Steere and NIH: A real life tragedy
joebur
ALan Steere should not be honored in anyway with respect to Lyme
disease. For years, he persisted with the ludicrous idea that Lyme
disease was caused by
a virus.... Even when Willy Burgdorfer proved beyond any shadow of doubt
that
it was caused by a bacterium, Steere maintained his laughable position
that Lyme was caused by a virus..
Of course he finally gave in, only because he was losing his
following...
Lyme disease is an infectious disease.... Steere knows little
about infectious diseases
and his research papers are proof of that.
It's a real tragedy what is going on with Lyme disease. We have
people like
Steere, who have no concept of infectious diseases working with a group
of representatives
at the NIH and CDC who are about as wise and intelligent as the
character who plays
the boss in the comic strip "Dilbert".
A ship of fools............ josh
Jonathan R. Strong
I didn't know about Steere's early theories on this. I'm aware
of his current perspective on a "qualitative level", but couldn't
quote any specifics if pressed in a debate. Between all the
folks on this NG who *are* knowledgeable about his various
blunders and foilbles as well as his published views that
contradict published research, it would be nice if we could
do more than just protest within the newsgroup. A formal
protest letter to the NIH, documenting specifics that can
be verified by others, would be far more powerful.
If such a letter could be crafted by a couple of the folks
here who can provide objectively verifiable specifics about
him, I would propose the following:
-- the letter be prepared and made available to anyone on
the NG and in any of the lyme disease support groups
-- interested people (us) would download the letter, fine
tune it if desired for our personal tastes, and send it off
to:
-- the NIH
-- our representatives in Congress and the Senate
-- editors & feature writers for newspapers, magazines
and television "news magazines"
(also make sure the copy to the NIH shows the CC's
to the other places so they take the letter seriously)
Seems that there's a wealth of information that's increasingly
damning of the practices of the "conservative" side of the
lyme disease debate. But this only makes a difference if
people hear about it. The people who would refuse us
proper diagnosis and treatment will continue to get away
with it as long as they have an incentive and there's no
penalty.
Anyone here have enough specifics to start a first draft
of such a letter? I know that I will sign a copy and I have
no doubt that I can easily find about a dozen destinations
to send it to the will raise some important eyebrows.
- Jon
BLJST
tell you first hand what a slime he really is. I became so... symptomatic
after 2nd booster I ran to tell Dr.. He looked me over and said(without ANY
testing) that I didn't have Lyme. I had to get tested on my own. With a
positive test result in my hands(via an infectious disease Dr.) and all but 1
symptom straight from the book, I was still told by steere I did not have Lyme.
I then HAD to go outside of the study to be treated cuz I was so... sick,
therefore I was no longer considered part of the study, even tho' I had
received all 3 shots! I would love to know how many L.D. study victims were
treated the exact same way! Sure does make you look at how crooked the
supposed results are.BLJST
Rita Stanley
joebur wrote in message <3812663F...@jersey.net>...
>
> ALan Steere should not be honored in anyway with respect to Lyme
>disease
Then please go and protest this IN PERSON at the NIH (details should be
forthcoming).
We know this, but the rest of the world does not. Let the world know who
should be honored and that doctors are being persecuted because they choose
to disagree with Steere.
It is not that there is disagreement in diagnosis and treatment; it is that
those who chose to disagree with the power positions place themselves at
risk. And the patients are trampled in the whole mess.
Until doctors are allowed to treat Lyme disease without fear that they will
lose their licenses or be harrassed, progress on this disease will be kept
to a snail's pace and patient tragedies will continue to mount.
Rita
Rita Stanley
Jonathan R. Strong wrote in message
<6gGQ3.13773$2T2....@news.rdc1.nj.home.com>...
>. A formal
>protest letter to the NIH, documenting specifics that can
>be verified by others, would be far more powerful.
Make up the letter and deliver it in person.
Letters are shuffled and lost. I have done them and as petitions. They are
easily ignored.
In person with the media in attendance may make an impression.
Rita
Rita Stanley
BLJST wrote in message <19991024123357...@ng-co1.aol.com>...
>Hey Josh, I couldn't agree more! Being a victim of his L.D. vac. study I
can
>tell you first hand what a slime he really is.
I do believe that those in attendance would like to know your story. You can
show and tell why you believe that he should not be honored.
Rita
Sloop...@webtv.net
on gang. Its only for the day, we can do this....lets go....some of us
are already planning on attending. Bring a lymie friend or family
member, or hey, a healthy friend or healthy family member for that
matter (we allow non-lymies as long as they don't tell us we loooook
gooooood......) :-)
Anybody interested post here or e-mail me in private if you're afraid
the steere thought-police are lookin' for ya!
Debi
LymeFightr
This is a day trip for many in the surrounding east coast area....come
on gang. Its only for the day, we can do this....lets go....some of us are
already planning on attending. Bring a lymie friend or family
Rita made a great point ... bring children.
People need to see what is happening to the children. You know the ones that
are
malingers and are just trying to collect
workmen's comp payments!
