Lyme and antibiotics

[Guest guest]

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This post is from multiple articles about Lyme and various antibiotics. I am posting it not because I have answers, but because I have many questions.

Kajay

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Which drugs do what exactly what when fighting Lyme.......

Evaluation of in-vitro antibiotic susceptibility of different morphological forms of Borrelia burgdorferi.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21753890

Sapi E, Kaur N, Anyanwu S, Luecke DF, Datar A, Patel S, Rossi M, Stricker RB.

Source - Lyme Disease Research Group, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of New Haven, New Haven, CT, USA;

Lyme

disease is a tick-borne illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Although antibiotic therapy is usually effective early in the disease, relapse may occur when administration of antibiotics is discontinued. Studies have suggested that resistance and recurrence of Lyme disease might be due to formation of different morphological forms of B. burgdorferi, namely round bodies (cysts) and biofilm-like colonies. Better understanding of the effect of antibiotics on all morphological forms of B. burgdorferi is therefore crucial to provide effective therapy for Lyme disease.

Three morphological forms of B. burgdorferi (spirochetes, round bodies, and biofilm-like colonies) were generated using novel culture methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of five antimicrobial agents (doxycycline, amoxicillin, tigecycline, metronidazole, and tinidazole) against spirochetal forms of B. burgdorferi were evaluated using the standard published microdilution technique. The susceptibility of spirochetal and round body forms to the

antibiotics was then tested using fluorescent microscopy (BacLightâ„¢ viability staining) and dark field microscopy (direct cell counting), and these results were compared with the microdilution technique. Qualitative and quantitative effects of the antibiotics against biofilm-like colonies were assessed using fluorescent microscopy and dark field microscopy, respectively.

Doxycycline

reduced spirochetal structures ∼90% but increased the number of round body forms about twofold. Amoxicillin reduced spirochetal forms by ∼85%-90% and round body forms by ∼68%, while treatment with metronidazole led to reduction of spirochetal structures by ∼90% and round body forms by ∼80%. Tigecycline and tinidazole treatment reduced

both spirochetal and round body forms by ∼80%-90%. When quantitative effects on biofilm-like colonies were evaluated, the five antibiotics reduced formation of these colonies by only 30%-55%. In terms of qualitative effects, only tinidazole reduced viable organisms by ∼90%.

Following treatment with the other antibiotics, viable organisms were detected in 70%-85% of the biofilm-like colonies.CONCLUSION

Antibiotics

have varying effects on the different morphological forms of B. burgdorferi. Persistence of viable organisms in round body forms and biofilm-like colonies may explain treatment failure and persistent symptoms following antibiotic therapy of Lyme disease.

PMID:21753890[PubMed]

PMCID: PMC3132871

Free PMC Article

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============================================================================================================[Kajay -- Another Lyme sufferer added the following to the report of the study]

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This ... study...is a

good first step to understanding, but you have to remember the conditions of the study: this research is all done in vitro. that means

in petrie dishes, or some equivalent lab equipment. This means that the drugs had free access to the bacteria, whatever the form.

in vivo- in living subjects- we know that lyme hides. This is one of the reasons it is so hard to treat.

1. If the bacteria goes within one of our cells, then it is putting the cell membrane in between itself and the drugs in the blood stream/extracellular spaces. The level of antibiotic in the blood is much higher that the level of antibiotic within a cell, therefore within

the cell the abx may not reach a level high enough to kill bacteria within the cell, even if the blood level is plenty high.

2. The Bb bacteria has a 12-24 hr generation, while most bacteria have generations in the minutes. Since the antibiotic must be present in killing levels at the time the cell is actively dividing, this adds another layer of difficulty- levels high enough to kill Bb within a cell

(means Very high levels in blood), held at that constant high level 24hrs a day to catch the reproduction cycle of the bacteria.

3. Bb is micro aerophilic- meaning it prefers low-oxygen environments. read: as far away from blood as it can get, read: also far away from blood-borne treatments. In order to kill the bacteria, the abx must be able to reach them.

There are many many other factors as well. So,

while this is a great first-step study, it is really important to see what is capable of killing the different forms of Bb- and very encouraging to me personally, as I must go back on Flagyl every time I need to think straight--this study still does not address the very real hurdles that a drug has to overcome to reach the Bb forms in a living environment.

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[Kajay:

My LLMD has prescribed Minocycline, which he says works intracellularly, that is, within the cells. Can anyone tell us more about this, such as whether this actually works?]

