When the CDC reports that Lyme is on the rise, assuming they had accurate statistics which is debatable, it is time to speak out.

I live in Maine, so this PBS program is extremely alarming.  Read and/or listen here. (Reported by Tom Porter)

Maine has a strong deer-hunting community which is carefully managed and far less of a concern than other states where deer populations are out of control.

Even in Maine there is a deer population problem in urban areas where hunting is prohibited.  So imagine the states across the country where urban restrictions allow deer to thrive…and of course deer ticks are not the only way to contract Lyme disease.

Sexual transmission of Lyme disease  is hotly debated, however, Syphilis, the cousin of Lyme, is contracted primarily through sexual contact.

The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation has published the following abstract by Dr. Gregory Bach, Do.O.P.C. from Pennsylvania back in 2001.  It begs the question of why more studies like this have been withheld from the public:

RECOVERY OF LYME SPIROCHETES BY PCR IN SEMEN SAMPLES OF PREVIOUSLY DIAGNOSED LYME DISEASE PATIENTS

Lyme disease, being a spirochete with pathology similar to syphilis, is often found difficult to treat due to the spirochete invading sanctuary sites and displaying pleo-morphic characteristics such as a cyst (L-form). Because a significant portion of sexually active couples present to my office with Lyme disease, with only one partner having a history of tick exposure, the question of possible secondary (sexual)vector of transmission for the spirochete warrants inquiry.

Additionally, sexually active couples seem to have a marked propensity for antibiotic failure raising the question of sexually active couples re-infecting themselves through intimate contact.

METHODS:

Lyme spirochetes/DNA have been recovered from stored animal semen. Recovery of spirochete DNA from nursing mother’s breast milk and umbilical cord blood by PCR (confirmed by culture/microscopy), have been found in samples provided to my office.

RESULTS:

Surprisingly, initial laboratory testing of semen samples provided by male Lyme patients (positive by western blot/PCR in blood) and the male sexual partner of a Lyme infected female patient were positive approximately 40% of the time.

PCR recovery of Lyme DNA nucleotide sequences with microscopic confirmation of semen samples yielded positive results in 14/32 Lyme patients (13 male semen samples and 1 vaginal pap).

ALL positive semen/vaginal samples in patients with known sexual partners resulted in positive Lyme titers/PCR in their sexual partners. 3/4 positive semen patients had no or unknown sexual partners to be tested. These preliminary findings warrant further study. Current a statistical design study to evaluate the possibility of sexual transition of the spirochete is being undertaken.

Our laboratory studies confirm the existence of Lyme spirochetes in semen/vaginal secretions. Whether or not further clinical studies with a larger statistical group will support the hypothesis of sexual transmission remains to be seen. A retrospective clinical study is also underway.

We are reviewing the medical records, collecting semen samples of patients who were previously diagnosed with current and previously treated Lyme disease are being asked to provide semen,pap and blood samples for extensive laboratory testing.

CONCLUSION:

With the initially impressive data, we feel the subsequent statistical sudy on the sexual transmission of the Lyme spirochete will illuminate a much broader spectrum of public health concerns associated with the disease than the originally accepted tick borne vector.”

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Also, according to the Serano Group (www.serranogroup.org), as far back as 1986 the National Institute of Health (NIH), working with other researchers, put uninfected mice in a cage with Bb infected mice.  All of the uninfected mice had evidence of Bb infection 42 days later.

And it is well established that Bb is found in urine.  Willy Burgdorfer, the discoverer of Borrelia burgdorferi, unfortunately got Lyme borreliosis when urine from an infected rabbit splashed into his eye.  As with blood transfusions, not enough research has been done on transmission by other body fluids.

The Serano Group also reports that in April, 2001, Dr. Gregory Bach presented a paper at the International Scientific Conference on Lyme Disease showing that in 42 tested Lyme borreliosis patients, 14 had DNA evidence of Bb in semen or vaginal fluids.

It is both shocking and infuriating that this evidence is being covered up.

In closing,  I repeat my prediction that it will be the scientific researchers who will break the stranglehold of information regarding the other ways that Lyme is transmitted – including the sexual transmission – and hopefully better precautions can be made to slow the rapid spread of this horrible disease.