If children are to sick to travel try to
bring other kids to *speak for* the little
ones.
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/lyme-links.html
http://www.jersey.net/~joebur/emblaze.htm
http://www.lyme.org ~ http://www.lymenet.org
http://www.lymealliance.org ~ http://www.Lymetruth.org/
http://www.imom.org/associates.htm
Carl Brenner
> ALan Steere should not be honored in anyway with respect to Lyme
> disease. For years, he persisted with the ludicrous idea that Lyme
> disease was caused by
> a virus.... Even when Willy Burgdorfer proved beyond any shadow of doubt
> that
> it was caused by a bacterium, Steere maintained his laughable position
> that Lyme was caused by a virus..
>
> Of course he finally gave in, only because he was losing his
> following...
This isn't even close to the truth. Yes, Steere did initially posit that
Lyme disease was caused by a virus, but to say that he persisted in this
belief after Burgdorfer's discovery is absurd. In fact, by the time that
Burgdorfer made his discovery, Steere had already published a controlled
study showing that antibiotics were effective in the treatment of erythema
migrans, which shows that he at least was entertaining the idea that a
bacterium was involved.
One can argue, as several have, that Steere was a little late to
acknowledge the effectiveness of antibiotics, given that by 1976 there
were already a number of European papers that asserted that abx were
useful in the treatment of EM. But in all fairness, none of those studies
were controlled, so it was not entirely unreasonable for him to reserve
judgment on the issue. To Steere's credit, at least he did the work that
disproved his hypothesis and acknowledged that he was wrong when the
results came in.
Furthermore, it wasn't Willy who "proved beyond any shadow of doubt that
it was caused by a bacterium," and Willy himself acknowledges this.
Certainly he made the hugely important first step, but to fulfill Koch's
postulates and actually prove causality, it was necessary to isolate the
suspected agent from a patient. This was eventually accomplished more or
less concurrently by two groups, one at Stony Brook and one at Yale. The
latter one was Steere's group. So it's hardly fair to say he resisted
Burgdorfer's discovery when he was in fact one of the people who took it
to the next level.
I'm no apologist for Allen Steere -- I'm certainly on record as taking
issue with aspects of his paradigm for Lyme disease -- but if you're going
to be critical of him, I do think you have a responsibility to be factual.
Carl
Kathleen
>
> Josh / all -
>
> I didn't know about Steere's early theories on this. I'm aware
> of his current perspective on a "qualitative level", but couldn't
> quote any specifics if pressed in a debate. Between all the
> folks on this NG who *are* knowledgeable about his various
> blunders and foilbles as well as his published views that
> contradict published research, it would be nice if we could
> protest letter to the NIH, documenting specifics that can
> be verified by others, would be far more powerful.
>
Hope this helps.
K
Director of the NIH :
CDC Division of Vector Borne Diseases:
New York Senator Moynihan:
New York Senator Schumer
Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities
CT Senator Dodd
New Jersey Senator Lautenberg
Senator Torricelli, New Jersey
Rhode Island Senator Chafee
Rhode Island Senator Reed
Massachusetts Senators
President, Tufts
Vice President, Tufts
Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala Ph D,
(Executive Staff Analyst to the Secretary, Jolinda Gaither)
Office for Civil Rights, Dept of Health and Human Services,
Director, Thomas E. Perez
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Dept HHS,
Director, Andrew D. Hyman
National Center for Infectious Disease, CDC,
Director, James M. Hughes MD, MPH
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
Deputy Director, Janet L. Collins Ph D, Director, James S. Marks MD
Governor of Massachusetts
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of
Health & Human Services
CT Governor Roland
CT Lt. Governor Jodi Rell
NY Governor Pataki
RI Atty General
RI Governor Almond
CT Senator Lieberman
exec...@od.nih.gov,dv...@cdc.gov,kathleen...@dpm.senate.gov,Sen...@dpm.senate.gov,sen...@schumer.senate.gov,infor...@oapwd.state.ny.us,sen...@dodd.senate.gov,frank_lautenberg.senate.gov,senator_t...@torricelli.senate.gov,web_...@chafee.senate.gov,ja...@reed.senate.gov,john_...@kerry.senate.gov,sen...@kennedy.senate.gov,ahu...@opal.tufts.edu,str...@opal.tufts.edu,jgai...@os.dhhs.gov,tpe...@os.dhhs.gov,ahy...@os.dhhs.gov,jm...@cdc.gov,js...@cdc.gov,jl...@cdc.gov,gof...@state.ma.us,EO...@State.Ma.Us,Governor...@po.state.ct.us,jodi...@po.state.ct.us,gov.p...@chamber.state.ny.us,cont...@riag.state.ri.us,ri...@gov.state.ri.us,senator_...@lieberman.senate.gov
http://www.senate.gov/member/ct/lieberman/general/contact.html
New York State Atty General Sptizer
http://www.oag.state.ny.us/emailag/
Feedback to the President of the AMA
Kathleen
Rheumatologists, Immunologists, and other researchers (UBRs) whose
endeavors have taken them away from the study of TREATMENT modalities
for Lyme disease and instead leads them to the profitability in
DIAGNOSTICS and PREVENTION:
We contend that we immediately need a CURE, and that the US Govt
should stop funding UBRs whose endeavors we will describe.
