HOPES FOR A NEW AND ACCURATE TEST FOR LYME DISEASE

Dr Richard Bingham at the University of Huddersfield is on the trail of an accurate test that will enable quick and accurate detection of Lyme disease.

Dr Bingham is attempting to reproduce the bacterial proteins that lead to Lyme disease in an effort to produce better testing and hopefully leading to better treatment.

Details available on the University website here 

Dr Bingham presented at the 2012 Lyme Disease Action conference details of his presentation here 

Science Daily have already picked up on this important information link here  

Science Daily in the above article also mention Paralympic Archer Mel Clarke who was affected by Lyme Disease. Mel recently won a silver medal in the 2012 London Paralympics. Congratulations to Mel.

Mel attended a meeting at the House of Commons in 2008 with various MP's, incuding Anne Milton, Oliver Letwin, Hugo Swire, several doctors, representatives from Lyme Disease Action and from the Health Protection Agency - this was Mel's presentation here

Quote from Mel 'As I was in New York with Lyme disease, they knew what to look out for.  I was referred back to the UK for rehabilitation and treatment at home.  I do it all at home (now). 

I went to a top neurology consultant and he 

said “Lyme disease – what’s that?”  

I carried on with the antibiotic therapy – as an outpatient.'

The response from HPA was:-  made by Dr. Sue O’Connell:  First of all I’d like to say how sorry I am to hear Mel’s story.   I am surprised that Norwich did not know about Lyme disease.  There has been research in the area,
Thetford Forest is a Lyme research area.  This has happened over 15 years and done by a group from Charing Cross Hospital.  So it is disappointing that this has occurred and I am very sorry about that.


Roll on the day when we have accurate and sensitive testing at all stages of Lyme Disease, proteomics have been used successfully in research work (Distinct Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteomes Differentiate Post-Treatment Lyme Disease from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome here)
 but that or something similar needs to be translated into easy and inexpensive tests available for our Doctors to initiate. Only then can attention focus on treating patients adequately for their needs.
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Meanwhile the Media pussy foot around the subject of Lyme Disease, when they could do so much more to help raise awareness and help publicise the emerging science. However there has been some media interest recently thank you Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail :- 

Insect bite in the park left me in agony for SIX years here

As pretty as a picture (but a lot more deadly): Killer diseases from anthrax to the Black Death as you've never seen them before here 

Malaria, DVT, liver disease... What you don't want to bring home from your holiday here 
SYMPTOMS: A ‘bull’s-eye rash’ – a bright red patch of skin which then fades in the centre, perhaps coupled with muscle and joint pain, fever, headaches and fatigue.

IT COULD BE: Lyme disease

Soggy summer means 12 million cats and dogs could be infected by parasites  Wet summer led to abundance of pests such as ticks here 



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Thanks to The Scotsman for the following excellent article here

Bruce Alexander: More must be done to combat Lyme disease

Quote 'A recent audit of patients at a Perthshire Medical Practice found a ratio of confirmed cases equivalent to 125 per 100,000 people. Applying this ratio across Scotland, there could be around 6,500 people contracting Lymedisease each year, the vast majority going undiagnosed and untreated.'