WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass., August 28, 2000 - Boston Bbiomedica, Inc.(NASDAQ:
BBII) announced today that BBI Clinical Laboratories of New Britain, CT (a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Boston Biomedica has launched a new antibody test
for Lyme Disease called the C6 Lyme Pepide ELISA (VIsE). There is a nationwide
market for Lyme Disease testing, but accurate diagnosis has been hampered to
date by inadequate tests. The Company believes that this new test offers a
significant breakthrough in accuracy. BBI Clinical Laboratories is the first
reference laboratory to make this test commercially available.
The test for antibodies to a surface lipoprotein found in all strains of
Borrelia burgdorferi was first reported late last year by Dr. S. J. Norris and
coworkers at the University of Texas and by Dr. Mario Philipp and his group at
Tulane University. This newly discovered protein. called VlsE, has the ability
to change its structure, thus avoiding the patient's immune response, VlsE
consists of both variable and invariable parts. One of these invariable parts,
C6, produces a strong antibody response in patients with Lyme Disease, and is
able to distinguish between patients with Lyme Disease and those who have been
vaccinated to help prevent the disease.
Many of the tests currently in use have a positive reaction as a result of
the recently approved Lyme Disease vaccine, which has been given to thousands
of people over the past year. This new test, the C6Lyme Peptide ELISA (C6LPE)
has several features contributing to its accuracy and reproducibility in a
wide range of patients. These include:
"We are very pleased to announce the availability of this new test for Lyme
Disease. It is the first commercially available test that can be used in
vaccinated patients. Because the test is so specific, there will be fewer
false positive results than we currently see," commented Dr. Richard C.
Tilton, Senior Vice president for Science and Technology at BBI Clinical
Laboratories and an internationally recognized expert on testing for
tick-borne infections. "BBI Clinical Laboratories has worked very closely with
Immunetics, Inc., Cambridge, MA, the developer of the C6LPE test kit, to make
this test available."
Ms. Karen Forschner of the Hartford-based Lyme Disease Foundation said. "We
are very excited that this test has the potential to identify missed cases of
Lyme Disease as well as to detect both early and late disease."
Lyme Disease continues to be the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the
U.S. As of August 2000, there have been over 145,000 cases of Lyme Disease
reported to the CDC since 1980. Annual incidence of the disease since 1996 is
over l5,000 cases per year. Lyme Disease is under-reported and the true
incidence may be 10 times the reported incidence.
In addition to the new VlsE, BBI Clinical Laboratories offers a
comprehensive range of carefully validated tests for tick-borne pathogens,
including confirmatory tests for Lyme Disease, and tests for human
ehrlichiosis and another tick-borne pathogen, Babesia microti.
WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston
Biomedica, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBII) announced today that BBI Clinical Laboratories
(BBICL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BBI, now offers a new direct blood test
for Babesia microti, a tick-borne human pathogen that can cause symptoms
resembling Lyme Disease. The test for B. microti DNA uses polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) technology, and was developed at BBI Biotech Research
Laboratories, (another wholly-owned subsidiary of BBI), in part with funding
through an SBIR grant from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID). B. microti is carried by the same tick (Ixodes scapularis or
deer tick) that carries the Lyme Disease pathogen, and was first detected in
humans on Nantucket Island, MA in the 1960s. Infections have since been seen
in temperate climate areas throughout the U.S. Babesiosis is often mild and
self-limiting, but can be serious and even fatal in immunocompromised
patients. Co-infections with the Lyme Disease organism (Borrelia burgdorferi)
and B. microti have been observed.
New Test for Lyme Disease
BBI Clinical Laboratories Will Be First To Offer 3rd Generation
Test
"We are very pleased to announce the development, validation and offering of this test for babesiosis, because it provides another important tool for the accurate diagnosis of patients who have experienced tick bites," commented Richard C. Tilton, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Science and Technology at BBI and an internationally recognized expert in tick-borne pathogens. "Because symptoms are usually mild, babesiosis may be under-reported. The availability of a sensitive and specific test for B. microti and greater public awareness of the potential for disease from a tick bite should help physicians and researchers reach a better understanding of both the prevalence and the severity of the infection."
