International

Nov. 2, 2007

The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation understands the need for a global effort bringing together Lyme disease victims, scientists, and medical professionals to better understand and combat this debilitating illness. Working on a cooperative basis with organizations like Lyme Ethique of France will only enhance this global effort. Research and education needs are vast and in some cases regional.

The Lyme disease bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi senso lato, and other potential pathogens within the borrelia species are the most complex bacteria known to mankind. Not only are the spirochetal organisms similar to Syphilis, and equally as hard to eradicate when progression has led to the chronic form of the disease, they may be responsible for a vast number of other diagnoses, either as misdiagnoses or as a trigger causing more complex and cascading effects to occur.

To date the diagnostic and treatment guidelines have in large part been controlled by relatively few researchers focusing on research of narrow design. Conclusions drawn from this research fail to address the wide spectrum of symptoms associated with Lyme borreliosis.

The most basic of research has not been done. Post mortem study using all of todays technology to detect the organism has not been undertaken relative to the many diseases linked to Lyme disease. Some of the diseases and diagnoses linked to Lyme disease include Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, forms of arthritis, psychiatric illness, Sjogren's syndrome, Meniere's disease, Crohn's disease, colitis, autism like disorder, chronic fatigue syndome, fibromyalgia and many others.

Testing, using methods other than serology, on living victims have largely been ignored. We need histology, PCR, culture, brain imaging and all methods for identifying the prevalence of the organism in a much more significant way. Lives are being destroyed but we truly have no idea how many. Lyme disease has been known to sequester in ligametous, heart, liver, spleen, brain, collagen and bladder tissue as well as synovial and cerebral spinal fluids.

Lyme disease also has been shown clearly to be transmitted transplacentally. What hasn't been determined is what are the long term effects on the fetus, and subsequent growth patterns of the child during brain, musco-skeletal and nerologic systems development.

Of course Lyme disease is not the cause of all diagnoses but how many may be triggered and/or caused by the organism? To date most research has been limited to finding either a vaccine, quicker test, or better treatment. Firstly though, we must understand the disease and understand its prevalence.

For all these reasons the French association Lyme Ethique bringing together victims with scientists and medical professionals may in fact lead the rest of the world to a more complete understanding of Lyme disease."

Jim Wilson