posted
Hello. Does anybody know if malarone alone is enough for babesia treatment or if it should be taken in combo with another antibiotic like zith? I
I know of the mepron/zith combo but am not sure how the malarone differs.
Is malarone or mepron considered more aggressive. Do you know if it's ok to continue taking doxy for lyme simultaniously with babesia treatment?
-Despin
I went back and searched for all the babesia subject messages but still have a lot of questions. I would incredibly appreciate any of the expertise you have accumulated through your research and personal experience. Thanks! -Despin
Posts: 163 | From Cleveland, OH | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
My LLMD considers Mepron/Zith (or Biaxin) to be more aggressive than Malarone. I started out on Mepron/Biaxin, but after 8 months am taking one Malarone per day. My babs symptoms were gone except for a sweat about once per month.
My understanding is that Malarone does not need Zith/Biaxin along with it.
I was treating babs and Lyme at the same time. I initially was on Doxy with the Mepron/Biaxin.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
Thanks you so much for sharing your experiences with babs meds. Is there anything to be said for Malarone added to the doxy? I am waiting for a call from the LLMD to discuss the next step.
I believe my LLMD treats with Malarone. Does anybody know what advantages this has over the mepron/zith or biaxin combo?
I would like to get the most aggressive treatment possible.
CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
posted
Malarone is better for tissue stage malaria then mepron and much babesiosis is believed to have a tissue stage. This means it can sequester there for YEARS like tissue stage malaria- unless you had a doctor who tried Malarone*)! Here's info- ********************************************
1: Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2001 Jul-Aug;95(4):429-32 Related Articles, Books
Causal prophylactic efficacy of atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) in a human challenge model.
Berman JD, Nielsen R, Chulay JD, Dowler M, Kain KC, Kester KE, Williams J, Whelen AC, Shmuklarsky MJ.
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. [email protected]
Plasmodia infect the liver for about 7 days before subsequently infecting the blood. Present prophylaxis against Plasmodium falciparum malaria employs agents that primarily kill blood stages and must be continued for 28 days after the last exposure.
Atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) is a new antimalarial agent that is licensed in 35 countries as treatment against blood-stage infection, but its components (atovaquone and proguanil) have separately been shown to be active also against liver stages.
To determine whether atovaquone-proguanil is sufficiently active against liver stages to be discontinued 7 days after exposure, we challenged 16 volunteers with P. falciparum via infected mosquitoes.
Twelve volunteers received atovaquone-proguanil (1 tablet daily) on the day prior to challenge, on the day of challenge, and for the next 6 days; 4 volunteers received matching placebo. All placebo volunteers demonstrated parasitaemia and malarial symptoms beginning on days 11-12 after challenge.
No atovaquone-proguanil volunteer acquired malaria. Atovaquone-proguanil is the first licensed antimalarial agent that kills P. falciparum in the liver and that may be discontinued 7 days after the last exposure.
Babesiosis: new insights from phylogenetic analysis.
Persing DH, Conrad PA. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Piroplasms of the genus Babesia, along with their relatives to the Theileridae, comprise a genetically and antigenically diverse group of tick-transmitted intraerythrocytic pathogens that together have considerable veterinary, medical, and economic importance.
Since the first description of a human case of babesiosis in 1957, this zoonotic infection has now attained a worldwide distribution.
In the northeastern and upper midwestern United States, the transmission cycle of Babesia microti overlaps that of another well-known zoonotic agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease.
Phylogenetic analysis of Babesia and Babesia-like piroplasms from human and animal sources has shown that many of the small Babesia spp., including B. microti, B. equi, B. gibsoni, and a recently described piroplasm infectious for humans known as WA1, may be phylogenetically related to Theileria.
Implications of this observation may include the possible existence of an exoerythrocytic stage of parasite development and attendant features of chronicity, immune suppression, and perhaps lymphoproliferation.
In this review, we provide a brief summary of recent developments in the study of Babesia and related piroplasms and speculate on the ramifications of chronic babesial infection in humans.
**exoerythrocytic *** 1: Indian J Med Res 1997 Aug;106:120-9
Current trends in research on tissue stage of malaria.
Kamboj KK. Division of Parasitology, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow.
The tissue stage or the exoerythrocytic (EE) stage of the malaria parasite, for many years remained the most neglected form mainly because of its inaccessibility being located in the liver.
The advent of in vitro techniques resulting in the successful cultivation of these forms in primary hepatocyte cultures and a variety of cell lines has greatly augmented research on these stages and have provided unique in vitro systems which can be used as primary screens for candidate chemotherapeutic and immunoprophylactic agents and have facilitated better understanding of the sporozoite-hepatocyte interactions.
Sensitive and specific nucleic acid probes (DNA and ribosomal RNA) have been developed to quantify EE stages in infected livers.
Efforts to establish SCID mouse as a model for cultivation of EE stages of human malaria parasites have been encouraging.
The earlier assumptions that these tissue stages are free from immune attack have been proven wrong and the hepatic phase itself now appears to be essential for the induction of protection against the pre-erythrocytic stages.
Liver stage specific antigens have been identified in recent years.
Despite its intracellular position,this 'hidden' form has been found to constitute a target for antibodies, cytokines, and cytotoxic T cells.
The present review focuses on the advances in research on the 'silent' stage of malaria parasites.
Publication Types: Review Review, tutorial
PMID: 9291682
-------------------- 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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posted
Personally I had better results with Malarone/Biaxin.
I was on Mepron/Zith for 5 months last year. I was treating Lyme for 2 years leading up to the babs treatment. I noticed an improvement, not great, but better than treating the Lyme alone.
I stopped due to ringing in my ears, from the zith. Took a 3-4 month break, symptoms returned, started Malarone/Biaxin.
We also added art for 4 of the 7 months, stopped the art last month and added Flagyl.
I have been feeling fabulous!! Very close to symptom free and I had them all!!
Also, I never tested positive for babs.
Posts: 69 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Nancyf- What symptoms did your doctor base his babesia diagnosis on? I'm just wondering because I have never tested positive to coinfections except mycoplasma. I've been treated for lyme for several years on and off, and never improved. (Wondering if it may be due to an undiagnosed coinfection) Thanks.
Posts: 418 | From NJ | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
Thanks so much for giving me this info. Nancy thanks for sharing your experience and Sarah- thanks for posting this excellent research. -Despin
Posts: 163 | From Cleveland, OH | Registered: Sep 2007
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