Recently some of these UBRS in New York have initiated an
attempt to have licenses revoked of some Lyme-Literate Physicians
(LLMDs -Those who understand the disease and try to help the
patients recover) in New York. This presents a problem because
there are few in the northeast, as elsewehere, who have the
courage to face the harrassment of these SUNY-based UBRs, as well
as insurance companies, in order to treat Lyme disease patients. These
Lyme-Literate Physicians, the ones criticized by these highly funded
researchers, are the ones who have the experience and expertise that
reflects the state of current knowledge of treatment.
We herein point out that the efforts and focus of these highly
funded UBRs' is in discovering molecules of interest to vaccine
manufacturers and for sale in diagnostic test kits. The evidence
follows. We contend that A. Barbour, R. Dattwyler, B. Luft, L. Sigal,
E. Fikrig and Allen Steere, R. Schoen, J. Evans and others who claim
Lyme is Overdiagnosed and Overtreated; the self-proclaimed experts
who are getting most of the funding regarding Lyme disease, are
interested in the commercial value of this disease and not in curing
patients. We seek a review of the results of government (NIH, CDC)
funding to these UBRs who seek molecules and diagnostic methods to
patent for profit, as we question the ethics and legality of such
endeavors.
Many of the above group of people (UBRs) claim Lyme disease becomes an
autoimmune disease for which antibiotics do not cure, and/or from
whom a diagnosis of NOT LYME benefits insurance companies and is
more profitable, per-patient-minute, than treating Lyme disease
patients. There is no proof yet of Lyme causing an autoimmune
disease.
------Patents and Grants $$$$$$$$
__Alan Barbour (of the ALDF)___ Barbour owns a patent for a rOSP A
(one of the two vaccines for Lyme) and then some. Alan Barbour had
this to say about Claire Fraser's publication of a Borrelia
burgdorferi genome in Nature Dec 1997:
"...But those who expecting to find in B.b. a rich vein of gold in which
to mine virulence determinants have to be disappointed.....The results
encourage study of a more metabolically competent spirochete, such as
the
Spirocheta aurentia, for a better understanding of how this ancient
group of bacteria evolved, and to identify catalytic molecule of
industrial
importance."... [What he is suggesting is that we don't study at a
spirochete that causes a disease and why, but rather one that does NOT
cause disease because it may have commercial value.]
http://164.195.100.11/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=%22Barbour%2C+Alan%22&FIELD1=&co1=AND&TERM2=
&FIELD2=&d=pall
PAT. NO. Title
1-5,846,946 Compositions and methods for administering Borrelia DNA
2-5,777,095 Osp A and B Sequence of Borrelia burgdonferi strains ACA1
and IP90
3-5,688,512 Borrelia antigen
4-5,585,102 Flagella-less borrelia
5-5,582,990 DNA encoding borrelia burgdorferi OspA and a method for
diagnosing borrelia burgdorferi infection
6-5,571,718 Cloning and expression of soluble truncated variants of
Borrelia OspA, OspB and Vmp7
7-5,523,089 Borrelia antigen
8-5,436,000 Flagella-less borrelia
9-5,246,844 Virulence associated proteins in Borrelia burgdorferi (BB)
10-5,932,220 Diagnostic tests for a new spirochete, Borrelia lonestari
spp.
------------The Patents of EROL FIKRIG - Yale --------------
http://164.195.100.11/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=%22Fikrig%2C+Erol%22&FIELD1=&co1=AND&TERM2=&
FIELD2=&d=pall
PAT. NO. Title
1- 5,807,685 OspE, OspF, and S1 polypeptides in Borrelia burgdorferi
2- 5,747,294 Compositions and methods for the prevention and diagnosis
of Lyme disease
3- 5,656,451 OspE, OspF, and S1 polypeptides in borrelia burgdorferi
4- 5,618,533 Flagellin-based polypeptides for the diagnosis of lyme
disease
-------The Endeavors of RAY DATTWYLER and BEN LUFT, SUNY Stony Brook
researchers who OWN **BROOK BIOTECHNOLOGIES**.
Patent Applications of Ben Luft, SUNY, Stony Brook.
