Future treatment? Hard to kill parasites may carry shared core genes

[tcmgpt13]

I thought this might give morgellons sufferers some hope for future treatment. Progress is being made to identify commonly shared genes in blood/lymph parasites which kill and cause serious illness in millions of people, mostly in the tropics. Somehow, I feel that the reason whatever morgellons is eludes normal treatments for parasites because the main parasite could have some relationship to these types of blood/lymph parasites:

http://health.dailynewscentral.com/c...ew/0001287/47/

[POSHSHOP]

Very interesting, thank you!

[tcmgpt13]

Wow, four years is a long time and I had forgotten about this thread until someone was reading it this a.m. So I looked into some research to find out if there is anything new on the horizon in the parasite treatment research being done by one of the research institutes mentioned in the 2005 article linked in the first post here.

There is some promise that a new malarial vaccine will be produced which may arrest infection in the liver and blood stage of malaria using late stage-arresting genetically attenuated parasites. I am not certain this new promising vaccine will do much if someone already has malaria but at least research is being done to prevent malaria which kills many people every year in developing nations. Evidently what has been learned so far about this research is that Stage 1 trials of the early liver stage-arresting genetically attenuated parasites have shown validity for going in the direction to develop a vaccine which will work against all the stages of malaria (late stage liver development is especially important) and all the different types of malaria organisms.

Although it seems like this information would not affect us directly it is possible it might as malaria is probably more widespread in some areas of developed nations than is currently acknowledged by various governments. Also if there are shared genes in at least three types of deadly parasites it is possible that if Morgellons does have a so far unidentified blood or lymph parasite (not saying that is definite either) then whatever it may be could also share genes with these three identified parasites. I am not saying this is so, merely speculating that parasite research like this could some day help us too, if it proves to work as they expect (no guarantees about this either, not when all the information so far is based on mouse models). Of course a commonly shared parasite for those exhibiting Morgellons symptoms would also have to be identified:

New Study Shows Promise of Late Liver Stage-Arresting Genetically Attenuated Parasites Date: Thu, 06/16/2011

SEATTLE, WA, June 15, 2011 – In a study published this week in Cell Host & Microbe, researchers from Seattle BioMed and the University of Iowa report results that underscore the potential of late liver stagearresting genetically attenuated parasites (GAP) as broadly protective next-generation live-attenuated malaria vaccine candidates. The new study shows potential as a powerful model for identifying antigens to generate protection, not only in the liver stage of the disease but in the blood stage as well.

While subunit malaria vaccines have shown partial efficacy in clinical trials, the ability to use the entire parasite as a vaccine by weakening it through radiation has proven effective in decades past – but provides a challenge because of the variability involved in the approach. Stefan Kappe, Ph.D., director of Seattle BioMed’s malaria research program, has previusly developed a vaccination strategy using early liver stage-arresting genetically attenuated parasites. The validity of this approach (using two gene deletions) has been shown in Phase I human clinical studies, demonstrating that the human malaria parasite can be severely attenuated.

According to Kappe, this study is the next step in the scientific research continuum – providing new knowledge that will be put to use in next generation vaccine candidate developments to provide even greater protection. The ultimate goal is to develop a ‘watertight’ vaccine to provide full protection against malaria at the lowest possible dose,” he said. This study provides us with a very important piece of new information.

The study reports that, using mouse malaria models, researchers discovered that immunization with late liver stage arresting GAP provided superior and long-lasting protection against liver-stage infection when compared with irradiated parasites or early liver-stage arresting GAP. Rather than dying right after they reach the liver as the early arresting stage GAP or irradiated parasites currently do, the late liver stage arresting GAP infects, grows significantly and then dies, expressing a broader array of new antigens, Kappe explained. This is the next generation of GAP – the best we’ve seen because the diversity of protection is unmatched.

The late liver stage arresting GAP also provided protection at the critical blood stage of infection (when an infected human develops the classic symptoms of malaria) – and across different malaria parasite species. Protective Immunizations in this study were also achieved via intradermal or subcutaneous routes, as opposed to past studies, which utilized only intravenous routes.

