UNH Research Confirms Lyme Disease Bacteria Biofilm in Human Body
Press Release February 23, 2016
WEST HAVEN, CONN. – Many of the 300,000 patients who contract Lyme disease each year know that curing it isn’t easy. Often, it seems to recur as soon as the antibiotics are discontinued, and doctors are reluctant to offer more and more rounds of antibiotics.
But now a new study, whose lead author is Eva Sapi, professor and head of biology and environmental science at the University of New Haven, suggests that the reason the Borrelia spirochetes that cause Lyme disease are resistant to treatment is because they form a biofilm in the body that allows it to “hide out” from antibiotics.
That biofilm – which has a very protective layer you might call “slime” – actually makes the bacteria up to 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than are other bacteria.
The article is the first to demonstrate the presence of Borrelia biofilm in human infected skin tissues, confirming that these structures indeed can exist in the human body published in the European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology, an international, peer-reviewed online journal. She hopes the work will lead to better therapies for curing the disease.
“These findings could change the way we think about Lyme disease,” she said, “especially in patients where it seems to be a persistent disease, despite long-term antibiotic treatment. This recent finding could help to better understand how Borrelia can survive treatment and elucidation of the biofilm components and will provide novel therapeutic targets for chronic Lyme disease, with the hope of eradicating Borrelia in these patients.”
The work is a follow-up to the 2012 research team’s article in PLOS ONE, another international, peer-reviewed online publication, which proposed that the observed antibiotic resistance and reoccurrence of Lyme disease might be due to the formation of an antibiotic resistance form called biofilm. Since then, the team has focused on actually finding the biofilm in human tissues. Their latest paper outlines their proof that it indeed exists.
So what exactly is a biofilm?
“A biofilm is a complex aggregation of microorganisms growing on a solid substrate,” Sapi, who has chronic Lyme disease, said. “Unlike the more familiar free-swimming bacterial forms, cells in biofilms surround themselves with a complex matrix, better known as ‘slime,’ to protect the cells from environmental stresses such as the attack of the immune system or the exposure to antibiotics.”
The paper can be found online at http://www.akademiai.com/doi/abs/10.1556/1886.2015.00049
Candidly this is nothing new! In 1940 bio films were known to exist. http://www.biofilm.montana.edu/node/2390 The existence of B.burgdorderi bio film and bio film cysts have been known about for years. Two years ago the University of North Dakota identified the specific protein that is created and just last month a test to identify the existence of the bio film in urine was announced by George Mason University (and reported by this organization). Basically who ever granted money for this study got ripped off!
So we have had this figured out for sometime now. How do we break down that “slime” protective wall and kill spirochetes ? I am going broke trying pulse treatments of different ABX’s, probiotics, vitimins etc. Convince the CDC please to change their train of thoughts and give us the help we so need and desire. Sorry for unloading but fighting for my life here in PA.
Same here in KS, Harold. Wish they would find a treatment for us already!!!! One that actually works, and I am already broke due to trying the same treatments as you
Harold all of us who have contracted the Barrelia burgdorferi bacteria are in the same basic boat. I came to realize early on and after quite a bit of digging that the problem is two fold. First is preventing the bacteria from creating bio film and second destroying existing bio film cysts. The latter almost entering the realm of the twilight zone as there is no way of knowing how many of the cysts and colonies of cysts that may exist in one’s body, and particularly if struggling with this beast for years. In other words if one knows what can destroy the cysts to the point some sort of antibiotic could kill the live bacteria contained therein there is no way to determine how long it might take given the replication rate of the bacteria. To make things worse research at the Mayo Clinic revealed recently that the replication rate may well be 180 times that of previously thought. Fundamentally that reveals that no existing treatment protocol has any hope of killing off all the bacteria and my personal opinion is no human can take any of the now known antibiotics long enough to kill off all the potential bacteria.
With all that said, in my digging for solutions I did discover that Selenium will apparently prevent a wide spectrum of bio films from growing on just about anything. I concluded that might also be the case with preventing the bacteria from growing bio film in my body and with that in mind I began taking 400 mcg of Selenium daily along with a natural antibiotic that doesn’t destroy ones digestive system. That natural antibiotic is Oregano Oil, which I take in caplet form twice daily This seems to have eliminated all the common symptoms associated with the infection. My only problem is until that Urine test I mentioned becomes available I have no way of knowing if any cysts remain. I’m anticipating I may be taking that combination for many months if not years because of the unknown number of bio film cysts. FYI, it took several weeks of taking both before all the symptoms of Lyme basically disappeared, so it’s not an overnight miracle cure.
