Lyme bacteria can survive a 28-day course of antibiotic treatment four months following infection by tick bite, according to a new study using a primate model for the disease. Despite testing negative for Lyme disease, some subjects were infected with Lyme bacteria in heart, brain and other organs. To learn more about this disease, click here.
This study appears to be consistent with reports from patients about experiencing symptoms even after completing a round of antibiotic treatment for the disease. The extensive study was conducted by Tulane University and it utilized a variety of methods for detecting the bacteria that causes the disease. The bacteria was still present in various organs, including vital organs such as the brain and heart in some cases, after a twenty-eight day treatment with doxycycline. This seems to suggest that the bacteria, known as Borrelia burgdorferi, has been able to develop resistance to the treatment.
The bacteria that were left behind were generally low in number and were more difficult to detect. However, they could be all it takes to cause the various symptoms often experienced after treatment, known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. Researchers still believe that the twenty-eight day regimen could still be sufficient as long as patients are treated early enough, however.
The study also unearthed some other findings. All subjects treated with antibiotics were all determined to have some degree of infection seven to twelve months after antibiotic treatment. Also, despite negative antibody test results, two of every ten subjects still had the bacteria in their bodies, being found in the bladder and the heart.
The study used rhesus macaque primates as subjects, as previous research indicated that they have the most similar progression of the disease when compared to humans. A group of ten where infected using ticks that were known to possess the bacteria. Half of the group were given the twenty-eight day regimen, while the others were not treated as the control group for the study.
The biggest takeaway for researchers was that the one size fits all approach for treatment of Lyme disease is no longer sufficient. The bacteria were resistant, and the response to both the disease and the treatment varied among the individual subjects, meaning that the response in humans would be varied as well. It is clear that more research should be done in order to more effectively combat this illness.
Read the original article at sciencedaily.com.
