the only preventive measure we can take against Lyme disease.

white footed mouse

What will happen if we genetically edit the DNA of the white-footed mouse to prevent Lyme disease?

what will an engineered ecosystem look like? While all of this sounds like a wild science-fiction movie, it is real life. The idea is simpler than the science behind it, so I will explain the anticipated outcome of gene-edited mice. Esvelt says that they intend to edit the DNA of 2,000 mice, or less, and release them into the wild. The white-footed mouse already produces natural antibodies for the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Because of these antibodies, not all mice are infected with the Lyme-causing bacteria. The idea is to edit the DNA of white-footed mice, so they naturally produce higher levels of the natural bacteria-fighting antibodies. These transgenic mice will reproduce new generations, who naturally have higher antibodies against the bacteria. When they are bitten by ticks, they will have no Lyme bacteria to pass on to the tick – essentially breaking the cycle of the spread of Lyme disease. The problems is, we are unsure of what an engineered ecosystem will look like. That will not be known until highly-controlled field trials are carried out – long before they can be released into the human population of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Deer ticks are the main culprits in the spread of Lyme disease. Why not edit the DNA of deer?

For that matter, why not edit the DNA of ticks? The white-footed mouse is the prime candidate for gene editing to prevent Lyme for a couple of reasons. There is a massive population of deer on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. One deer can have up to 1,000 ticks feeding at once. Deer are not carriers of the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi. They cannot spread Lyme disease.

gene editing to prevent Lyme disease

Ticks are not viable candidates, because they have a two-year life cycle, and do not become reproductive quickly. Mice can begin reproducing at the age of 8 to 10 weeks, making them the only viable candidate for gene editing to stop the spread of Lyme. Will these proposed measures come to be?

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast — Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

We are likely a couple of years away from field trials and the eventual release of DNA-edited mice – if the proposal is approved by residents and health officials. Until then, it is important that you practice personal tick protection when you are away from home. As always, I recommend professional tick control around your home – all year long.

Lyme Disease in Children and Teens

With an estimated 300,000 newly reported cases of Lyme in the United States each year, 25% are children. Lyme remains so misunderstood and debated in the worldwide medical community, those numbers are believed to be even higher.

With much controversy surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, children are caught in the shuffle, often falling in the cracks. Some are outright denied Lyme testing by doctors, who proclaim it is unnecessary, because the disease doesn’t occur where they live. Imagine if this were your child.

children and teens with Lyme — There is much mystery surrounding Lyme disease in children and teens.

Facts about Lyme disease in children and teens:

There are an average of 205 reported cases of Lyme disease in children each day in the United States – 75,000 per year.
That’s more than all cases of pediatric cancer, epilepsy, type 1 diabetes, and Cystic Fibrosis diagnoses combined.

Children between ages 5 and 9 are at greatest risk for Lyme disease.
Kids are more active outdoors, and are closer to the ground. Boys are at greater risk than girls in this age group.

Children often do no present with the tell-tale bullseye rash.
Pediatric Lyme disease specialist, Dr. Charles Ray Jones, reports that less than 10% of his 15,000 pediatric Lyme disease cases actually had the bullseye rash.

Symptoms of Lyme disease in children are difficult to pin down.
There is no guideline for symptoms of Lyme disease in children, as they are sporadic, and can present in very different ways. Loss of focus, inability to sleep, fatigue, difficulty in school, behavioral changes, and joint pain are a few of the symptoms that kids might endure with Lyme.

Lyme disease in kids — Kids are more susceptible to neuropsychiatric Lyme symptoms.

It is suggested that children might be more susceptible to neurological symptoms of Lyme.
It is theorized that if children are bitten on the head and neck, that neurological Lyme can occur, since the bite is closer to the nervous system. Lyme infection can act as a trigger for neuropsychiatric disorders, which can cause OCD, Anorexia, nervous tics, and others.

Children and teens with Lyme suffer socially.
Illness and symptoms of Lyme, along with the stress they create for children and teens, will often lead to loss of friends. Depression is very common, and as many as 41% of children and teens with Lyme disease report having had suicidal thoughts.

Proper diagnoses require more than traditional Lyme disease testing for children.
Children are commonly mis-diagnosed, or not diagnosed at all because traditional testing methods can come back negative, even though Lyme is present. A Lyme specialist will order additional testing required for the proper diagnosis of Lyme disease in children.

As diagnosing and treating Lyme disease in children is an evolving science, it is incumbent on parents to advocate for their sick child to rule in or out Lyme. It is also important to protect our children from the threat of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses with professional tick control around our homes. The single best hope for our children is preventing Lyme disease in the first place.