1)LUFT,DR. BENJAMIN J. Spon: NI Allergy + Infectious Diseases
From: 19980901 To: 19990831 Direct: 311446
Indirect: 88834
VACCINE INTERVENTION FOR LYME BORRELIOSIS
2)LUFT,DR. BENJAMIN S pon: National Institutes of Health
From: 19990701 To: 20000630 Direct: 111148
Indirect: 40902
VACCINE INTERVENTION FOR LYME BORRELIOSIS
NIH Grants Fiscal Year 1997 for Dattwyler and Luft's Company
http://silk.nih.gov/silk/brownbooks/sbir/org/fy97
1)NEW YORK BROOK BIOTECHNOLOGIES, INC. # 1 $324,790
Fiscal year 1995 http://silk.nih.gov/silk/brownbooks/sbir/org/fy95
2)NEW YORK BROOK BIOTECHNOLOGIES, INC. # 1-$99,840
-----Funding for Raymond Dattwyler:
http://fundedresearch.cos.com/cgi-bin/NIH/getRec?P01NS340929002
Principal Investigator and Address: DATTWYLER, RAYMOND J
SUNY @ STONY BROOK HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, T12-02
STONY BROOK, NY 11794-8121
Initial Review Group: ZNS Performing Organization:
STATE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK STONY BROOK
Grant Title: NEUROLOGIC ASPECTS OF LYME DISEASE IN NORTH AMERICA
Grant Expires in: 2 Year(s)
-----Grants that went to Luft:
http://fundedresearch.cos.com/cgi-bin/NIH/getRec?M01RR107100015
http://fundedresearch.cos.com/cgi-bin/NIH/getRec?R01AI37256
-----Funding received by Brook Biotechnologies in 1997
http://www.sba.gov/gopher/Innovation-And-Research/Awd97/awdny.txt
29146 HHS Brook Biotechnologies, Inc. *** $633,237 ***
Long Island High Tech Incubato 25 East Loo Phase: 2
Stony Brook NY 11790-335 Minority: Woman:
Topic: Recombinant Based Elisa--Diagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis
------Patents Pending for Ben Luft
http://www.research.sunysb.edu/research/data/pendaps.txt
1) LUFT,DR. BENJAMIN J. Spon: National Institutes of Health
From: 19981201 To: 19991130 Direct: 229409
Indirect: 90724
GENETIC IDENTIFICATION AND DELINEATION OF HUMAN
PATHOGENIC CLONES OF BORELIA BURGDORFERI
2) LUFT,DR. BENJAMIN J. Spon: NI Allergy + Infectious Diseases
From: 19980901 To: 19990831 Direct: 311446
Indirect: 88834
VACCINE INTERVENTION FOR LYME BORRELIOSIS
3) LUFT,DR. BENJAMIN Spon: National Institutes of Health
From: 19990701 To: 20000630 Direct: 111148
Indirect: 40902 VACCINE INTERVENTION FOR LYME BORRELIOSIS
-------------------------------------------------
Molecular Mimicry, the battle cry of some of these UBRs, is the
concept that antibodies or the immune response against Borrelia
burgdorferi also fit a niche on host cells. This means that by
exposure to Bb, the human victim starts generating antibodies
against its own tissue and an inflammatory process evolves.
There is as yet no solid proof of molecular mimicry in Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a persistent spirochetal infection. There is no
proof that one ever gets rid of any spirochetal infection. Whole
spirochetes and spirochetal DNA have been found in the brains of
patients who died of Alzheimer's disease at autopsy versus none
in the brains of age-related patients who did not die of Alzheimer's.
Nuns don't get Alzheimer's. Many think it's because Alzheimer's
is a syphilitic infection that manifests as the immune system
loses integrity as we age. It also runs along familiar lines
(somewhat) because one inherits one's Immune Potential:
***Everyone*** should be terrified of Spirochetal Diseases.
"Alzheimer's disease--a spirochetosis? Miklossy J
Division of Neuropathology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
The aetiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which affects a large
proportion of the aged population is unknown and the treatment
unresolved. The role of beta amyloid protein (beta A4), derived
from a larger amyloid precursor protein (APP) in AD is the subject
of intense research. Here I report observations that in 14 autopsy
cases with histopathologically confirmed AD, spirochetes were found
in blood and cerebrospinal fluid and, moreover, could be isolated
from brain tissue. Thirteen age-matched control cases were without
spirochetes. Reference strains of spirochetes and those isolated
from brains of AD patients, showed positive immunoreaction with
monoclonal antibody against the beta amyloid precursor protein.
These observations suggest that spirochetes may be one of the
causes of AD and that they may be the source of the beta amyloid
deposited in the AD brain."
--------
"Further ultrastructural evidence that spirochaetes may play a role
in the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease.
Miklossy J, Kasas S, Janzer RC, Ardizzoni F, Van der Loos H
Neuroreport 1994 Jun 2 5:10 1201-4
ABSTRACT --Recently it was reported that, at autopsy, in neuropath-
ologically confirmed cases of Alzheimer's disease spirochaetes were
found in blood and cerebrospinal fluid using dark-field microscopy.
Moreover, the spirochaetes were isolated and cultured from brain
tissue. We now show, using scanning electron microscopy and atomic
force microscopy that the helically shaped microorganisms isolated
and cultured from the Alzheimer brains possess axial filaments.
This indicates that these microorganisms taxonomically indeed
belong to the order Spirochaetales. A morphometric analysis
reinforces this notion."