How much Selenium do you take?
I take 400mcg once a day. Those headaches may not be the result of Herx. They may well be more directly caused by bio film cysts opening and releasing unknown amounts of live bacteria, that is why one must also take Oregano Oil to kill off the bacteria and MSM to help the body dispose of the bio film garbage being left behind.
I used a similar approach — the key is that, after confronting the biofilm, one must keep it at bay. The approach I have taken is to make my body an unfriendly environment for biofilms–through diet. Autoimmune diseases have proliferated in recent years due to toxins, excessive reliance on pharmaceuticals, poisoned foods including GMOs in vegetables, fruits, and most terrifying, the increase in poisoning our meats/animals. A truly clean diet can transform your physical status within weeks. Check our Steven Gundry “The Plant Paradox” based on years of research and demonstrable results. Within days, literally, I started feeling better after coping with this problem for years. You can’t continue to poison your body with drugs and poisoned food and ever expect to get out of this problem.
James, how much oregano oil do we need to take!!
Replying to “Anonymous” The amount of Oregano Oil I take is .02ml or 181mg twice daily in gel cap form.
I highly recommend Interfase Plus as a biofilm buster. And one month on antibiotics is enough to kill whatever’s in the bloodstream. The rest is in cyst form and/or behind biofilms. Instead utilize a combo of Cowden and Buhner herbs. I have had the most success with low sustained doses of Banderol (otoba bark), Samento (TOA-free cat’s claw), SpiroNIL (teasel root), cryptolepis sanguinolenta (very important — targets protozoal coinfections; I prefer from Montana Farmacy), and oregano oil. After 12 years of misdiagnosed and untreated Lyme, I am mostly recovered after 1.5 years. Pine cone extract (Immunophen) is also very helpful.
And for detox/rebuilding, I use milk thistle, turmeric, glutathione, ozonated water, Restore and l-glutamine (for leaky gut), Cellfood, Crystal Energy, and liposomal colostrum. Not sure how much of these are necessary, it’s just what I’m on. Lyme doc also has me on low dose naltrexone, 50 ml in water per day.
Good luck!
I have been enjoying amazing results from a Homeopathic Lyme Protocol that my Homeopathic Practitioner has been guiding me through over the past 13-15 months. It was developed by two MD’s who have Lyme and discovered the significance of the biofilm a while ago. There is die-off and all the related symptoms, (that’s how I knew it was working) but there are no side effects (I developed a severe sensitivity to antibiotics, so they are no longer an option for me) and although it takes patience and lots of trust, it is working. For the first time in many many years, I feel like I can function as a normal person. I would be glad to share my Homeopath’s contact information with anyone who would like to investigate this alternative way to fight this pestilence.
I would love to know the homeopaths contact info. My daughter has chronic Lyme and has terrible insomnia. Thank you, Linda ragusa
Linragusa@aol.com
We lyme warriors know all about this.
These damn doctors that think they know everything allow our lives to be destroyed while every breath is torture. They need to take off their “better than thou” hats & help us in the real world.
We know all about spirochetes & biofilms yet they laugh at us, tell us to see a shrink & make us want to be dead.
Marcie, I know exactly what you are going through. Have had MDs and dermatologists, etc., just tell me “there is no such thing”! as biofilms. You know you have to take the cure into your own hands. Please check out Steven Gundry’s book The Plant Paradox — just recently released. It is science. It is proof that you can take control of your own life and your own body. I am doing it. Really applies to all autoimmune disorders including RA, and many others. My heart goes out to you–I have been there. Feeling shamed, alone, desperate for help and eventually afraid to ask, or even mention it!
Find me on FB — Rosemarie Newton (MD, PhD) — I am going to start posting about my experiences with this. The medical community should feel shame — I had seven MDs over the course of time — all they could proscribe were medicines that actually I now understand, made it worse. And not a one of them would even bother to Google “biofilms”, or respond in a meaningful way. They don’t know anything about biofilms, and they most definitely do not want to know. Interestingly, however, there is now a research unit at Univ of Florida devoted to biofilms. Yet if you look at the history, you will see that they have been known for about 100 years.