"BBICL's Babesia DNA test was validated in a joint effort between our scientists and an academic research laboratory that specializes in the study of this microorganism," said Dr. Patricia E. Garrett, Senior Vice President at BBI and General Manager of BBICL. "Results on blinded samples agreed 100%. We believe it will both succeed in the marketplace and contribute positively to the diagnostic dilemmas surrounding tick-borne diseases."
BBI Clinical Laboratories specializes in testing for a broad range of infectious diseases including AIDS, Hepatitis, and tick-borne diseases, utilizing immunology, microbiology, and molecular diagnostic based test formats. Its services are offered to physicians, hospitals, clinics, and other reference laboratories.
Ticks, dead or alive, sent to BBI Laboratories are given a PCR test to detect the DNA of the spirochetal bacterium that causes Lyme disease. The tick must be placed in a small plastic bottle or a sealed plastic bag and sent with a pre-payment of $39.00 to BBI Clinical Laboratories, 75 North Mountain Road, New Britain, CT 06053. Notification is given by phone within 4-5 days if the tick is infected.
BBI website www.bbii.com Phone: 860-225-1900
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Quote of the Month "As physicians, it is our responsibility to protect life and
quality of life. A tenacious pro-active stand prevents bias from
obstructing access and quality of care." |
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) final numbers on ACCEPTED, REPORTED cases of Lyme disease for 1999 were released recently. These numbers are based on cases meeting the strict epidemiological definition of the disease.
CDC officials agree that Lyme disease is grossly under diagnosed and under reported and have stated that the actual number of cases are about 10 times the reported numbers.
This abbreviated list shows states reporting over 10 cases. Ohio and its neighbor states are highlighted.
[Columbus]Dispatch State Service Thurs, August 10,
2000
DELAWARE, Ohio�A tick advisory has been issued by the Delaware County
Health Department since one case of Lyme disease was confirmed this week in a
southeastern Delaware County resident.
The advisory, issued yesterday, warns residents to stay away from weed-filled and wooded areas to avoid contact with the black-legged tick. The tick, which transmits the disease through a bite, is found on many Ohio wild animals, including deer, raccoons and opossums, the health department said.
Symptoms include a red bull's- eye-shaped rash that develops at the bite site, usually within a month. Fevers and headaches also are common.
The health department will test ticks for the disease.
For more information, call the health department at 740-368-1700 or 740-548-7055
By RYAN DOUGHERTY - Centre Daily Times State College, Pennsylvania,
Friday, September 22, 2000
UNIVERSITY PARK - For Penn State senior
Megan O'Connell, the rigors of college life extend far beyond final exams and
disagreements with roommates.
O'Connell, who contracted Lyme disease from her mother at birth, says the debilitating illness keeps her from being a "normal" college student.
Keg parties, football games and club activities are simply impossible to participate in, she said.
"Basically, I'm always very tired," O'Connell said. "I come home from class and can't do homework. I just need to lay in bed. It really messes with your mind and comes with a lot of depression, coupled with a loss of concentration."
Worse, O'Connell has never met anyone at Penn State who has the disease or even knows anyone with it. That lack of knowledge about Lyme disease, across campus, is, she says, "pretty scary."
To that end, O'Connell and several other students from an engineering leadership class were out late Thursday night, writing information about Lyme disease onto campus sidewalks and walkways with chalk.
"We're going out to raise awareness," O'Connell said hours before the chalking, "and my goal is to hit the whole campus."
Aside from statistical information, the group planned to use some eye-grabbers such as "Lyme Sucks" to catch student attention, she said.
"We've got some crazy phrases," O'Connell said, laughing.
Thursday night's chalking resulted from a class project that forces students to teach themselves a service-leadership project, said Jack Matson, the co-professor of the science, technology and society class within Penn State's engineering department. Fifteen students are in the class, and many of them were preparing to spend Thursday night chalking university grounds.
Matson said it was O'Connell's "incredibly high passion" that got the project started.
"The infectiousness of her strength, interest and dedication carried over to the class," he said.