---------------------------
"Borrelia rhombencephalomyelopathy.
Kuntzer T, Bogousslavsky J, Miklossy J, Steck AJ, Janzer R, Regli F
Arch Neurol 1991 Aug 48:8 832-6
ABSTRACT: Three patients, in whom the diagnosis of Borrelia
burgdorferi infection was unknown for several years, developed a
biphasic involvement of the central nervous system: an acute brain-
stem dysfunction was followed up, in two patients, by a progressive,
disabling myelitis and, in one patient, by further relapsing-remitting
episodes of severe multifocal rhombencephalitis. The most consistent
cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities in the analysis of sequential
specimens were elevated total IgM levels that normalized after
penicillin therapy.
The neuropathologic findings in one patient showed microgliosis and
meningovascular involvement of the central nervous system, resulting
in two ischemic infarcts in the myelencephalon. Few spirochetes were
localized in the leptomeninges and around subependymal vessels of the
fourth ventricle. The vascular element consisted of an obliterative
inflammatory vasculopathy in the medullary parenchyma. This study
(1) provides pathologic evidence that a vascular disease induced by
B burgdorferi is a pathogenetic mechanism for cerebrovascular
diseases, and (2) emphasizes the similarities between neuroborreliosis
and neurosyphilis."
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Meningovascular form of neuroborreliosis: similarities between
neuropathological findings in a case of Lyme disease and
those occurring in tertiary neurosyphilis.
Miklossy J, Kuntzer T, Bogousslavsky J, Regli F, Janzer RC
Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 1990 80:5 568-72
ABSTRACT: Recent observations have delineated the neurological
manifestations of Lyme disease, but, to our knowledge, no detailed
neuropathological study from autopsy cases has been reported. In
this report we describe the neuropathological findings in a case of
Lyme neuroborreliosis. The chronic meningitis, the occlusive
meningovascular and secondary parenchymal changes that we found
are similar to those occurring in the meningovascure inforces this
notion."
---------------------------------------
Failed Attempts to Show Demonstrate Molecular mimicry by the UBRs:
(Article I of II:) Cell Immunol 1999 May 25;194(1):118-23
"Cross-reactivity of Borrelia burgdorferi and myelin basic
protein-specific T cells is not observed in borrelial encephalomyelitis.
Pohl-Koppe A, Logigian EL, Steere AC, Hafler DA
Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston,
Massachusetts, 02115, USA. Annette.P...@kk-i.med.uni-muenchen.de
"Borrelial encephalomyelitis, a rare manifestation of Lyme
borreliosis,
may present as a multiple sclerosis (MS)-like disease. It is postulated
that in MS, inflammation of the white matter is caused by a
T-cell response directed to myelin antigens. Here, we examined
whether a T-cell autoimmune response may play a pathogenetic
role in Borrelia-associated white matter disease mediated by
cross-reactivity between myelin basic protein (MBP) and B.
burgdorferi. We generated a total of 1760 short-term T-cell
lines against B. burgdorferi or MBP from two patients with
Borrelial encephalomyelitis and compared these with three
patients with late Lyme disease, one patient with transverse
myelitis, eight patients with MS, and four healthy controls.
While a few T-cell lines recognized both B. burgdorferi and
MBP, T-cell clones from these lines responded only to the
antigen of the original stimulation. Thus, our data do **not**
provide evidence for cross-reactivity between MBP and B.
burgdorferi. Copyright 1999 Academic Press."
___________________________________________________-
(Article II of II:) Science 1998 Jul 31;281(5377):703-6
"Identification of LFA-1 as a candidate autoantigen in
treatment-resistant Lyme arthritis.
Gross DM, Forsthuber T, Tary-Lehmann M, Etling C, Ito K, Nagy ZA,
Field JA, Steere AC, Huber BT
Department of Pathology, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111 USA.
Treatment-resistant Lyme arthritis is associated with immune
reactivity to outer surface protein A (OspA) of Borrelia burgdorferi,
the agent
of Lyme disease, and the major histocompatibility complex class II
allele DRB1*0401. The immunodominant epitope of OspA for T helper cells
was identified. A homology search revealed a peptide from human
leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (hLFA-1) as a candidate
autoantigen. Individuals with treatment-resistant Lyme arthritis,
but not other forms of arthritis, generated responses to OspA,
hLFA-1, and their highly related peptide epitopes. Identification of the
initiating bacterial antigen and a cross-reactive autoantigen *may*
provide a model for development of autoimmune disease."
----
There is no evidence yet that Lyme disease becomes an auto-immune
disease, only more and more evidence that autoimmune diseases often
have an infectious origin. If these UBRs can change the surveillance
numbers by claiming that Lyme becomes an autoimmune disease, funding
for these Rheumo/autoimmune researchers will continue to exceed
that for curing Lyme as an infectious disease. They are abusing
the funding by developing test kits of commercial value and changing
their statements about the reliability of such testing, now that
they have a product to market from tehir private companies.
