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Lyme disease and Autism connection hypothesis
The association between tick-borne infections, Lyme borreliosis and autism spectrum disorders.
Bransfield RC, Wulfman JS, Harvey WT, Usman AI.Department of Psychiatry, Riverview Medical Center, 225 State Route 35, Red Bank, NJ, United States. bransfield@comcast.net
Chronic infectious diseases, including tick-borne infections such as Borrelia burgdorferi may have direct effects, promote other infections and create a weakened, sensitized and immunologically vulnerable state during fetal development and infancy leading to increased vulnerability for developing autism spectrum disorders. A dysfunctional synergism with other predisposing and contributing factors may contribute to autism spectrum disorders by provoking innate and adaptive immune reactions to cause and perpetuate effects in susceptible individuals that result in inflammation, molecular mimicry, kynurenine pathway changes, increased quinolinic acid and decreased serotonin, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and excitotoxicity that impair the development of the amygdala and other neural structures and neural networks resulting in a partial Klüver-Bucy Syndrome and other deficits resulting in autism spectrum disorders and/or exacerbating autism spectrum disorders from other causes throughout life. Support for this hypothesis includes multiple cases of mothers with Lyme disease and children with autism spectrum disorders; fetal neurological abnormalities associated with tick-borne diseases; similarities between tick-borne diseases and autism spectrum disorder regarding symptoms, pathophysiology, immune reactivity, temporal lobe pathology, and brain imaging data; positive reactivity in several studies with autistic spectrum disorder patients for Borrelia burgdorferi (22%, 26% and 20-30%) and 58% for mycoplasma; similar geographic distribution and improvement in autistic symptoms from antibiotic treatment. It is imperative to research these and all possible causes of autism spectrum disorders in order to prevent every preventable case and treat every treatable case until this disease has been eliminated from humanity.
PMID: 17980971 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17980971?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:26 pm
I am personally interested in knowing if there is a true connection between lyme disease and some autism diagnosis. My own autistic daughter displays signs of Lyme disease yet was never showed an obvious bite mark.
The hypothesis of second generation Lyme infection is really interesting. This will be something I will have my own daughter tested for and be posting updates here as well.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:32 pm
Hi Jeramie,
You must get your child tested using the Western Blot test or better, (DNA test). I grew up covered in Jersey ticks and never once in my life had the “rash” only 50% of the people get the rash, no matter what you read on the internet. It doesn’t matter what state you live in. Please know the longer your child has lyme bacteria in their system, the less likely the ELISA test will work. Which is the only test a family doc or “specialist” will use.
You can get a referral from www [dot] lymediseaseassociation [dot] org
Lyme bacteria is metal sensitive… which is the mercury to autism link.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Why was my comment deleted?
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:52 pm
It wasn’t deleted, it just was not approved right away. First time comments have to be approved to reduce spam. Now that you have one approved with your current email, you won’t have to wait for approval.
Thanks for the comment and information about Lyme above. I really appreciate the information as I arm myself with what I should know on our November 13, 2009 appointment for our daughter.
I take it you had Lyme? Did or do you also have an autistic child that tested positive as well?
Thanks,
Jeramie
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Duh… moderation. Geeze Lyme Brain going
No I have no children yet. My Lyme doc treats autism though. Yes I have lyme… negative on the ELISA test, but positive on the Western Blot. They will tell you that the ELISA test has the Western Blot confirmation, but it only goes out for confirmation if the ELISA test is positive. The ELISA test only checks for the antibodies, so if someone has had lyme for 6 months or more the body stops producing antibodies. If your doctors insist on the ELISA test, it’s worth a try, but a negative result on the ELISA test does not mean negative for lyme.
Doctors are afraid of treating for lyme disease because they are afraid of losing their license for treating with long term antibiotics. There is a really good documentary about lyme. Search you tube for “Under our Skin”. Watch the other Lyme videos there as well. Do not go to the ALDF website… that is a pharmaceutical front.
Looking back my mother may have had lyme while she was pregnant with me. I had massive chronic ear and nose infections as a baby, and had my adenoids taken out when I was five. I was Celiac then but have grown out of it. I do still have a casein allergy, (dairy) that is common amongst autistic patients. Then when I felt better I entered the gifted program at school. But in the 70′s we didn’t get half as much mercury filled vaccines like the kids get now a days.
Lyme bacteria can be sexually tranmitted, and is transmitted through many biting insects not just ticks, (mosquitoes).
Lyme symptoms that relate to an autistic diagnosis are: Poor Eye Contact, uncontrollable movements (rocking, arm flailing,) dairy allergies, IBS / leaky gut, social problems, not understanding what is meant by what is being said, tantrums, trouble speaking/ no speaking, singing – songs in head, humming instead of speaking in words, repetive behaivors, OCD, list goes on and on. Lyme Patients have been trying to get the word out for years on this.
This part is pure opinion but… I believe it is no coincidence that NJ has the highest rate of Autism. The tri-state area is endemic for lyme.
Good luck with your appointment! Please demand the Western Blot or better, or find another doctor.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Thanks again. Very helpful. Ear infections, gluten allergies, casein allergies, and several more symptoms is what my daughter has. You can read my article here about how I believe that my daughter became autistic, featured on the homepage, if you wish.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:14 pm
I’m on your facebook site now… Sounds like the story of my life… luckily my metal levels weren’t that high.
One more thing… as a toddler I would sit in the corner of the room facing away from everybody.
Sugar helps lyme bacteria reproduce. Lyme loves a high sugar diet. Lyme Bacteria is light sensitive, noise sensitive, chemical sensitive, metal sensitive, and food sensitive.
There is also a simple blood test to see all of the food allergies.
I am just so happy that someone is willing to get the test done. I’ll follow your progress on Facebook!
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:22 pm
my son has and I just returned from the natropath where he was recently placed on gf/cf diet. Thru nutiotional microscopy the natropath referred me to a lyme specialist for my son. He has typical autistic symptoms and little language.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:54 pm
We live in virginia, and my son has some sign of autism,but i think he has lyme , if i can get a docor information will be great, i took him to a phd holdert in biochimistrey, but it was a ripoff, she charged us more then 2000$ in 3 visits.
rasha