Complex multi-system illnesses occurring within a family: Presumptive evidence for an infectious disease process

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-36
Author(s):  
W John Martin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Learning Disorders ◽  
Infectious Agents ◽  
Definitive Evidence ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Manifestations

Society is witnessing an increasing incidence of illnesses with neuropsychiatric manifestations. Prominent examples include autism and learning disorders in children, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome in adults and neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly. Although clinically diverse, all of these illnesses could be contributed to by infectious agents. If so, one might expect to trace the occurrence and progression of various brain damaging illnesses among various family members. An example of this occurring in three generations of a family was unsuccessfully submitted for publication in another journal 2015; in part because of its Public Health implications. It is submitted to this journal because of definitive evidence for the transmission to humans of infectious cellular sequences incorporated into monkey-derived stealth adapted viruses.

scholarly journals Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Human Herpesviruses Are Back!

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 185
Author(s):  
Maria Eugenia Ariza
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Specific Proteins ◽  
Epstein Barr ◽  
Human Herpesviruses

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) or Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (SEID) is a chronic multisystem illness of unconfirmed etiology. There are currently no biomarkers and/or signatures available to assist in the diagnosis of the syndrome and while numerous mechanisms have been hypothesized to explain the pathology of ME/CFS, the triggers and/or drivers remain unknown. Initial studies suggested a potential role of the human herpesviruses especially Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the disease process but inconsistent and conflicting data led to the erroneous suggestion that these viruses had no role in the syndrome. New studies using more advanced approaches have now demonstrated that specific proteins encoded by EBV could contribute to the immune and neurological abnormalities exhibited by a subgroup of patients with ME/CFS. Elucidating the role of these herpesvirus proteins in ME/CFS may lead to the identification of specific biomarkers and the development of novel therapeutics.

scholarly journals ‘Stay home when sick’ advice: implications for sport and exercise

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. e001227
Author(s):  
John W Orchard ◽  
Jessica J Orchard ◽  
Rajesh Puranik
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Respiratory Illnesses ◽  
Individual Strategy ◽  
Sport And Exercise ◽  
The Right ◽  
Key Events

The coronavirus pandemic has given everyone in society an education on the harms of spread of respiratory illness. Young healthy athletes are far less likely to suffer severe adverse consequences of viral illnesses than the elderly and frail, but they are not completely immune. Chronic fatigue (overtraining) is an uncommon outcome and myocarditis a rare one, but they both warrant due consideration. It is, therefore, a sensible individual strategy to ‘stay home when sick’ if only for these risks. Traditionally though, athletes have tended to push through (train and play when ill) because of competing concerns, such as key events/matches and ‘not wanting to let teammates down’. Data from both low COVID-19 and high COVID-19 countries show that the number of cardiovascular deaths in a society correlates with the number of respiratory deaths at the same time, further linking respiratory viruses to cardiovascular deaths. We are now more aware of public health obligations to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, in particular to protect the more vulnerable members the community. This hopefully will correspond with a change in the culture of sport to one where it is considered ‘the right thing to do’, to ‘stay home when sick’.

Characterising DSCATT: A case series of Australian patients with debilitating symptom complexes attributed to ticks

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110437
Author(s):  
Jesse Schnall ◽  
Georgina Oliver ◽  
Sabine Braat ◽  
Richard Macdonell ◽  
Katherine B Gibney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Retrospective Case ◽  
Medical Diagnoses ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
First Case ◽  
Medically Unexplained

Objectives(s): To characterise the clinical profile, aetiology and treatment responsiveness of ‘Australian Lyme’, or Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks. Methods: Single-centre retrospective case analysis of patients referred to the Infectious Diseases Unit at Austin Health – a tertiary health service in Heidelberg, Australia – between 2014 and 2020 for investigation and treatment of suspected Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks. Patients were included if they had debilitating symptoms suggested by either themselves or the referring clinician as being attributed to ticks. Results: Twenty-nine Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks cases were included in the analysis. Other than Lyme disease (83%), the most common prior medical diagnoses were Epstein–Barr virus (38%), chronic fatigue syndrome (28%) and fibromyalgia (24%). Prior histories of anxiety (48%) and depression (41%) were common. The most frequently reported symptoms included fatigue (83%), headache (72%) and arthralgia (69%). National Association of Testing Authorities/Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia–accredited serology was not diagnostic of acute infective causes, including Lyme disease, in any patient. Of 25 cases with available data, 23 (92%) had previously been prescribed antimicrobials, with 53% reporting benefit from them. The most common diagnoses made by our hospital were chronic fatigue syndrome (31%), migraines (28%) and fibromyalgia (21%). Only one patient’s symptoms were not accounted for by other diagnoses. Conclusion: This is the first case series of patients with Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks. They had high rates of other medically unexplained syndromes, and no evidence of acute Lyme disease, or any common organic disease process. Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks remains medically unexplained, and may therefore be due to an as yet unidentified cause, or may be considered a medically unexplained syndrome similar to conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome.

Real-Time Infectious Disease Modeling to Inform Emergency Public Health Decision Making

2022 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Bershteyn ◽  
Hae-Young Kim ◽  
R. Scott Braithwaite
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Infectious Disease Modeling

Infectious disease transmission is a nonlinear process with complex, sometimes unintuitive dynamics. Modeling can transform information about a disease process and its parameters into quantitative projections that help decision makers compare public health response options. However, modelers face methodologic challenges, data challenges, and communication challenges, which are exacerbated under the time constraints of a public health emergency. We review methods, applications, challenges and opportunities for real-time infectious disease modeling during public health emergencies, with examples drawn from the two deadliest pandemics in recent history: HIV/AIDS and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 43 is April 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

scholarly journals Seroepidemiology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Case-Control Study

1995 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1386-1389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison C. Mawle ◽  
Rosane Nisenbaum ◽  
James G. Dobbins ◽  
Howard E. Gary ◽  
John A. Stewart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Infectious Agents ◽  
Serological Testing ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Control Study

Abstract We performed serological testing for a large number of infectious agents in 26 patients from Atlanta who had chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and in 50 controls matched by age, race, and sex. We did not find any agent associated with CFS. In addition, we did not find elevated levels of antibody to any of a wide range of agents examined. In particular, we did not find elevated titers of antibody to any herpesvirus, nor did we find evidence of enteroviral exposure in this group of patients.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document