I’m interested in knowing if other bacteria live in biofilms IN the human body and if so, what types of disease do they cause and WHAT does western medicine do for them? I found this on the nih library pub med site http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23635385
” Most research into bacterial pathogenesis has focused on acute infections, but these diseases have now been supplemented by a new category of chronic infections caused by bacteria growing in slime-enclosed aggregates known as biofilms. Biofilm infections, such as pneumonia in cystic fibrosis patients, chronic wounds, chronic otitis media and implant- and catheter-associated infections, affect millions of people in the developed world each year and many deaths occur as a consequence. In general, bacteria have two life forms during growth and proliferation. In one form, the bacteria exist as single, independent cells (planktonic) whereas in the other form, bacteria are organized into sessile aggregates. The latter form is commonly referred to as the biofilm growth phenotype. Acute infections are assumed to involve planktonic bacteria, which are generally treatable with antibiotics, although successful treatment depends on accurate and fast diagnosis. However, in cases where the bacteria succeed in forming a biofilm within the human host, the infection often turns out to be untreatable and will develop into a chronic state.”
SO, the key is to get early diagnosis. (Fat chance with the crappy CDC doctrines based on crappy IDSA “science”. ) And as we read, this develops into a chronic state when the bacteria becomes resistant to even heavy duty antibiotics. I think any of us sick for years or decades knew this already. How do they find the biofilms within us to PROVE then, that we have chronic infection?
So, BOOYAH you freakin’ idiots who sat on this for nearly 4 decades and let people become disabled or die from your “hard to get and easy to treat” infection. Perhaps new testing to get those “acute” cases diagnosed and treated will be more pressing?
Or, they will just try their newfangled vaccine on the horizon and leave those they had ignored and sickened by neglectful practice, in the dust. Dust to dust.
Hi, I realize I am replying to a post quite awhile ago, but if anyone happens to see this, please pass on that I have seen some results with friends trying Biomagnetic Pair Lyme Protocol Therapy. You can research this through BiomagneticUSA.com (look for practictioners at this site) or Joan-Randall.com (she teaches the protocol, and has a list of some practitioners that might be in your area)
I think ABX is not the solution Harold Cohick… The solution is changing our intake food and build up the GUT. There some Naturopaths out there, that could help us instead taking tons of uncertain chemicals until you die…
I’m in the same boat as the rest of you, paddling down the same river.
sigh…… it’s exhausting, but we push on. Just like cancer patients we are waiting for a cure.
I AGREE WITH ALL THE COMMENTS ABOVE;;HAVE LD FOR OVER 20 YRS, MISDIAGNOISED FOR 6 YRS W FIBRO THEN HAD BELL’S PALSY WHERE THEY DID LYME TEST CAME BACK POSITIVE;;HAD ANOTHER ONE FROM IGENEX ALSO;;NOW DISABLED AND IN SEVERE PAIN DUE TO BACK SURGERY W 4 DISC REMOVED AND ROD PUT IN, BUT EVER SINCE ”PAIN”MOSTLY BEDRIDDEN;;MY HOPE IS IN MY SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST WHO HAS GOTTEN ME THRU IT FOR ALL THESE YEARS;;;MY PRAYER IS THAT WE WOULD FINALLY SEE SOME MORE ACTION (SINCE SOME BILLS HAVE COME OUT)FOR NEW RESEARCH, AND TREATMENT;;I PRAY FOR ALL WITH LYME DISEASE BECAUSE I ”UNDERSTAND” WHAT THEY ARE GOING THRU;;GOD BLESS
SORRY I FORGOT TO MENTION ;;I HAD A GREAT LLMD WHO SAVED MY LIFE FROM LYME DISEASE, BUT WAS ON IV ABX FOR 3 WKS THEN ORAL ABX’S FOR 6 YRS. THOUGHT I WAS IN ”REMISSION”BUT WAS ATTACKING MY JOINTS AND SPINE;;CAN NOT AFFORD ANY LLMD TREATMENT BUT ON RX’S FOR NOW
Sandy, I came to realize early on that there is no such thing as being in remission from Lyme disease and that is because nothing in the “standard” treatments for Lyme does anything to address the central problem of bio film cysts that can open up and release unknown quantities of live bacteria that begin the infection all over again. Those cysts once existing open up whenever the cysts can no longer contain all the live bacteria replicating within them.
http://www.lime-n.com
I recently began treatment for chronic Lyme and have just discovered this site. I understand this particular discussion is about the biofilms but I would like your feedback on the Herx reaction causing severe headaches. Am taking 500 mg. Levaquin and 600 mg. Rifampin daily. It is debilitating to say the least.
What if all of this is related to Morgellons Disease? Too many similarities, I’ve been infected with Lyme for almost 2 years – mostly systemic and Morgellons for 2 months… 18yrs old, bloody unbearable sometimes. We need to raise awareness for MD as a co infection, it is simply too debilitating in the mixture.