Lyme disease, which wreaks havoc on the central nervous system, gets transferred by ticks, according to the Center for Disease Control.
"It really goes to your brain," O'Connell said. "You end up doing things you wouldn't normally do, and you don't even know why. But you do it."
To help keep her behavior in check, she takes a myriad of medicines, highlighted by three 15-minute sessions of intravenous medicine per day.
O'Connell's struggle with the disease has not been lost on her fellow classmates.
"I love it when someone can really inspire me, and (O'Connell) really hit home with me," said graduate student Sarah Gingrich. "I am really anxious to (chalk) so we can get the message out there."
Regardless of whether students see the chalk messages this morning, O'Connell's quest to inform seems to have already affected members of her group.
"I didn't know (Lyme disease) was nearly that serious," Gingrich said. "I was in situations last summer where I worked in the forest and had to pull ticks off me - now, I'll be much more cautious."
O'Connell learned early in life to be cautious, growing up in Chester County - statistically one of the highest areas for Lyme-infection cases in the United States, according to the CDC.
"My mom passed it on to my two younger brothers and a younger sister, too, and there's no doubt we got re-infected," O'Connell said, alluding to the tick-heavy woods behind her childhood home.
Slowed down by the disease to the point that twice she had to return home and take classes at the Delaware County campus, O'Connell said she hopes to graduate with a math degree in December. And she hopes to parlay that degree into admittance to medical school.
"I'm kind of hoping by the time I'm a doctor there will be some more medical research on Lyme disease out there so I can help people," she said. As for Thursday night's chalking, "I do what I can to inform people, because this disease is so horrible," O'Connell said.
(from www.wcmh4.com)
Columbus, OH. July 23 � Experts are saying
that this is one of the worst seasons ever for ticks and could be one of the
worst for the tick-born infection Lyme disease.
There have already been more than two dozen cases reported in Ohio including one last week near Mansfield.
Do you know how to protect your family from Lyme disease? NewsChannel 4's Bob Nunnally spoke with a woman who hopes you find out unlike she did before it's too late.
In 1988, Jenny Umphress was an enthusiastic teenager. Jenny's mom, Susan recalls her daughter's excitement as the Ada, Ohio family embarked on one of their first real vacations at Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. Jenny lost a tragic struggle with the disease in 1994.
Cases like Jenny's are still very rare in Ohio, but according to the American Lyme Disease Foundation, the danger of contracting the tick-born infection is much higher this season. In their latest report they strongly recommend preventive measures like frequent tick checks if you spend a lot of time in the woods.
In fact, across the country reported cases of Lyme disease reached an all-time high of nearly 17,000 in 1998, a 25% increase over the previous year, and beating the previous record set just three years earlier.
Last year there were 49 cases reported in Ohio. There have been 26 cases reported this year. One recently near Mansfield and one unconfirmed in Franklin County.
Dr. Harrison Weed says those figures, though alarming, are no reason to panic. The best way to avoid ticks to keep your skin covered in the woods with light covered clothes like long pants tucked into your socks and long sleeved shirts. Dr. Weed also recommends insect repellent.
He recommends that if you do notice a tick in your skin try to remove it with tweezers as close to the skin as possible.
If that doesn't work, or you start to notice a bulls-eye shaped rash on your skin, call your doctor immediately.
Susan Umphress has written a book about her daughter Jenny's struggle with Lyme disease. She believes information is the best way to beat it.
For more information on the book "Twice An Angel: Living and Dying with Lyme Disease: The Jenny Umphress Story" e-mail Susan Umphress at [email protected]. (or send check or money order $15.73 (Ohio) or $14.95 (outside Ohio) to Good Earth Pub., 248 Bayview Dr., Celina, OH 45822. Includes shipping and handling.
By Patty Kimerer - Special to the Gazette
Accent pages of The
Gazette (Medina, OH)
Tuesday, August 15, 2000
Irritated by the pesky critters buzzing and crawling into your personal space? Well, pay attention to those nasty little bites that eventually become summer's battle scars, because some of them are potentially life-threatening. That's right, tick bites can be more than just painful or unpleasant--they can infect people or animals with deadly diseases.
