I realize it's not a new article and maybe this has already been discussed here, my brain somehow can't make sense of it, can someone explain the connection in layman's terms?
Posted by BoxerMom (Member # 25251) on :
Thanks for posting this. I had not seen it before.
The researchers isolated a protein in the spirochete that allows it to "feed" on manganese in the host's body.
When they removed this protein, the spirochetes were unable to grow when inside of a host. They could still grow in a test tube, but growth was limited.
The speculation is that when you remove the spirochete's ability to "feed" on our manganese, you essentially render it harmless, as it cannot grow, or, I assume, reproduce.
Research like this is very preliminary, but it points to other possible avenues for Lyme treatment. Antibiotics work in different ways to kill the target organisms. Maybe one could be engineered that blocked the ability of the spirochetal protein to take up manganese, thereby starving the Lyme.
Posted by trubeee (Member # 34030) on :
oh wow..thanks BoxerMom, you did a great job of explaining it. I was looking up some research on heavy metal stuff and lyme and found this article.
My brain is so bad I have to read your response many times...!!!
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
The big finding is that lyme is unlike 99% or so of other infectious organisms -- the vast majority utilize iron for growth. Lyme uses manganese instead.
Bea Seibert
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
That's interesting - that explains why a friend of mine is a sinkhole - she can take a voluminous amount of manganese and still need more -
Posted by tickled1 (Member # 14257) on :
I thought Lyme thrives on Magnesium.
I know manganese is in the CORE supplement that is used to treat KPU which I'm about to start. It's scarey to think it will feed the Lyme too!
But then again, that's the whole controversy with the Marshall Protocol. No Magnesium on that b/c it feeds the Lyme but we need the Magnesium too!
No easy answers I guess.
Posted by trubeee (Member # 34030) on :
I know - that's why I was confused by this article..
Posted by ChuckG (Member # 19093) on :
They found magnesium, zinc AND manganese in Bb.
Wikipedia: "B. burgdorferi is one of the few pathogenic bacteria that can survive without iron, having replaced all of its iron-sulfur cluster enzymes with enzymes that use manganese, thus avoiding the problem many pathogenic bacteria face in acquiring iron."
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
So, for example, re my friend who was taking a ton of manganese, was she feeding the ketes or was she fixing manganese depletion in herself, or both? Anyone know the science of this?
And if she was feeding the ketes, then it was not a good idea to take all that manganese?
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
Robin,
In my opinion she was both feeding the lyme and helping to correct her own manganese deficiency. Manganese is another one of those supplements like B12 -- too little for too long will cause irreversible neurological problems I think.