Topic: Could Brucella canis (a coccobacilli) be the "Mystery bug"?
AliG
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Member # 9734
posted
1) Brucellosis can be tick-transmitted.
2) Brucella canis can infect humans.
3) Brucella canis DOES NOT cross-react on Brucellosis tests & may be ruled out, even if physician may have suspected Brucella infection.
4) It seems the symptoms can be very similar to Lyme/Babesia/Bart/BLO....
5) Treatment failures & relapses possible.
6) Combination therapy necessary (of lengthy duration if not caught in early stage).
and FINALLY:
quote:The organisms are gram negative. It is important to note that the penetration of counterstain may be slow and limited; 3 minutes of immersion may be necessary to identify the gram negativity.
The organisms are small, nonmotile coccobacilli or short rods (0.5-1.5 �m in length, 0.5-0.8 �m in width).
They are devoid of flagella or endospores, and if any capsule is found, it may be quite small.
They occur singly or in small groups.
They are usually slow-growing, strict anaerobes, although in some instances minimal facultative aerobic growth may occur.
1) Has anyone with the Mystery bug been SPECIFICALLY tested for Brucella canis infection?
2) Has Dr.F specifically ruled out Br.canis?
[ 07-28-2009, 02:53 PM: Message edited by: AliG ]
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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While I do think that a few Lymies may have some form of Brucella (Brucellosis) I personally do not think that that infection is common enough to be the mystery bug. Supposedly since the advent of pasteurized milk brucellosis is a rare disease.
Also -- Dr F has said one of the mystery pathogens has a flagella -- I am assuming that one is the protozoa and not the bacteria?
Dr K at Clongen says the bacteria is motile -- who knows if that is the same bacteria that Fry has found? -- probability in my mind is that they are seeing the same bacteria and describing it differently
Also -- the bit about they occur singly or in small groups -- I get the impression from both the F Lab and Clongen that the bacteria are plentiful -- words such as many and numerous have been used on hubby's lab reports
But this is just my opinion.
And no hubby has not been tested for any form of brucella as far as I know.
If I was a betting person I would bet that the mystery bacteria is some as yet unidentified strain of mycoplasma.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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SForsgren
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I think Brucella is very common. Some believe it was part of weaponizing Borrelia. So I would not be surprised to see many people also dealing with Brucella. I doubt it is the Mystery Bug though.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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AliG
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Member # 9734
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Thanks for that info, Bea & your thoughts, Scott You're both probably right.
If Brucella canis is not normally detected in humans because it requires a different test than the other Brucellas, then perhaps it's as "rare" as Babesiosis? (just my speculation)
As for "singly or small groups", I was thinking that could be referring to how some may appear in a small cluster and some might be just an individual "dot" on an erythrocyte.?
So if Dr.F's protozoan has a flagella, then maybe this could be the bacteria, otherwise no such luck I guess.
Also Dr.K would have to be seeing a different bacteria for Dr.F's bacteria to be Br.canis since his was found to be motile.
Hmmmmm, how many different organisms could we possibly have inside us.
I went to my LLMD today & he told me that there's some top rated ID in NJ that's been known to be Dxing loads of patients with Brucellosis. I wish I could remember the name.
His intonation told me that he didn't really believe they all actually had it. (I'll bet that Dr talks the same way about Drs who seem to Dx a lot of Lyme )
He wrote the order for my next labs to include this test, so I guess we'll see where it takes me.
I have made quite a bit of progress and, reflecting on my treatment, many of the meds I've been on might have had an effect of Brucellosis, especially since the switch to Mino & Rifampin.
We've taken down my Optic Neuritis, Uhthoff's phenomenon (seen in MS), sweats, parasthesias, fibromyalgia muscle pain, joint pains and most of my neuro symptoms and I seem to be holding (knock wood) somewhat steady with Mino, Rifampin, Diflucan & Guaifenesin as my only meds for about 4 months now (I think).
When I go for the labs after completing 2 more months of treatment, how on earth will I know that I didn't have this & get rid of it, if I get a negative result? I'll report back with the results either way.
Maybe if I get a negative, and feel like symptoms are still controlled, I should repeat the Fry smear.
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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Curious about your thoughts. Do you think that the motile bacteria Clongen sees is different than the bacteria F lab sees?
If not what is the 3rd pathogen you are referring too?
Thanks.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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karenl
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posted
On TV they just showed kids with neuro / vision problems having toxocana ? parasites. Was in FL.
Has anyone heard of these bugs before? They said can be in drinking water and you can get it from your dog.
Posts: 1834 | From US | Registered: Oct 2008
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AliG
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That's one reason for monthly preventative wormers for your dog/cat.
I haven't heard of them in drinking water though. I don't know how they'd get there, unless a fly picked the eggs up & landed in your water glass.
There ARE other parasitic infections that people can get from drinking water.
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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posted
Bea, not sure who is seeing what, but my impression is that one of the bugs resembles toxoplasma, one is apparently this hemotropic mycoplasma (formerly called hemobartonella). What the third one is I don't know. BLO? Haven't a clue. But it also does not look like there are good treatments for the first two, and if #3 has survived everything that we have taken for lyme, babesia, then it apparently is not easy to treat either.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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AliG
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9734
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up
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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