“A Little Bit of Broadway,” a benefit concert to help fight Lyme Disease, is set for 4 p.m. Nov. 22 at Grace United Methodist Church, 191 Bridge Street. in Corning, New York.
The concert will feature a vocal performance by Jim Hudson and Claire Gonta Smock and Jamie Smith on piano, according to a news release.
A freewill offering will be taken to benefit the Corning-Finger Lakes Chapter of the National Lyme Disease Association. Free Lyme Disease literature will be available.
Ginger Savely talks about diagnosing Lyme disease symptoms and treatment protocols as part of the Lyme expert audio interview series.
Journal of Women’s Health Oct 2009, Vol. 18, No. 10: 1717-1718. (Source: Journal of Women)
To cite this article:
Raphael B. Stricker, Lorraine Johnson. Journal of Women’s Health. October 2009, 18(10): 1717-1718. doi:10.1089/jwh.2009.1657.
Published in Volume: 18 Issue 10: October 26, 2009
Raphael B. Stricker, M.D. and Lorraine Johnson, J.D., M.B.A.
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), Bethesda, Maryland.
Address correspondence to:
Raphael B. Stricker, M.D.
450 Sutter Street, Suite 1504
San Francisco, CA 94108
Southern tick-associated rash illness is a Lyme-like syndrome that occurs in the southern states.
Borrelia lonestari, which has been suggested as a possible causative agent of southern tick-associated rash illness, naturally infects white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus) and is transmitted by the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). To better understand the prevalence and distribution of Borrelia exposure among WTD, we tested WTD from 21 eastern states for antibodies reactive to B. lonestari using an indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay and Borrelia burgdorferi using the IDEXX SNAP® 4Dx® test. A total of 107/714 (15%) had antibodies reactive to B. lonestari, and prevalence of antibodies was higher in deer from southern states (17.5%) than in deer from northern states (9.2%). Using the SNAP 4DX test, we found that 73/723 (10%) were positive for B. burgdorferi, and significantly more northern deer (23.9%) were positive compared with southern deer (3.8%). Our data demonstrate that WTD are exposed to both Borrelia species, but antibody prevalence for exposure to the two species differs regionally and distributions correlate with the presence of Ixodes scapularis and A. americanum ticks.
Jessica H. Murdock, Michael J. Yabsley, Susan E. Little, Ramaswamy Chandrashekar, Thomas P. O’Connor, Joe N. Caudell, Jane E. Huffman, Julia A. Langenberg, Simon Hollamby.
Dad battles deadly tick bite illness after Lake District trip
A Father-of-two is seriously ill with the potentially life-threatening Lyme Disease after being bitten by a blood-sucking parasite while in the Lake District.
Father of two, Kevin Slater, 48, was walking in Grisedale Valley, Patterdale, when he was bitten by a tick.
A tick is an arachnid that cuts through flesh with barbed teeth before inserting a needle-like feeding tube.
The disease has now developed into encephalitis – inflammation of the brain that can cause brain damage, blindness and even death.
Now, after receiving conflicting medical advice, Mr Slater is calling for a greater recognition of Lyme Disease among the UK medical profession, and that landowners erect warning signs in places known to house ticks carrying Lyme Disease.
Mr Slater noticed the parasite clinging to his calf while in the shower the day after the walk in August.
“It looked like a blood clot. I brushed it and it fell off.
“I picked it up and could see it had small legs. It was fully engorged – very round and filled with blood,” he said.
Aware not all ticks carry Lyme Disease, Mr Slater carried on as normal.
“Three days later I began to feel very odd. The first feeling was like motion sickness; light headed and giddy. Then there was a feeling of nausea,” he said.
Mr Slater, a self-employed engineering consultant from York, was in Germany and rang NHS Direct.
Back in the UK, he visited various doctors, becoming frust-rated with their advice, which he felt was contradictory.
NHS director of public health for the North West, Professor John Ashton, said the UK was behind America in recognising Lyme Disease, but steps were now being taken to make people more aware of the dangers.
Mr Slater has been unable to work for eight weeks and is currently receiving antibiotic treatment from his specialist in Newcastle.
Masquerade in Point Pleasant will benefit Lyme disease research
POINT PLEASANT BEACH — The John Drulle M.D. Memorial Lyme Fund Inc. is holding its annual masquerade fundraiser from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Jenkinson’s Pavilion.
The nonprofit organization was named after a noted physician from Jackson who was a pioneer in Lyme disease research in Ocean County.