Lyme disease: Rapid testing in 2020?

Lyme disease testing has long been a lengthy process. Thanks to researchers at Cornell University, that could be changing.

Anyone, who has ever undergone Lyme disease testing, knows the perils of getting a clear diagnosis. They are also familiar with how involved the process of testing for Lyme antibodies is. Researchers at Cornell’s McGovern Center are working to drastically shorten the process of diagnosing Lyme.

Scientists are hopeful the new Lyme detection testing will be available by late 2020

With more than 30,000 reported cases of Lyme disease each year, and an estimated ten times that amount un-reported, these new testing methods could mean faster treatment of Lyme, with fewer cases of chronic disease symptoms. The majority of Lyme cases are cured with a short course of doxycycline, but rapid detection is key.

chronic Lyme disease — *New testing method can reportedly detect whether an infection is new or old*

Not only is the new rapid Lyme detection testing able to detect new infections, it can also identify old infections, as Lyme antibodies can linger for decades. This means that those, who might never have been diagnosed with Lyme, but have suffered symptoms for years, could now get a diagnosis.

Current Lyme testing, even on patients with the disease-identifying bullseye rash, can take weeks

Lyme disease bullseye rash Lyme disease marker proteins are present in very low levels, and are difficult to detect. For this reason, multiple tests are required to achieve a clear diagnosis, even on patients, who already have symptoms. The new test is purported to identify those disease markers directly with one small blood sample. The rapid test targets a protein that provides an “active-protein fingerprint” left by Lyme-causing bacteria. The new test is said to be moving from the lab, and onto approvals, production, and finally doctors’ offices in 2020, thanks to a FuzeHub grant.

The prevalence of Lyme is in the northeastern United States

Most cases of Lyme disease happen right in our own backyards. The northeastern U.S. has the highest incidences of this nasty disease, with most infections occurring between the months of May and October. Central mass tick control is important for your family’s health, not just for Lyme, but other tick-borne illnesses like Babesiosis and Powassan virus. I implore you to use Permethrin and perform a tick check after a day spent hiking, at the park, or at the beach – for your whole family, even pets! I also recommend at-home tick protection.

Imagine if doctors in Central Mass denied Lyme disease treatment

For years, a debate has been in the forefront of the Australian medical community. Do they have ticks that cause Lyme disease? Are they continuing misdiagnose or refusing to diagnose and treat Lyme disease for those infected in Australia?

Many physicians and those in the medical community in Australia are still acting under the notion that residents cannot contract Lyme disease from domestic species of ticks. Those, who believe it impossible, believe that there are no domestic instances of Lyme disease – that anyone in Australia with Lyme or “Lyme-like” disease, contracted it from a tick bite received outside of Australia. If you ask me, these folks have blinders on, and their citizens are suffering for their beliefs. This story broke to worldwide attention in 2017.

“Perth-based doctor Hugh Derham diagnosed Ms Bool with Lyme disease after sending her blood tests to Australian…

Meanwhile, Rebecca Bool’s health continued to plummet.

Perth resident, Rebecca Bool, suffered a tick bite while vacationing in Kalbarri over the Christmas holiday in 2014. Even though this tick bite produced an immediate bullseye rash, soreness, and loss of bladder control, the doctors she sought medical attention from, dismissed her symptoms as a simple viral infection, and sent her on her way. Lyme was not a consideration.

Lyme disease bullseye rash — Rebecca Bool immediately presented a bullseye rash after her tick bite – doctors did not investigate

Ms. Bool was so sick and distraught after being dismissed as “not sick” or “mentally ill” that she attempted suicide three months after being bitten by a tick. I wish that Lyme disease didn’t exist in Central Mass, but I am glad that there are effective treatments and ongoing research for those infected!

In 2018, The Lyme Disease Association of Australia began a pilot Lyme study, much to the relief of patients like Rebecca Bool.

Thousands of undiagnosed Lyme disease sufferers in Australia are breathing a collective sigh of relief now that steps have been put into motion to begin properly diagnosing and treating Lyme. This effort will save lives, and give those, who have had little hope for their future, a more positive outlook.

Lyme disease study

Essential tick control in Central Mass

As Central Mass residents, we must all be mindful of effective tick control for our homes and families. Even though we have effective Lyme treatments, it’s much better to offer proper tick protection to our families that to treat this horrible disease. Prevention is key!

Lyme disease: scientific breakthrough lays groundwork for new Lyme treatment

Lyme disease treatment — *Treatment of persistent Lyme disease symptoms is a lifelong battle for some.*

There are 30,000 new reports of Lyme disease to the CDC each year in the United States, but that does not account for the annual estimated occurrences of Lyme. One CDC report estimates 329,000 Lyme disease diagnoses per year in a five-year span!

