Tests for borrelia (Lyme)

[Joan Crawford]

New Phage based test for borrelia

A new Phage based test has been developed to detect borrelia bacteria in collaboration between Leicester University (Dr Martha Clokie https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/genetics/people/martha-clokie) and Phelix (Dr Louis Teulières)

Paper here:


Info about phage's and use in testing:


It is already available at Red Labs in Belgium
http://blog.redlaboratories.be/2021/05/borrelia-phelix-phage-test-updated.html

I'm aware of previous rapid culture and then PCR testing (USA based) that failed to be replicated independently. This is clearly early days for this test. And new technology - which will need to be understood. Needs replicating by independent research team and so forth. And needs to demonstrate credibility in the science being used and the testing methods. Will be interesting to see what the reaction is from the infectious diseases community which has tended to be rather conservative regarding borrelia infection.

It would be grand to have direct evidence of infection with borrelia rather than the poor reliability of indirect testing methods available now - and much argued over. For those patients whose symptoms persist and who develop ME, FMS and the like, if this is an accurate test, it could make a big difference.

Any thoughts? @Jonathan Edwards

 

[Milo]

First reaction, it is bad news that Red Labs jumped the gun and is selling the test. It is a replication of the mistake that was done in 2009 with XMRV. Ask me how I know?

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

It would be grand to have direct evidence of infection with borrelia rather than the poor reliability of indirect testing methods available now - and much argued over.

But this would be indirect - detecting supposedly specific phage DNA patterns. And all you need is some leeway in the primers and overcooking and you have false positives, if my experience is anything to go by.

I agree with Milo that a link up with Red Labs is not encouraging.

 

[Joan Crawford]

But this would be indirect - detecting supposedly specific phage DNA patterns. And all you need is some leeway in the primers and overcooking and you have false positives, if my experience is anything to go by.

I agree with Milo that a link up with Red Labs is not encouraging.

Thanks for that. It'll be interesting to see if an independent group can replicate - as a starter.

 

[TiredSam]

First reaction, it is bad news that Red Labs jumped the gun and is selling the test. It is a replication of the mistake that was done in 2009 with XMRV. Ask me how I know?

Doesn't surprise me in the least that KDM would add it to the list of expensive tests he can charge his patients for.

https://www.s4me.info/threads/red-lab-belgium-experiences.14061/#post-252193

 

[hinterland]

A new Phage based test has been developed to detect borrelia bacteria in collaboration between Leicester University (Dr Martha Clokie https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/genetics/people/martha-clokie) and Phelix (Dr Louis Teulières)

I like the look of Dr Martha Clokie, she comes across as genuine and has a strong background in phage research.

See video: here, the whole thing is interesting but moves on to talking about complex diseases at 1:00:47, and then borrelia.

 

[Joan Crawford]

I like the look of Dr Martha Clokie, she comes across as genuine and has a strong background in phage research.

See video: here, the whole thing is interesting but moves on to talking about complex diseases at 1:00:47, and then borrelia.

Many thanks for posting this. I'd not seen it.

 

[Hutan]

https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2020/06/02/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-lyme-phelix-bacteriophage/
Dominic Stanculescu posted a blog about this test on Health Rising in June 2020. There are a lot of comments.

And a 2021 Medscape article here:
Phage-Targeting PCR Test Picks Up Early Lyme Disease

Although the novel test still needs evaluation in a clinical trial, it could represent a "step-change" in the detection of Lyme disease, Shan and associates suggest in their report published in Frontiers in Microbiology.

At this stage, the research is very much a "proof of concept," Shan said. One of the things he plans to try to work out next is whether the test can distinguish between active and dormant disease, which is a "big question" in the diagnosis of Lyme disease.

"Bacteriophages can only be sustained by actively growing bacteria," explained Shan, so there is a chance that if they are present in a substantive amount the disease is active, and if they are not — or are in very low numbers — then the disease is dormant. The cutoff value, however, "is not trivial to establish, but we are working toward it," added Shan.

Over the past 2 years, Shan and associates have been working with the Belgian-based diagnostics company, R.E.D Laboratories, to see how the test will fare in a real-world environment. This relationship is providing useful information to add to their bid to perform a clinical trial for which they are now seeking additional sponsorship.

The research is being funded by the charity Phelix Research and Development with support from the University of Leicester and the Dutch-based Lyme Fund, Lymefonds.

Shan is named as coinventor of the phage-targeting PCR test, alongside Martha R.J. Clokie, professor of microbiology at the University of Leicester and the senior author of the study. Shan is chief scientific officer for Phelix Research and Development. Clokie and other coauthors hold key positions within the medical research charity.

 

[Trish]

See also this thread in the research forum:
Laboratory diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis: Current state of the art and future perspectives, 2018, Lohr et al