_____________________________________
More About Where Steere’s Endeavor Lead Him:
https://www-commons.cit.nih.gov/crisp/
Grant Number: 5R03TW00514-03PI
Name: STEERE, ALLEN C.PI Title: Project
Title: LYME BORRELIOSIS IN RUSSIA
Abstract: DESCRIPTION (adapted from investigator's abstract): The
specific aims of the parent grant are to describe the clinical
manifestations of Lyme Disease in patients in New England, to
develop specific diagnostic tests, and to determine appropriate
treatment regimens for the illness. Since 1986, Dr. Steere, the
Principal Investigator of the parent grant, has participated in a
cooperative exchange with physicians at the Rheumatology Institute
in Moscow under the auspices of the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Biological
Health Agreement. It is now known that a considerable portion
of the worldwide nosoarea of Lyme borreliosis is situated within
the former Soviet Union. The infection there may be caused by any of the
three currently identified groups of the B. burgdorferi sensu latu
complex, including B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii, and B.
afzelii.
However, the characteristics of the disease, particularly the late
manifestations of the illness, are incompletely described in Russia,
and for the most part, accurate diagnostic testing is not yet available
there. In the proposed study, the clinical manifestations of Lyme
borreliosis in Russian patients will be described based on a referral
network of patients seen at the Rheumatology and Neurology Institutes in
Moscow, and patients seen at the Lyme Disease Center at Ekaterinburg, a
highly endemic area in the Ural Mountains, about 1,000 miles east of
Moscow.
A Lyme disease diagnostic laboratory will be developed in
Moscow, and sensitive and specific diagnostic criteria for ELISA
and Western blotting tests will be developed, based on Russian case and
control subjects. Skin biopsy samples of erythema migrans skin lesions
will be cultured, and joint fluid and cerebrospinal fluid samples will
be tested by PCR in an effort to identify the groups of the B.
borrelia burgdorferi sensu latu complex which cause this infection in
Russia. Finally, the clinical data will be correlated with the
laboratory information in an attempt to determine whether particular
spirochetal groups cause different clinical pictures with different
serologic responses in Russia. These studies are important both to
understand variations of this infection in different parts of the
world and to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of Russian patients
with this curableinfection.
Institution: NEW ENGLAND MEDICAL CENTER
750 WASHINGTON ST BOSTON, MA 02111
Fiscal Year: 1997 Department: Project Start: 30-SEP-95
Project End: 29-SEP-99
ICD: FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER IRG: ICP
____________________________________________
Did the Russians have to purchase an agreement to license
Steere’s methods? Lyme disease is not always a "cureable infection”
at this point in time, or he others like him would not be getting
millions of dollars in grant money to study it.
____________________________________________
Before Lyme disease was a Rich Vein of Gold from
which to mine diagnostic and vaccine biomolecules of commercial/
industrial value, Ray Dattwyler and SUNY had this to say about
testing for Lyme disease:
"Seronegative Lyme disease. Dissociation of specific T- and
B-lymphocyte responses to Borrelia burgdorferi [see comments]
***Dattwyler RJ***, Volkman DJ, Luft BJ, Halperin JJ, Thomas J,
Golightly MG N Engl J Med 1988 Dec 1 319:22 1441-6
ABSTRACT: The diagnosis of Lyme disease often depends on the
measurement
of serum antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete that causes
this disorder. Although prompt treatment with antibiotics may
abrogate the antibody response to the infection, symptoms persist in
some patients. We studied 17 patientsvwho had presented with acute
Lyme disease and received prompt treatment with oral antibiotics, but in
whom chronic Lyme disease subsequently developed. Although these
patients had clinically active disease, none had diagnostic levels
of antibodies to B. burgdorferi on either a standard enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay or immunofluorescence assay. On Western blot
analysis, the level of immunoglobulin reactivity against B. burgdorferi
in serum from these patients was no greater than that in serum from
normal controls. The patients had a vigorous T-cell proliferative
response to whole B. burgdorferi, with a mean ( +/- SEM) stimulation
index of 17.8 +/- 3.3, similar to that (15.8 +/- 3.2) in 18 patients
with chronic Lyme disease who had detectable antibodies. The T-cell
response of both groups was greater than that of a control group of
healthy subjects (3.1 +/- 0.5; P less than 0.001).
We conclude that the presence of chronic Lyme disease cannot be
excluded by the absence of antibodies against B. burgdorferi and
that a specific T-cell blastogenic response to B. burgdorferi is
evidence of infection in seronegative patients with clinical
indications of chronic Lyme disease."
NOW Dattwyler has this to say:
Chembio Takes Lead In Rapid-Test Race / First to get FDA
OK online disease kit By Michael Unger. STAFF WRITER
Biotechnology executive Tom Haendler says he knew he was in the right
business when even the monster movie he watched on a TransAtlantic jet
portrayed home pregnancy tests like the one his Long Island company
manufactures. While watching "Godzilla" as he returned from a
medical technology show in Europe last year, the picture's hero goes
into a drugstore and buys over-the-counter home pregnancy tests to
determine whether the monster terrorizing New York City is pregnant.