[Guest guest]

Thanks Kajay. My doc is changing up meds again.From: "Kajay109" <morjella@...>GeorgiaLyme , "bird mites@groupscom" <bird mites >Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2012 5:47:05 PMSubject: Lyme and antibiotics

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============================================================================================================

This post is from multiple articles about Lyme and various antibiotics. I am posting it not because I have answers, but because I have many questions.

Kajay

============================================================================================================

============================================================================================================

Which drugs do what exactly what when fighting Lyme.......

Evaluation of in-vitro antibiotic susceptibility of different morphological forms of Borrelia burgdorferi.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21753890

Sapi E, Kaur N, Anyanwu S, Luecke DF, Datar A, Patel S, Rossi M, Stricker RB.

Source - Lyme Disease Research Group, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of New Haven, New Haven, CT, USA;

Lyme

disease is a tick-borne illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Although antibiotic therapy is usually effective early in the disease, relapse may occur when administration of antibiotics is discontinued. Studies have suggested that resistance and recurrence of Lyme disease might be due to formation of different morphological forms of B. burgdorferi, namely round bodies (cysts) and biofilm-like colonies. Better understanding of the effect of antibiotics on all morphological forms of B. burgdorferi is therefore crucial to provide effective therapy for Lyme disease.

Three morphological forms of B. burgdorferi (spirochetes, round bodies, and biofilm-like colonies) were generated using novel culture methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of five antimicrobial agents (doxycycline, amoxicillin, tigecycline, metronidazole, and tinidazole) against spirochetal forms of B. burgdorferi were evaluated using the standard published microdilution technique. The susceptibility of spirochetal and round body forms to the

antibiotics was then tested using fluorescent microscopy (BacLightâ„¢ viability staining) and dark field microscopy (direct cell counting), and these results were compared with the microdilution technique. Qualitative and quantitative effects of the antibiotics against biofilm-like colonies were assessed using fluorescent microscopy and dark field microscopy, respectively.

Doxycycline

reduced spirochetal structures ∼90% but increased the number of round body forms about twofold. Amoxicillin reduced spirochetal forms by ∼85%-90% and round body forms by ∼68%, while treatment with metronidazole led to reduction of spirochetal structures by ∼90% and round body forms by ∼80%. Tigecycline and tinidazole treatment reduced

both spirochetal and round body forms by ∼80%-90%. When quantitative effects on biofilm-like colonies were evaluated, the five antibiotics reduced formation of these colonies by only 30%-55%. In terms of qualitative effects, only tinidazole reduced viable organisms by ∼90%.

Following treatment with the other antibiotics, viable organisms were detected in 70%-85% of the biofilm-like colonies.CONCLUSION

Antibiotics

have varying effects on the different morphological forms of B. burgdorferi. Persistence of viable organisms in round body forms and biofilm-like colonies may explain treatment failure and persistent symptoms following antibiotic therapy of Lyme disease.

PMID:21753890[PubMed]

PMCID: PMC3132871

Free PMC Article

============================================================================================================

============================================================================================================[Kajay -- Another Lyme sufferer added the following to the report of the study]

============================================================================================================

============================================================================================================

This ... study...is a

good first step to understanding, but you have to remember the conditions of the study: this research is all done in vitro. that means

in petrie dishes, or some equivalent lab equipment. This means that the drugs had free access to the bacteria, whatever the form.

in vivo- in living subjects- we know that lyme hides. This is one of the reasons it is so hard to treat.

1. If the bacteria goes within one of our cells, then it is putting the cell membrane in between itself and the drugs in the blood stream/extracellular spaces. The level of antibiotic in the blood is much higher that the level of antibiotic within a cell, therefore within

the cell the abx may not reach a level high enough to kill bacteria within the cell, even if the blood level is plenty high.

2. The Bb bacteria has a 12-24 hr generation, while most bacteria have generations in the minutes. Since the antibiotic must be present in killing levels at the time the cell is actively dividing, this adds another layer of difficulty- levels high enough to kill Bb within a cell

(means Very high levels in blood), held at that constant high level 24hrs a day to catch the reproduction cycle of the bacteria.

3. Bb is micro aerophilic- meaning it prefers low-oxygen environments. read: as far away from blood as it can get, read: also far away from blood-borne treatments. In order to kill the bacteria, the abx must be able to reach them.

There are many many other factors as well. So,

while this is a great first-step study, it is really important to see what is capable of killing the different forms of Bb- and very encouraging to me personally, as I must go back on Flagyl every time I need to think straight--this study still does not address the very real hurdles that a drug has to overcome to reach the Bb forms in a living environment.

============================================================================================================

============================================================================================================

[Kajay:

My LLMD has prescribed Minocycline, which he says works intracellularly, that is, within the cells. Can anyone tell us more about this, such as whether this actually works?]