Med Hypotheses. 2005;64(3):438-448.
"Chronic Lyme borreliosis at the root of multiple sclerosis - is a cure
with antibiotics attainable?"
Fritzsche M.
Clinic for Internal and Geographical Medicine, Soodstrasse 13, 8134
Adliswil, Switzerland.
Apart from its devastating impact on individuals and their families,
multiple sclerosis (MS) creates a huge economic burden for society by
mainly afflicting young adults in their most productive years. Although
effective strategies for symptom management and disease modifying
therapies have evolved, there exists no curative treatment yet.
Worldwide, MS prevalence parallels the distribution of the Lyme disease
pathogen Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi, and in America and Europe, the
birth excesses of those individuals who later in life develop MS
exactly mirror the seasonal distributions of Borrelia transmitting
Ixodes ticks. In addition to known acute infections, no other disease
exhibits equally marked epidemiological clusters by season and
locality, nurturing the hope that prevention might ultimately be
attainable.
As minocycline, tinidazole and hydroxychloroquine are re****tedly
capable of destroying both the spirochaetal and cystic L-form of B.
burgdorferi found in MS brains, there emerges also new hope for those
already afflicted. The immunomodulating anti-inflammatory potential of
minocycline and hydroxychloroquine may furthermore reduce the Jarisch
Herxheimer reaction triggered by decaying Borrelia at treatment
initiation.
Even in those cases unrelated to B. burgdorferi, minocycline is known
for its beneficial effect on several factors considered to be
detrimental in MS. Patients receiving a combination of these
pharmaceuticals are thus expected to be cured or to have a longer
period of remission compared to untreated controls.
Although the goal of this rational, cost-effective and potentially
curative treatment seems simple enough, the im****tance of a
scientifically sound approach cannot be overemphasised.
A randomised, prospective, double blinded trial is necessary in
patients from B. burgdorferi endemic areas with established MS and/or
Borrelia L-forms in their cerebrospinal fluid, and to yield reasonable
significance within due time, the groups must be large enough and
preferably taken together in a multi-centre study.
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