Said Haendler, president of Chembio Diagnostics Systems, "If this
[pregnancy test] made the movie, then I'm sure we're on the right
track."
Now, privately held Chembio of Medford, in its latest venture into
the rapidly growing diagnostic-test industry, has a deal with a large
pharmaceutical company in New Jersey, Carter Wallace, to market the
first rapid Lyme disease test.
The worldwide market for rapid diagnostic tests for both home and
professional use is far more than $2 billion, analysts say. And while
it is far from being alone in the market of fast tests,Chembio has made
rapid biotech pregnancy test kits for both the home market and doctors'
offices, hospitals and clinics for several years. Now it has taken the
lead in quick tests for Lyme disease.
The company, formed with venture capital investors headed by
company chairman Lawrence Siebert, has developed numerous other rapid
tests for tuberculosis, ulcers and newly emerging diseases and parasites
now sometimes found in the United States, such as malaria, Chaga's
disease and Dengue Fever.
Just last week, Chembio became the first company to win the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration's approval to market a simple test to show
whether someone has been bitten by a tick infected with Lyme disease.
The test shows positive or negative for the presence of antibody
markers for the Lyme organism within 20 minutes. It also gives doctors
a signal whether to start crucial antibiotic treatment immediately
instead of potential delays at an outside laboratory. Even so, the
FDA recommends that positive Lyme results on the Chembio rapid blood
test be confirmed with a second test at a clinical laboratory.
For the moment, Chembio is alone in the field with its Lyme test;
but other companies are hot on the trail. Chembio's Lyme test is better
than 95 percent accurate, according to clinical tests, and is the first
rapid Lyme test to pass FDA muster. It will be marketed starting in
April, Chembio says, for doctors' offices, hospitals, clinics and
reference laboratories. An over-the-counter version for consumers'
home use is in the works. The price has not been determined.
The test uses technology developed by Lyme disease experts at the
State University at Stony Brook medical school and Brookhaven National
Laboratory. It was developed jointly by Chembio and by Brook
Biotechnologies Inc. in the Long Island High Technology Incubator in
Stony Brook.
"That's our test," said Dr. Raymond J. Dattwyler, president of
Brook Biotechnologies who also heads the Lyme Disease Center at the
State University at Stony Brook's Health Sciences Center. Dattwyler and
Dr. Benjamin J. Luft, chairman of medicine at Stony Brook, are the
inventors, along with Dr. John Dunn of the Brookhaven National
Laboratory Biology Department. The patents are owned by the State
University and Brookhaven National Laboratory.
At the Chembio plant on Horseblock Road, several dozen women in
blue pharmaceutical garb assemble the various kinds of test kits by
hand. The company's platform technology requires only a drop of blood,
urine or mucous on a treated membrane strip to show negative or positive
results. Chembio scientists Sat Nam S. Hanjan, Mewa Singh and Hema Mana
explain that the biochemical reactions begin to appear on the small
plastic indicators within a minute or two and usually take no more
than 15 or 20 minutes to fully develop and complete. The kits are
manufactured in the Medford plant in batches of 10,000 to 100,000.
"We're hoping that many of these tests eventually will be available
for consumer purchase for use at home," Hanjan said. Chembio recently
won a $100,000 research grant from the federal government to develop a
rapid biotech test for new strains of drug-resistant tuberculosis. A
rapid AIDS test also is in the works.
The company believes it is on the leading edge of the trend toward
ultra-fast testing. "It's the way everything is going to go," says Avi
Pelossof, Chembio's marketing director. "It's a great industry to
be in," said Haendler. "And we're in it at the right time." "
We patients contend that these UBRS are not spending his time trying
to discover what works in terms of treatment for Lyme disease by
virtue of the time they must be spending at SUNY, ChemBio and Brook
Biotechnologies developing Test Kits. They changed their tune about
the adequacy of serology in diagnosis (95%) when they had a test
kit to sell.
--------------
Endeavors of Allen Steere:
Internal letter from a company in CT:
"Sent: Friday, July 02, 1999 2:59 PM
Subject: CDC Lyme Disease Study
"....Dr. Allen Steere will be
working on a CDC and NIH supported Lyme Disease study for which
they are seeking patient volunteers. This study has been approved by
Tufts/New England Medical Center's Institutional Review Board.
They are primarily interested in patients with physician diagnosed
erythema migrans, in whom they will be studying pathogenesis of
disease, histopathology, molecular and genetic diversity of Borrelia
burgdorferi isolates, cell-mediated immune factors, and serology, in the
setting of clinical presentation. These patients will have skin
biopsy of the lesion (small enough to be dressed with a
bandaid, no sutures) as well as bloodwork on the day of presentation.
Lyme disease treatment will be initiated at that time. Only one
follow-up visit is required for convalescent bloodwork, 2 to 4 weeks
later. The grant provides for a $100 payment to these volunteers..."
