This experiment is part of the Wildlife Diseases Challenge Grant. Browse more projects

Ticks carry more than Lyme disease in California – are Californians at risk?

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$4,101
Raised of $4,000 Goal
102%
Funded on 11/05/16
Successfully Funded
  • $4,101
    pledged
  • 102%
    funded
  • Funded
    on 11/05/16

Discussion

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  • Tony Poynton
    Tony Poynton
    Hi Sharon. I am in western Australia and have a relapsing fever. My uni Murdoch has discovered a echidna biting tick that has a borrelia that they named borrelia tachiglossi after the echidnas Latin name. I was bitten where they dig and where the echidnas population is high. Do you want a sample in exchange of donation. Tony
    Oct 19, 2019
  • LymeDisease.org
    LymeDisease.orgBacker
    LymeDisease.org is happy to be able to support this study to increase knowledge about tick-borne infections with the hope that it will improve peoples' lives. The most-used commercial test for Lyme disease is based on a single clone from a single spirochete from an island off the tip of Long Island, NY. No wonder it fails to identify many infections from places like California, Texas, Georgia. This study will help to identify at least one additional Borrelia that may be making people in California sick. California leads the country in numbers of different species of Borrelia. How many cause human disease? No one knows. We need MORE sensitive tests, not narrow ones that miss more than half the cases of actual Lyme, not to mention all those other Borrelia-related illnesses. This study moves us in the right direction. Thank you, Sharon Brummitt, for your interest and dedication. We will be watching for--and reporting on--updates. Phyllis Mervine LymeDisease.org
    Oct 09, 2016
  • Alicia
    AliciaBacker
    Godspeed on your research! Alicia Madison Lyme Support Group https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com https://about.me/lymecoordinator56
    Oct 08, 2016
  • Phyllis Mervine
    Phyllis MervineBacker
    This project only has to raise another $600 before a matching grant from LymeDisease.org kicks in. They are almost there!
    Oct 07, 2016
  • Kathleen Harris
    Kathleen HarrisBacker
    Although it's sad that our government won't fund this project, I'm proud to be able to step up and do my part, as a former Lyme disease sufferer.
    Oct 05, 2016
  • Sharon Brummitt
    Sharon BrummittResearcher
    Thank you so much Kathleen.
    Oct 05, 2016
  • Lori Jean Cuccio
    Lori Jean Cuccio
    I'm excited to see any testing of Borrelia in California, but I'm concerned with your sample group. As a regular Red Cross blood donor, I'm in good health and believe myself to have a strong immune system. Being in good health is a prerequisite to donating blood. I am also the mother of a boy who has been sick for three years with no answers, until recently. His symptoms all point to untreated Lyme Disease, likely contracted while backpacking in Yosemite. He wanted to be a blood donor, like his mother, but his chronic and ever-worsening symptoms have prevented him from donating (though he did donate in the past when he wasn't so bad, before we knew he might have Lyme... and we are devastated to think that it might have been passed on to someone else through his donation). So, at this point, people like him - chronically ill and not in good health - will not be part of the donor pool, and not a part of your study. I hope you can examine the parameters of your study to broaden your sample group.
    Oct 03, 2016
  • Sharon Brummitt
    Sharon BrummittResearcher
    Hi Lori, Thank you so much for your comment and I am so sorry to hear about your son's health troubles, I hope that your son has received the medical care that he needs. We suspect that there are people who are exposed and do not show any symptoms and antibody testing from people from higher incident counties of Lyme disease are the ones most likely to be exposed. Since, there have not been any documented human cases in California of B miyamotoi, we hope that this study will at least document exposure to the bacteria. With the results of this study, then further more detailed studies can be carried out. I hope that helps.
    Oct 03, 2016
  • Lane Poor
    Lane Poor
    The testing, very low cost. <$4 per sample. Testing for antibodies? How many? What materials and methods?
    Oct 02, 2016
  • Sharon Brummitt
    Sharon BrummittResearcher
    Hi Lane, Thank you for your interest in my project. The blood bank samples will cost a little over $4.00. We will be doing antibody test for Borrelia miyamotoi and Borrelia burgdorferi. We will be testing about 500 samples as per my calculated sample size. Sera will be randomly selected from people who donated blood to blood banks in counties with a higher incidence of Lyme disease. I hope that helps?
    Oct 02, 2016
  • Cindy Wu
    Cindy WuBacker
    I keep hearing about more friends of friends getting Lyme disease here on the East Coast. 😞 Having lots of friends in California and lots of friends that like hiking and camping, I'm very interested in what you discover!
    Sep 06, 2016