According to the Greater Cleveland Lyme Disease Support Group, the mild temperatures of last winter, combined with an early onset of spring have produced an unusually abundant crop of ticks throughout the state. Don Steward, environmental director of the Medina County Health Department, agrees that mild winters do not always kill off insects and other arthropod types of organisms. In any event, ticks are not to be taken lightly.
Though the potential dangers of tick bites have been widely publicized over the past few summers, many people may not realize that ticks can transmit a host of infections -- sometimes more than one with a single bite.
Ann Hirschberg of GCLDSG says all the following types of ticks are indigenous to Ohio: the Blacklegged tick, the American Dog tick and the Lone Star tick. "Each of them is harmful because they carry various diseases like Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and babesiosis," she said.
For example, Lyme disease can be transmitted through both Blacklegged and Lone Star ticks, while all three types of ticks can pass along ehrlichiosis. Basically, any of the different varieties of ticks can cause several infections, which if left untreated, can be fatal.
Stewart and Hirschberg suggest insect repellent containing the chemical DEET as a precaution. They warn, however, that DEET is sometimes unsafe for small children and that, upon doctors' recommendations, they should be given alternate repellents. Other suggestions include an ability to identify symptoms and following proper procedure in the event of a bite.
"Many people follow the old wives' tales about using gasoline, nail polish or a hot match to remove a tick. But this will cause it to panic, regurgitate and infect you or your pet with whatever diseases it may be carrying." Hirschberg cautioned.
She advises using tweezers to grab the head of the tick straight out and wiping the infected area with antiseptic. "Ideally, you should save the tick to show to your doctor because it's important to get an appointment as soon as possible after a tick bite," she said.
Stewart stresses the importance of awareness and preventative measures. He says it's important to be armed with information in the war against tick bites. "For instance, many people might think that only dogs or cats are prone to tick bites, but humans are at just as great a risk. Especially since we've discovered that it isn't just mice or deer that carry ticks, but virtually any type of rodent like a raccoon and many migratory birds, too." he said.
For more information or to receive a free brochure, go to www.geocities.com/gcldsg or send a self-addressed, stamped business envelope to GCLDSG at 7644 Main St., Cleveland, 44138 or contact the Vector-borne Disease Program at (614) 752-1029.
Toshi Seeger, reached by telephone at the couple's home in Beacon, said he had been feeling sick and recently learned of the diagnosis. She said it isn't yet clear how severe a case he has contracted.
"We have ticks in the area we live,'' she added. Beacon is about 50 miles north of New York City.
Lyme disease is caused by a microbe that is spread to humans through a tick bite. The disease can cause headache, fever, stiff joints and fatigue. It can be treated effectively with antibiotics.
She said Seeger, 81, was resting at home Monday. He hopes to keep all his performing commitments, she said. Seeger, who is known for championing environmental, labor and other causes, started his career 62 years ago. He reached commercial success in the 1950s with the Weavers.
He is known for co-writing the folk classic ''Where Have All the Flowers Gone?'' He also wrote or co-wrote "If I Had a Hammer,'' ''Turn, Turn, Turn,'' and ''Kisses Sweeter Than Wine.''
Earlier this month, Seeger made news when he lost a 55-year-old banjo that fell off his car. A passer-by found and returned it two weeks later.
ACTOR Richard Gere feared he would die after contracting a potentially fatal disease that confined him to bed a for a week.
He was left too weak to move as he was stricken by Lyme disease, an infection caused by the bite of deer ticks, which causes a rash, chills, fever and pains in the joints. It can also lead to facial paralysis.
Gere, 50, who became a father in February when girlfriend Carey Lowell gave birth to their son Homer, was lucky to be diagnosed quickly and treated with powerful antibiotics, said friends.
He became ill last month, just as he was about to start promoting his new film Autumn in New York in which Winona Ryder plays his terminally- ill girlfriend.
"Richard told me he thought he was going to die," a friend revealed. "He said: 'I felt so terrible I wished I was dead'."
Gere told friends: "This is one scary disease. I felt as though every ounce of strength had gone from my body. Within hours I could barely lift my head from the pillow. Just turning my head to see the time on the clock was a major operation. I felt as if my life was going in slow motion. When I realised I was coming out of it, a wave of relief just swept over me."