Patients with Chronic Lyme disease contend that if Dr. Steere was truly
interested in the relative virulence, he would ask the patients to come
back at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, etc., to see which strains have
the worst remaining effect on the patient.
Steere is looking for new strains. If he finds one, he
can patent it, like the rest of the people who are making money
off of Lyme disease.
Imugen, a lab in Norwood, MA, is in a partnership with CORIXA
another growing biotech company...Here's why:
http://www.corixa.com/parpro/partnered.asp
Target Product: Reference diagnostic for detection of certain
tick-borne diseases Status: Development
Partner: IMUGEN, Inc.
Corixa and others are looking for markers of infection; to patent
other commercially viable diagnostic test kit antibodies/ biomolecules.
-------------------------------------------------------
From a Corixa Press release, April 7, 1998...
"...The agreement provides Imugen with an exclusive license,
including the right to sub-license these recombinant antigens
for reference laboratory testing in the US and Canada
in exchange for a share of revenues from any diagnostics
kits or blood screening tests that are developed as a
result of this collaboration..."
---------------------------------------------------------
We are tired of all this greed and intrigue. We're sick, so
we're not even good candidates for vaccines... These people,
Steere, Barbour, Dattwyler, Luft, Fikrig, etc., biopsy our
rashes so thay can make money on a new antigen (vaccines) or
identify new antibodies to identify by test kit.
Meanwhile, we Lyme Patients and the doctors that help us
try to keep the infection under control until a cure is found,
are the worthless by-products of their endeavors.
We don't want them funded by the US Government any longer. Since
many now have their own independent research facilities, patents and
patents pending, they are financially capable of continuing
research without US Govt Grants.
We want the majority of future funding for Lyme disease
to be focused upon requests for grants to study treatment
modalities and related science.
Sloop...@webtv.net
one to Steere!
Debi
MrsMeister
stuff!! Hope you are doing well ... keep up the good fight and stay healthy!!
Take care, Martha
Jonathan R. Strong
news:3814E3...@snet.net...
> Hope this helps.
> K
>
> Director of the NIH :
Thanks! for this and the other parts.... - Jon
bpca...@my-deja.com
Sloop...@webtv.net wrote:
> Carl......a responsibility to be factual??? Somebody should tell that
> one to Steere!
misaccusations are not needed in this illness. There is enough shocking
truth to stand alone. Let's memorize it. Terry
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Mas74
Steere's lecture. Plane fare wasn't bad...check out some of the internet
fares.
As a patient in the Chronic Neuroborreliosis Intramural study, I hope to get
the opportunity to ask him why all my Elisas and WB done at his lab, both by
the NIH and privately have been negative, while my Elisas and WB have been
consistantly positive at multiple other labs even when sent by the NIH...
I am not a case of Lyme Arthritis. His Lyme arthritis is the tip of the
iceberg. I have Neuroborreliosis.
It will be an exhausting trip, but I hope to show him that my lack of
treatment, as forced upon me by my insurer, has made me significantly worse,
although now that I am on IV, I am objectively better, as my doctors at the NIH
will see.
Sandy
Who else is going? Let's get ORGANIZED.
If I can come and close my "shop" for a day, while being on IV and having to
wear a leg brace, others certainly can attend.
PLEASE.
MrsMeister
your MS "Lyme triggered".... I really really hope you get to talk to him!!!
martha :)
Frank90222
>Date: Tue, 26 October 1999 08:47 PM EDT
>Message-id: <19991026204716.05581.0000079
>I booked a round trip ticket today to Washington, DC so that I can attend Dr.
>Steere's lecture.
You will enjoy his lecture.
MrsMeister
>
>
study on chronic Lyme.. she was dxd with MS in the early 90's after having a
documented EM rash while in Veterinary School in Missouri.. the neurologists at
the NIH have told her they feel her MS is "Lyme triggered.".. Now what will
your wonderful Dr. Steere have to say about that???
Mas74
(MrsMeister) writes:
>Sandy is in the NIH
>study on chronic Lyme.. she was dxd with MS in the early 90's after having a
>documented EM rash while in Veterinary School in Missouri.. the neurologists
>at
>the NIH have told her they feel her MS is "Lyme triggered.".. Now what will
>your wonderful Dr. Steere have to say about that???
Thanks Martha!
In truth, though, I was told by two different esteemed doctors at the NIH that
they CANNOT tell the difference between Active Lyme Disease, Lyme Triggered MS
or MS, because there are no current tests to prove such.
"Absence of proof is not proof of absence"
They are currently working on a genus based PCR test that may pick up other
strains or species of Borrelia that are currently being missed by
species-specific accepted PCR tests. Current research is suggesting that other
Borrelias may be responsible for "Lyme Disease" or Borreliosis, the latter
being a preferred name for the disease.
I would like to know why Dr. Steere's test results are so very different from
many highly respected, accredited laboratories.
I am sure as a rheumatologist he has little knowlege of neuroborreliosis, as
this is not his field of expertise.
Sandy