Candidly as one infected with the B.burgdorferi bacteria and having seen a variety of explainable skin irritations, I seriously question the existence of Morgellons Disease as being unique to itself. It is stupid for any physician to seemingly assume that B.burgdorferi spirochetes do not enter the dermis and eventually create a variety of skin irritations, including itching, unexplained redness blotches, and even a suddenly appearing pinpoint size place that appears to be a bleeding injury.
Summary: Morgellons Disease doesn’t exist but the symptoms are not “delusional” at all, they are symptoms of an active B.burgdorferi bacterial infection.
James, you are the first person to mention this symptom. I thought I was in remission and stopped all abx’s 6 months ago and am now going downhill especially these very itchy arms and pinpoint super-itchy pin points that bleed when scratched. I have shown 2 LLMDs and both are unaware of its cause. Either Lyme or Yeast infection?
I’m likely to catch some flack over this, but in my opinion there is no such thing as a B.burgdioreri bacterial infection being in remission. Why? The bacteria creates bio film cysts in which it replicates itself. Sooner or later those cysts rupture and release unknown quantities of live bacteria, which repeats the infection cycle all over again. The cure will only become available when 2 things happen. 1. Treatment is inclusive of a bio film creation inhibitor and 2. a bio film destructor that will deal with bio film cysts to the point antibiotics of some nature can kill off the bacteria contained therein without darn near killing the patient; and even then no one will know how long it might take for one to be totally free of the bacteria as it is impossible to determine the size and depth of cyst colonies that exist around joints, in the heart, in the lungs, or even the brain.
After considerable research I have found that taking Selenium can possibly prevent the bacteria from creating bio film. Whether Selenium will weaken or destroy existing bio film cysts would be purely speculative. I have also been taking a natural antibiotic in the form of Oregano Oil in the hopes of dealing with live bacteria as it is released from the cysts. At some point, if I am correct the combination of those two supplements will eventually rid me of the bacteria. At this point I am aware of when cysts open by short term symptoms that quickly subside, which I interpret as the Oregano Oil having killed the live bacteria that was released.
I know this is an older post, but wondering how much MSM you take? I’m grateful for your thoughts, as I’ve been doing the oregano and selenium (in the form of Brazil nuts). It’s working for me quickly, I think because I have a pretty clean diet. Since you had an older post (2 years I think), I’m wondering how this regimen is working for you 2 years later? Have you stopped anything?
My daughter has had lyme for about 11 years. Nothing works. I have a recent study in hand done by John Hopkins that took 127 antibiotics and applied them to dishes of lyme batceria. The researchers cut the drugs down to the top 27 drugs and the best drugs would only kill 65-70 percent of the lyme bacteria. That of course leaves 30 percent of the bacteria alive to replicate. You can win killing only 70 percent of the bacteria, the remaining bacteria is called persisters. It is only lately that the CDC even acknowledges that chronic late stge lyme disease exists. there are more people infected with lyme each year than aids. Where is the outry for lyme disease research.
I’m going to start this late response by saying Dr. Burgdorfer was 100% correct when sometime before his death some ten years ago he extolled he felt research had taken the wrong direction. If you pull up all the research papers associated with Lyme on the NIH Website you will discover that that there is some now nearly forty years of basically duplicated lab research, none arriving at anything really new or leading to a cure. The exceptions being the two or three research papers submitted in 2013 and later that focused on identifying the specific makeup of the bio film protein the bacteria creates.
The central problem with the research lies in the fact it is impossible to duplicate in a lab what actually takes place with the bacteria once in the human body. I personally do not believe it possible to duplicate that in a lab environment for two basic reasons. One reason being the replication rate in the two environments has to be markedly different. The other being no way to control the actually quantity of live bacteria due to the replication rate being inconsistent This basically means no survival rate of bacteria could even be remotely close to correct. I would basically call the report from the study just so much bunk, like so many previous studies. So called “Persisters” just don’t exist, they are nothing beyond bacteria that managed to cloak themselves in bio film sufficiently to defend them against antibiotics. In other words “Persisters” have become the latest excuse for treatment failure.
Without any valid testing for the bacteria I have concluded at this point that my treatment using Oregano Oil in combination with Selenium has been successful given no more unexpected symptoms recurring for quite sometime. Even at nearly 76 years of age I appear to be rebuilding muscle mass lost during my bout with Lyme. I’m now in maintenance mode down to one Oregano Oil gelcap a day and only the amount of Selenium contained in a multiple vitamin supplement.
Is CBD oil a biofilm buster?