The Great Imitator Masquerade will include music by disc jockey Mr. Bill, a buffet, games, a silent auction and prizes for costumes.
Proceeds will help support research and education about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
Tickets purchased in advance are $20 for adults, and $10 for children between the ages of 6 and 18. Children 5 and younger will be admitted for free.
Tickets will cost $5 more at the door.
Anyone wishing to purchase tickets or seeking further information may call Betty at (732) 542-7308.
Alan MacDonald discuses with the Lyme Disease Research Database founder his research looking into a connection between Alzheimer’s and Lyme disease.
This is the introduction to a seminar on Lyme disease which was held at the Candlewood Inn, Brookfield, CT, on October 6, 2009. It featured Dr. Daniel Cameron, the current Presidents of ILADS (International Association of Lyme and Associated Diseases) and Dr. Steven Phillips, its past President. The event was sponsored by the Rotary Club and the Lyme Disease Task Forces of Brookfield, Newtown and Ridgefield, CT.
Jerry Murphy, a selectman from the Town of Brookfield, welcomes the audience, followed by Russ Cornelius, co-founder of the Brookfield Lyme Disease Task Force, who introduces the event. The introduction summarizes the work of the task force. It is a model for other communities, especially the work with school children. The Task Force also focuses on reducing the deer population. A video clip by Dr. Kirby Stafford succinctly explains the link between deer overpopulation and Lyme disease.
Suspect in Maryville pastor’s shooting death found unfit for trial
BY BRIAN BRUEGGEMANN – News-Democrat
EDWARDSVILLE — A Troy man accused of shooting down a church pastor during a sermon is mentally unfit to stand trial, a Madison County judge ruled Tuesday.
Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli based the ruling on a report he received from court-appointed psychologist Robert Heilbronner’s examination of Terry Sedlacek.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed the psychologist would testify that Sedlacek is schizophrenic and probably wouldn’t be able to understand the legal proceedings or assist in his own defense.
Sedlacek, 27, is accused of fatally shooting the Rev. Fred Winters of First Baptist Church in Maryville on March 8.
Sedlacek has no apparent connection to the church or to Winters. His attorneys said early on in the case that Sedlacek’s mental health deteriorated after he contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite years ago.
His attorneys, Ron Slemer and Madison County Public Defender John Rekowski, filed a motion in July asking for the mental examination. They argued that Sedlacek has “visual and auditory hallucinations,” speaks in a code and is bipolar and schizophrenic.
The motion also cited the tick-borne illness and other maladies, dating back at least 10 years.
He has suffered bouts of erratic behavior his family has attributed to Lyme disease, though Tognarelli’s three-page ruling makes no reference to the ailment.
Tognarelli wrote that prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that Heilbronner, if called to testify, would describe Sedlacek as a schizophrenic likely to provide his attorneys with inaccurate or illogical explanations for his behavior.
Heilbronner also found that Sedlacek would “have significant difficulty listening to and understanding explanations that are provided to him and be unable to respond in a relevant manner during pleading or testimony.”
Tognarelli ordered that Sedlacek be put in custody of the state Department of Human Services for treatment.
Madison County State’s Attorney Bill Mudge said Sedlacek “will be housed in a secure facility once transferred. The department will then evaluate and treat the defendant. If he responds to treatment and is subsequently found fit to stand trial, the people of the state of Illinois stand ready to prosecute this case and seek justice for the victims, their families, the congregation at First Baptist Church of Maryville, and the citizens of this state.”
Rekowski said the judge’s finding is “obviously the correct ruling.”
Within 30 days, the Department of Human Services will give the judge a report on whether Sedlacek is likely to become fit to stand trial within a year.
Sedlacek drove from his home in Troy on March 8 and walked into the church with a .45-caliber Glock and more than 30 rounds of ammo, police said. He sauntered down the aisle to the pulpit, then opened fire on Winters.
The first shot, according to witnesses, hit the Bible that Winters was holding, producing a cloud of confetti that some of the roughly 150 congregants thought was perhaps part of a skit or drama. One of the bullets went through Winters’ heart. The others missed him. The gun jammed after the fourth shot. Police have said that the gunman had 30 rounds of ammunition on him, and that the death and injury toll could have been much worse if the gun had not jammed.
Sedlacek had marked March 8 as “death day” in a day planner, according to prosecutors. In Sedlacek’s bedroom, police also found an index card that had “last day will” written on it, along with a voice recorder. Authorities have not revealed the contents of the voice recorder.
Sedlacek also stabbed two church members who rushed him and restrained him. They survived.
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