Anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha treatment activates Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes 4 weeks after ceftriaxone treatment in C3H/He mice.
Yrj�n�inen H, Hyt�nen J, Song XY, Oksi J, Hartiala K, Viljanen MK. Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Turku, Turku, 20520, Finland. [email protected]
BACKGROUND: The effect of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha treatment in Borrelia burgdorferi-infected and ceftriaxone-treated C3H/He mice was evaluated.
METHODS: Mice were infected with B. garinii A218 or B. burgdorferi sensu stricto N40. At 2 weeks of infection, one group was treated simultaneously with ceftriaxone and anti-TNF-alpha, whereas another received ceftriaxone at 2 weeks and anti-TNF-alpha 4 weeks later.
One group received ceftriaxone treatment only.
Infected and noninfected control groups were sham treated.
RESULTS: At 14 weeks of infection, B. burgdorferi could not be detected by cultivation or by polymerase chain reaction in tissue samples of any mouse treated with ceftriaxone only.
However, spirochetes grew from the tissue samples of one-third of the mice treated with anti-TNF-alpha simultaneously or 4 weeks after ceftriaxone.
These activated spirochetes showed ceftriaxone sensitivity rates, plasmid profiles, and virulence rates similar to those of bacteria used to infect the mice.
All infected control mice and mice given anti-TNF-alpha only were culture positive.
CONCLUSIONS: This report shows that, after ceftriaxone treatment for 5 days, a portion of B. burgdorferi-infected mice still have live spirochetes in their body, which are activated by anti-TNF-alpha treatment.
PMID: 17436229
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
Thanks, Sarah.
I love your finding the relevant articles. and I love PubMed for publishing abstracts from all over the world.
I can't read much on their site since they bunch it all together.
thanks for breaking it apart.
very interesting article and it raises questions beyond the treatment they did.
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
posted
No they are working on a whole new line of anti TNF drugs (like for Crohns!) which some had thought may help Lymies because of role of TNF but after THIS abstract0 heck sounds like we need to stay away from them!!!!
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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