So how many days of abx do the TICKS get? This abstract MADE ME SICK!!!! AGH AGH AGH!!!!!!!! ***********************************************
1: PLoS ONE. 2007 May 2;2:e405.
Antibiotic Treatment of the Tick Vector Amblyomma americanum Reduced Reproductive Fitness.
Zhong J, Jasinskas A, Barbour AG. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Department of Medicine and Pacific-Southwest Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infections, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America.
BACKGROUND: The lone star tick Amblyomma americanum is a common pest and vector of infectious diseases for humans and other mammals in the southern and eastern United States.
A Coxiella sp. bacterial endosymbiont was highly prevalent in both laboratory-reared and field-collected A. americanum. The Coxiella sp. was demonstrated in all stages of tick and in greatest densities in nymphs and adult females, while a Rickettsia sp. was less prevalent and in lower densities when present.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We manipulated the numbers of both bacterial species in laboratory-reared A. americanum by injecting engorged nymphs or engorged, mated females with single doses of an antibiotic (rifampin or tetracycline) or buffer alone. Burdens of the bacteria after molting or after oviposition were estimated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction with primers and probes specific for each bacterial species or, as an internal standard, the host tick.
Post-molt adult ticks that had been treated with rifampin or tetracycline had lower numbers of the Coxiella sp. and Rickettsia sp. and generally weighed less than ticks that received buffer alone.
Similarly, after oviposition, females treated previously with either antibiotic had lower burdens of both bacterial species in comparison to controls.
Treatment of engorged females with either antibiotic was associated with prolonged time to oviposition, lower proportions of ticks that hatched, lower proportions of viable larvae among total larvae, and lower numbers of viable larvae per tick.
These fitness estimators were associated with reduced numbers of the Coxiella sp. but not the Rickettsia sp.
CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The findings indicate that the Coxiella sp. is a primary endosymbiont, perhaps provisioning the obligately hematophagous parasites with essential nutrients.
The results also suggest that antibiotics could be incorporated into an integrated pest management plan for control of these and other tick vectors of disease.
PMID: 17476327
Posted by treepatrol (Member # 4117) on :
This mans nuts
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
Hallelujah to THAT, Tree*)!*)!!!!!!!!!
He doesn't believe in real abx tx for people!!!!!!!!! But TICKS?! Heck, I hope they felt a lot better after his experiment!!!!!!!!!! (Before he vivisected them that is*)!!!!!!!!!
Barbour proves his idiocy- AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
(My mother is a professor where he is though, and you know what she heard through the grapevine- that even though officially he doesn't believe in longterm abx treatment that a member of the facultys spouse got Lymed and he treated him with longterm abx!!!!!!!!!! I heard that from my Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is not supposed to be a treating doc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I was shocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
He hols a lot of patents on Lyme realted stuff and he wrote a TERRIBLE terrible book with many quotable Barbourisms!!!!!!!!!
Posted by treepatrol (Member # 4117) on :
I wonder sometimes these so called drs > maybe they picked a little something up from there patients or handeling ticks and are themselves infected? Mentally that what he just proposed is well nuts! Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by treepatrol: This man's nuts
Posted by 5dana8 (Member # 7935) on :
Gerrrrrrrrr Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :
I like your subject line. Very accurate.
Posted by stymielymie (Member # 10044) on :
if he is successful with this, then we can eat the ticks to get our abx's mmm ticks !!!!!!!!!!
docdave Posted by ks mom (Member # 11626) on :
hmmm...but will they taste like chicken or duck??
ks mom
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
Hey, it's antibioticks time!
On a serious note, I don't get how he could achieve control over the disease out there. Too many ticks, too many infected animals who I understand pass on infections to the ticks that bite them.
Posted by HaplyCarlessdave (Member # 413) on :
Did it say ticks treated with abx had LOWER LEVELS of infection? That is, the infection was not eradicated! So, even ticks need long-term treatment, apparently!
But the most worrisome thing in this study is, that it clearly maximizes the probability of creating even more antibiotic resistant strains of spirochetes! Thus, this research, though it may not seem quite totally useless (though I agree, it's pretty close) at the outset, may in fact be less than useless; i.e., harmful, and should indeed be discontinued. If anybody has a chance, and is good at such things, you should send a copy of this to some kind of "disease control" government agency! Again, there's a good chance the this 'research'... is worse than useless; and is, in fact, downright dangerous!
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