Willy Burgdorfer, the discoverer and namesake of the spirochete that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), has entered hospice care.
LymeDisease.org President Phyllis Mervine, who has known Burgdorfer for many years, spoke by phone recently with his wife, Lois.
“She told me his health has been declining markedly in the past six months,” Mervine said. “He has Parkinson’s and his speech is usually not intelligible. But Lois said the thing that brings a smile to his face in when anyone mentions the Lab where he worked for many years.”
Burgdorfer worked at the National Institute of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana, where he researched the connection between animal and human diseases and such vectors as ticks, fleas and mosquitoes. His research is published in more than 225 papers and books. He received worldwide recognition for his 1982 discovery of the causative agent of Lyme disease.
“We can’t know how long he will live,” Mervine said, “but we have a window of opportunity to let this eminent scientist know how much we appreciate his contributions.”
Here’s Mervine’s suggestion: If you have something you’d like to say to Dr. Burgdorfer, please write it in the comments section of this blog. We will compile the messages and send them to his wife.
Posts: 4681 | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
What a great man!! We are forever in his debt! May the Lord grant him an easy passage.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Thank you for posting this. His work saved my life - as well as a very informational rich phone conversation back in 1997.
When I had a positive Igenex test but no local doctor who would agree that there is even lyme in my state -- I had called him just out of the blue to ask a couple questions and he really helped me understand the nature of borrelia. Very kind to go the extra mile in that phone call for me. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
That's a wow story, Keeb. We got to meet and talk with him at the San Francisco 2008 ILADS conference here!
Please post your thank yous at the LymeDisease.org site -
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Waiting for confirmation to see if this is true. I hope not. It is posted at WIKI. Read the last line.
"Willy Burgdorfer was an American scientist born and educated in Basel, Switzerland, considered an international leader in the field ofmedical entomology. He discovered the bacterial pathogen that causes Lyme disease, a spirochete named Borrelia burgdorferi in his honor.[1] He was born in 1932.[2] He died November 17, 2014."
lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
oh no oh my i didnt know he was sick
to Mrs. Burgdorfer:
Please know your husband kindly spoke with me at a conference years ago. His work changed my life and the lives of my four children, grand child and daughter in law. we all have gone on to live healthier, productive lives because of him.
Thank you both for what you have given the Lyme community.
LP
if anyone is able to cut and paste above to the correct place, i wont be able to do it. ty.
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Man, that news is so rough to digest. He will most certainly leave a legacy behind.
I've never met the good Doctor but have read two of his books, multiple phamplets, and articłes. He is a pioneer in this field of work. His wife and family should be awful proud of his accomplishments and the sheer number of people's lives he has touched
Ipkayak: I tried leaving your message but the site is requesting your name AND e-mail address before leavykand I didn't feel comfortable leaving my e-mail for your comment. M
Thank you for GP for posting Sammi.
Warm regards, TheWinoo
Regards, TheWino
-------------------- Wrinkles only go where the smiles have been --J. Buffett
All of my replies should not be taken as medical advice as they are my opinions only and I am not a physician. Posts: 55 | From Florida | Registered: Oct 2012
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poppy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5355
posted
He passed away yesterday at the age of 82. He will be greatly missed.
Posts: 2888 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
If we are ever going to see an end to this suffering, we need some clarity, transparency, and truth.
At the risk of making myself extremely unpopular and possibly having my messages deleted I am going to say the truth.
Dr Willy Burgdorfer was a Swiss biological warfare scientist recruited to the US biowar establishment in the 1950s due to his expertise in ticks and Borrelia (relapsing fever).In the 1950s, US policy on biowarfare was not only defensive but OFFENSIVE. This was quite unashamedly acknowleged as official policy right up till 1972 when it was banned by treaty.
I do not have any evidence that Burgdorfer did anything that could have led to the outbreak in New England in the 60s and 70s or the international spread of this hateful disease.
I am NOT making any allegations that he worked on Lyme Borrelia as a bioweapon.
However, as clearly stated on the Under Our Skin website, when interveiwed by the film crew he waited till cameras stopped rolling before saying "I havent told you everything."
He showed Pamela Weintraub a paper on which she said he had written the names of the SIX microbes he found in the Shelter Island ticks where he discovered Bb. He only ever spoke about two -Bb and a worm, in the public domain. Why? What are the other four?
He told UoS he did not have Lyme. that is a lie. He has had chronic Lyme for decades, after a lab accident in which he was splashed in the eye with rabbit urine.
He also agreed to publish false and misleading information pouring cold water on the dementia-Lyme link, based on false science. The evidence linking Alzheimers and Bb is staggering. his involvement in covering up may have caused multi millions of people to have been denied any hope of prevention or cure of their illness.
I am sorry, but that is the truth.
-------------------- Justice will be ours. Posts: 786 | From UK | Registered: Oct 2007
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poppy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5355
posted
Where is the lyme dementia link published?
Since we have all heard the story about the splash in his eye, I don't see how you can say it was denied. If he said he didn't have it, seems like that could also mean that it was treated at the time. Not all Parkinsons is lyme. On the other hand many of us have had lyme treated only to be diagnosed with something else when other symptoms show up.
Were the other things at Shelter Island perhaps those that were not human infections? How do you know there were more than the two he mentioned.
I feel like you have made some assumptions here that led to a conclusion we cannot vet. Furthermore, this thread is probably not the place for any of it. Two days after he died, aspersions are being cast?
Posts: 2888 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- I think ELB was referring to the other infections / parasites identified as traveling with lyme in those very first looks at it. The ones that he was not allowed to discuss -- on a couple different occasions this has come up. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Dr Burgdorfer denied he had Lyme when he was asked by the UoS film crew. You can see it in the interview published on their website. I'll dig out the URL if you cant find it .
He had **chronic, neurological Lyme** (the thing that's not supposed to exist).
The Lyme-dementia link is not only published, it is conclusively proven by numerous studies by Dr Alan MacDonald and Dr Judith Miklossy.
If you visit the website www.spirochaetalalzheimersassociation.org you can find out more info, including a video of Dr MacDonald's recent talk in London, accompanied by photos of Borrelia from autopsy Alzheimer brain tissue.
The most recent method he has used to confirm the presence of Bb is Molecular Beacon DNA probes. These are extremely accurate state-of-the-art technology. DNA probe evidence is used to **send people to the electric chair** in US, and these are about the **most accurate DNA probes** you can get.
Dr Burgdorfer collaborated in trying to ridicule the whole thing. That's unforgivable.
I understand the Spirochaetal Alzheimers Association's email has recently been hacked by the UK Ministry of Defence.
I find it very said that military leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have dedicated their lives to shoring up a cover-up on chronic Lyme, and of its link with Alzheimer's, MND-ALS, and many other diseases.
Elena
-------------------- Justice will be ours. Posts: 786 | From UK | Registered: Oct 2007
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Such a huge loss...
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