The higher incidence of Lyme is both due to higher tick populations, as well as improvements in diagnosis. But what happens after diagnosis? Do patients receive treatment, and go back to life as usual? Well, some do. Others, regrettably suffer from persistent Lyme disease symptoms, one of the most common is Lyme arthritis. Sufferers of Lyme arthritis endure a lifetime of joint inflammation and life-altering pain.

Lyme arthritis shows the presence of a particular cellular component of Lyme bacteria, called peptidoglycan.

Persistent Lyme arthritis is a lifelong battle for many, with life-altering pain. Some patients, who have tried all available medical treatments seek out holistic methods of pain relief, spending thousands of dollars out-of-pocket each year.

Thanks to Virginia Tech biochemist, Brandon Jutras, there is hope in treatment or even a cure for Lyme arthritis on the scientific horizon! Jutras has found that during the multiplication of Lyme-causing bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, it sheds a cellular component, peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan exists in synovial fluid of Lyme arthritis sufferers, causing inflammation.

“We can actually detect peptidoglycan in the synovial fluid of the affected, inflamed joints of patients that have all the symptoms of Lyme arthritis but no longer have an obvious, active infection,” Jutras said.
Medical Xpress

The next phase of treatment of Lyme arthritis will be to find ways to destroy or eliminate the body’s response to peptidoglycan that comes from Borrelia burgdorferi, effectively eliminating Lyme symptoms!

While these scientific breakthroughs are spreading hope throughout the population of those, who suffer with persistent Lyme disease, there is but one sure method of Central Mass Lyme disease protection, and that is by prevention.

Tick control methods are available, and should be a top priority for Central Mass residents, to prevent ticks from invading their yards and homes. A barrier spray will eliminate ticks on contact, and an additional comprehensive tick tube treatment will further prevent ticks by eliminating them when they take their first blood meal from mice. Call a professional tick control company to protect your home and family!

Climate change, the prevalence of Lyme, and nature’s ally in Lyme prevention.

I recently wrote about how opossums are an important part of tick prevention – nature’s not-so-cute ally in tick-borne illness avoidance. Opossums are more essential than ever before, but why?

tick population is spreading and ticks are living longer — *Engorged tick after a blood meal*

According to the CDC and Quest Diagnostics, tick prevalence has reached higher levels than ever, and they are attributing it to climate change. It is believed that higher temperatures are creating the “perfect storm” for the spread of tick populations. It is believed that ticks are living longer and spreading to areas in the United States, which they have previously not inhabited. If you ask me, opossums have their work cut out for them in Lyme prevention!

Where is Lyme disease most prevalent, and where is it notably increasing?

Tick-borne illnesses used to be concentrated mainly in the Northeast United States and upper Midwest. All 50 states and the District of Columbia now have reports of tick-borne disease. In 2017, Quest Diagnostics reports that 61% of Lyme cases were in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Though, notable increases were seen from 2015 to 2017 in Georgia, Arizona, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee, and Virginia.

prevalence of Lyme in the U.S. - Lyme prevention — *Lyme trends across the U.S.*

Nature’s little exterminator eliminates garden pests, worms, slugs, and disease spreading ticks – talk about natural Lyme prevention!

opossums are important for tick control and Lyme prevention in Central Mass — *Don’t harm opossums – let them do their job eliminating ticks from your property*.

I write about tick control and Lyme awareness, because it’s THAT IMPORTANT to Central Mass residents. Our state is among those with the most reported cases of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses. It is just as important that we spread the word of the importance of the opossum’s role in tick prevention.

Many of us see them as nasty rodent-like nuisances, but they are tick magnets! Ticks love to attach themselves to opossums, and opossums are big-time groomers. They can have up to 200 ticks on them at one time, attempting to attach for a blood meal. Opossums will effectively eat most of the ticks before they attach. Opossums prevent ticks in two ways. First, ticks are attracted to them, and try to infest them. Secondly, opossums devour the offending ticks. We need not attempt to eliminate opossums from our yards – shew them away if you see them, but do not harm them!

nature's tick protection — *Mother opossums carry their babies while foraging for food – tick exterminators in training!*

Plus, it could be argued that opossums are actually pretty adorable!

As always, I hope that you have considered the importance of tick control for your Central Mass home and family. There are EPA-registered and all-natural tick control methods available in our area, which will eliminate up to 95% of the tick population around your home for up to three weeks between treatments!

Tag: lyme disease