Posts by:
Gabriella True

Correlation between COVID-19 severity and previous exposure of patients to Borrelia spp.

Szewczyk-Dąbrowska, A., Budziar, W., Harhala, M. et al. Correlation between COVID-19 severity and previous exposure of patients to Borrelia spp.. Sci Rep 12, 15944 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20202-x

Also, read Medical News Today article.

  • In this study, all hospitalized COVID-19 patients tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi-specific IgG, with significantly higher levels in severe cases.
  • Patients with a history of Borrelia exposure showed increased susceptibility to severe COVID-19 upon SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • Severe COVID-19 patients also exhibited higher levels of IgGs specific to Anaplasma antigens, suggesting a potential link between increased COVID-19 risks and tick bites and related infections.
  • Testing for Borrelia-specific IgM revealed higher positivity in hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to mild/asymptomatic patients and those not infected with SARS-CoV-2. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of COVID-19 hospitalization increased with each positive read for a Lyme disease-related antigen for IgG antibodies.
  • Multivariate analysis highlighted specific Borrelia antigens associated with increased odds of hospitalization for both IgG and IgM antibodies. These findings suggest a potential connection between Borrelia exposure and the severity of COVID-19 outcomes.
Roles of Th17 cytokines in microglial and neurovascular responses to recurrent intranasal Streptococcus pyogenes infections

Theses Doctoral. Columbia Academic Commons. https://doi.org/10.7916/62va-6330

Academic Units: Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies
Thesis Advisors: Agalliu, Dritan
Degree: Ph.D., Columbia University
Published:  September 7, 2022

A letter to my 14 year old self
A letter to my 14 year old self

Our friend gave ASPIRE permission to share this letter to her 14-year-old self. Many of us know how it feels to be too affected by PANS/PANDAS/BGE to go to school....

Read Story

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Inflammatory Cerebrospinal Fluid Changes and Intrathecal Antinuclear Antibody Staining

D Endres, MA Schiele, BC Frye, A Schlump, B Feige, k Nickel, B Berger, M Reisert, H Urbach, K Domschke, N Venhoff, H Prüss, L Tebartz van Elst. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Inflammatory Cerebrospinal Fluid Changes and Intrathecal Antinuclear Antibody Staining. Biological Psychiatry. Elsevier. 3 September 2022. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.06.037

Autoimmune-mediated obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during childhood has long been established in the context of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection. In adult psychiatry, the topic has increasingly gained interest in light of new developments regarding autoimmune encephalitis and autoimmune psychosis. Hence, diagnostic criteria for autoimmune OCD in adulthood have been proposed recently, and the first respective cases were reported. For the detection of neuroinflammatory processes, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis (besides the far more invasive brain biopsy) is considered the most sensitive diagnostic tool. Here, we present 2 paradigmatic OCD patients with inflammatory CSF signals including antinuclear antibody staining in CSF and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/electroencephalography (EEG) findings compatible with OCD.

 

 

Group A Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus-Induced Tic-Like Movement Disorder in an Adult: A Case Report

Ilyas U, Umar Z, Lin D (August 26, 2022) Group A Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus-Induced Tic-Like Movement Disorder in an Adult: A Case Report. Cureus 14(8): e28451. doi:10.7759/cureus.28451

“Our case report highlights the importance of a thorough history, including inquiring about past infections and investigations to look for autoimmune and infectious etiologies, including ASO and positive DNAse B titers, in adult patients with new onset movement disorders and no other identifiable etiology and risk factors. Further research is mandatory to investigate the incidence of movement disorders in the adult population after a streptococcal infection and the diagnostic approach and treatment modalities needed to manage such patients.”