The friend added: "His doctors recognised the signs almost right away. When they quizzed him they realised he had been exposed to deer ticks. He's completely OK now but he's thanking his doctors and his lucky stars that he pulled through."
Dr John Masaab, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Michigan, said Lyme disease can be fatal. "If the victim has an existing condition or is elderly, it can cause a variety of potentially deadly situations in particular pneumonia, because the immune system becomes so depressed."It really depends on when the disease is detected, but it can take a tremendous toll on the body."
CADILLAC�The Michigan Lyme Disease Association is conducting an informal survey to find an accurate count of those diagnosed and/or treated for the disease.
They may be hard-pressed to find people in the Cadillac area, however.
Bonnie Campbell, District Health Department No. 10 nurse, said there have been no reported cases of Lyme Disease in this area this year or last year.
Physicians are required to report cases of Lyme Disease to health departments.
Yet the MLDA contends that the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has strict criteria for reporting cases of Lyme Disease and do not count many cases.
Lyme Disease is an infection caused by bacteria which can be transmitted by tick bites. Early signs of the disease may include a slowly expanding rash, fatigue, fever and flu-like symptoms. If untreated, it can cause arthritis, heart complications and central nervous system attacks.
To prevent Lyme Disease, wear shoes and long pants tucked into socks when walking in woods, tall grass, brush and bushes.
MLDA officials are asking those diagnosed or treated for Lyme Disease to complete a confidential survey. To do so, call 1-888-784-5963 or write MLDA, 53001 Baker Road, Chesterfield Township, MI 48047.
Forty-eight other cases (51.6%) were not reported to CDC because.: 1) they did not meet the epidemiological case criteria established by CDC, 2) there was insufficient information provided in the case report, or 3) because the physician changed the final diagnosis.
Information compiled by staff of the
Vector-borne Disease Program -
Ohio Department of Health
900 Freeway Drive North
Columbus, OH
43229
Tel: 614-752-1029
FAX: 614-752-1391
e-mail:
[email protected]
SCOTTISH doctors have discovered that the humble sheep tick is responsible for passing a rare but deadly form of skin cancer to humans.
The new research has heralded the prospect of the cancer being tackled by antibiotics instead of more aggressive therapies.
Researchers at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness have identified a link between a B-cell lymphoma skin cancer and bacteria transmitted by the parasitic blood-suckers.
It has been known for some time that the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi is responsible for passing on Lyme disease to humans. But doctors in Inverness are the first to identify a significant relationship between the tick-borne bacterium, which is a distant cousin of syphilis, and cancer.
Dr John Goodlad of the department of pathology at Raigmore Hospital said: "We knew that because there was a high incidence of Lyme disease in the Highlands if there was going to be a relationship between B-cell lymphoma and cancer, we were going to find it here.
"We did a large number of controls, so we know that it was not just a chance result. Our findings showed a statistically significant association and gave us evidence that the organism was present. This is the first time that the link has been shown in the UK and it is certainly the first British study of this."
It is estimated that the Scottish Highlands has one of the highest rates of Lyme disease in Northern Europe. In the north of Scotland, there are 16 cases per 100,000 people each year.
"But that is probably a gross underestimation," said Goodlad. "It is probably much higher than that, because it is not a notifiable disease. Not all cases are reported and no one has done an epidemiological study to look at it thoroughly."
Borrelia burgdorferi triggers the unpleasant symptoms of Lyme disease such as arthritis, inflammation of the heart and brain, and skin rashes.
The disease took its name from the town of Lyme in Connecticut, where it was first recognised in 1975. Since then it has been recorded all over Europe and North America.
But the new link with skin cancer was only revealed when 20 B-cell lymphoma patients were compared with other skin cancer victims at Raigmore.
The researchers found that a significant number of those with lymphoma carried burgdorferi-specific DNA. The research, which has been published in this month's edition of the American Journal of Surgical Pathology, has already aroused interest in the United States where notices are erected in the countryside to warn people of the dangers of Lyme disease.
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