Is it a leukocyte protein?

Here is an excerpt:
"The post-infectious inflammatory hypothesis also is supported by several lines of evidence. For example, patients with Lyme arthritis who carry the HLA-DR4 or DR2 allele are more vulnerable to developing a chronic antibiotic-resistant arthritis. Indirect evidence exists to support molecular mimicry as at least one possible explanation for persistent symptoms. For example, the flagellin protein (on the tail of the spirochete) can generate antibodies that cross-react with myelin basic protein, thereby contributing to axonal dysfunction.

Finally, remnants of pieces of the spirochete may result in a persistent activation of the immune system, causing the production of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor, and nitric oxide. These cytokines produce fatigue and malaise, two of the more prominent symptoms experienced by patients with chronic Lyme disease."

Google "HLA-DR4+Lyme" and you will find lots of info. Steere did early studies.

Apparently some patients are genetically predisposed to a higher risk of chronicity with the disease than others are.

I asked our NP at last visit and she performed a blood test on our daughter for it. I will try to remember to let you know what I learn about it. I had read on Lymenet about it a while back.

I asked for the test again, because the first time it came back as not enough blood to perform the test. I am not sure how long this takes, but it has been two weeks today and they haven't called me, yet.

Here are some sites that discuss HLA-DR 4:
http://www.fcbee.com/yourvoice/demarco_lyme.htm
http://arthritis.about.com/library/weekly/aa020398.htm?once=true&COB=home&terms=lyme&PM=113_300_T
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/323/4/219
http://www.lymenet.de/literatur/steing.htm

This last one is about a poor fellow that had the lymerix vaccine and had HLA-DR4 gene and has chronic lyme. He must be a pretty good guy, he says to find out more about the disease to come here!

Warning: there are some disliked opponents to the lyme community in some of the URLs I gave. I am not trying to say I agree with all of this content.

In fact I haven't read it all. I just posted what I could find, so you could read and form your own opinion.

I just read Ann-Oh's post as I am getting ready to post mine. It sounds like a great explanation of HLA-DR4.

I came here but unfortunately there is little to no info, that I have found, that is specific for those who have had the vaccine.

Some say you have lyme, and some say you have an autoimmune response to lyme. I just know NOTHING has helped me for more than a few days at a time but boy did I revel in those days.

Im hoping to experience more but in the mean time I try to do the best I can with what I have.

Tom Williams if you are with us today on lymenet, that was a great article explaining your personal ordeal with the vaccine and your case of lyme disease.

I would be interested to see how Tom is today. That was a few years ago.

Sofy, have you heard of this man? Have you been able to contact others that were given lymerix? I am so sorry that in seeking something preventative you were infected.

I hope that some day research will discover a way to protect everyone in a safe way from this terribly robbing disease.

Also, or course, I hope researchers find a way to reverse the effects of what happened to those of you vaccinated. Over in general posts they are discussing strides made with bills for research.

$$ funding for research, big money to help, advisory boards forming, doctors getting educated properly, I hope it comes to fruition!

Todays posts have been very encouraging. Maybe soon we won't have to explain ourselves so much and the whole medical community will know the truth about lyme!

It took me 5 and a half years to find the cause of my decline. You name the diagnosis and Ive had it. It started with narcolepsy and quickly went to one thing to another

Seeing the sleep doc and failing the 2 day sleep test did do one thing and that was get me Social Security cuz the test said I couldnt stay awake and would fall asleep withing a minute or two all day long. I didnt respond to any of the drug given and was lables "drug resistent" What a distinction!!!!!!!

The doc was very supportive of my claim and I got it first try with no lawyer so some things due happen in their own way for their own reason.

I am so sorry for all of your pain and suffering.

Maybe others will turn up that have had this happen. Have you tried posting here and have there been others?

and some of the recipients of the vaccine who got lyme from it felt that they had been exposed to lyme before, but it was for the most part dormant, and the vaccine triggered it.

there was a man that went to the Doylestown, PA lyme support group who got lyme from the vaccine.

my daughter's friend's father has bad arthritis in his arm from the vaccine. can't ski anymore or do other things he enjoyed. he is not seeking treatment for it. that i do not understand.

the mom's brother got so sick from lyme he lost his buisiness. they grew up on a farm in NJ. i see things that look like lyme in the whole family, so i am guessing he may have been exposed before the vaccine, and it just triggered it.

i was talking about lyme to a storekeeper in Flemington, NJ. her husband had it for 10 yrs before being dx, and she developed symptoms, but never had the rash.

I guess Tom Williams still works here. I just don't have the enrgy to contact him.
Here's the info if you want to.

Tipton County
Tipton Service Center
243 ASH ST.
Tipton, IN 46072-1752
Phone: 765-675-2316 Ext. 3
Fax:765-675-6736

robi

What I should have said is (according to his story on angelfire) Tom credits his genetic marker of HLA-DR4 as being the reason his case of lyme was chronic and not responding well to treatment.