Collectively, our data indicates that late liver stage arresting GAP constitute a superior strategy, stated Kappe and co-author John Harty of the University of Iowa. This underscores the potential utility of late-arresting GAP as broadly protective second-generation live-attenuated malaria vaccine candidates, as well as a model to find new vaccine candidates that protect against infection in both the liver and the blood stages of the disease.

From Seattle Bio Med press release page

[tcmgpt13]

Pretty exciting news for those of us who have nematode infections (which may be all of us). Perhaps someday down the road there will be some new medications which will help us to expel nematode infecions. It appears to be a matter of genetics and the type of mucin the body produces which helps some people expel toxins. The rest of us do not produce this type of mucin according to this preliminary research which involved using a mouse model:

Worm Discovery Could Help up to 1 Billion People Worldwide

Featured In: Academia News | Europe Thursday, May 5, 2011

Scientists have discovered why some people may be protected from harmful parasitic worms naturally while others cannot in what could lead to new therapies for up to one billion people worldwide. Parasitic worms are a major cause of mortality and morbidity affecting up to a billion people, particularly in the Third World, as well as domestic pets and livestock across the globe. Now, University of Manchester researchers have, for the first time, identified a key component of mucus found in the guts of humans and animals that is toxic to worms.

Parasitic worms are a major cause of mortality and morbidity affecting up to a billion people, particularly in the Third World, as well as domestic pets and livestock across the globe.

These parasitic worms live in the gut, which is protected by a thick layer of mucus,” explained Dr David Thornton, from the University’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Matrix Research. The mucus barrier is not just slime, but a complex mixture of salts, water and large ‘sugar-coated’ proteins called mucins that give mucus its gel–like properties.

“In order to be able to study these debilitating worm diseases, we have been using a mouse model in which we try to cure mice of the whipworm Trichuris muris. This worm is closely related to the human equivalent, Trichuris trichiura.

We previously found that mice that were able to expel this whipworm from the gut made more mucus. Importantly, the mucus from these mice contained the mucin, Muc5ac. This mucin is rarely present in the gut, but when it is, it alters the physical properties of the mucus gel.

Co-lead on the study:For this new research, we asked how important Muc5ac is during worm infection by using mice lacking the gene for Muc5ac. We found that mice genetically incapable of producing Muc5ac were unable to expel the worms, despite having a strong immune response against these parasites. This resulted in long-term infections.

Furthermore, we discovered the reason for the importance of Muc5ac is that it is toxic for the worms and damages their health.

The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine and featured in Nature’s research highlights today (Thursday), found that Muc5ac is also essential for the efficient expulsion from the gut of other types of worm that cause problems in humans. These include the hookworm, and the spiral threadworm. Together, these worms cause mortality and morbidity in up to one billion people across the globe.

Dr Sumaira Hasnain, the lead experimentalist on the project, added: For the first time, we have discovered that a single component of the mucus barrier, the Muc5ac mucin, is essential for worm expulsion. Our research may help to identify who is and who isn’t susceptible to parasitic worms, and it may eventually lead to new treatments for people with chronic worm infections.

[belle9]

All of this is interesting. I wonder when they will be able to synthesize the Muc5ac or have the other vaccines ready for use. My dad had no immunity to vermin. That's why we could never have a pet inside the house. "Eventually" (treatment development) may be too late for some of us.

[MeaganM]

The picture of Mucin in the link below looks exactly like the crap coming out of my lungs.

Mucin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[sammy]

Originally Posted by MeaganM

The picture of Mucin in the link below looks exactly like the crap coming out of my lungs.

Mucin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Megan trying too get someone too agree with this like a lab or doctor might as well forget it. I have the same exact mucus but lung exray shows clear. sammy

[sammy]

I have felt all along this is in my blood. and will never leave. not sure if it came from fish or parasite. sammy

[MeaganM]

I know Sammy, it sucks. I had my stringy, thick, gel-like sputum tested by a lab and it came back "normal sputum flora". There is nothing normal about my mucus. My esophagus biopsy came back normal as well even though I have furrows (lines) going up and down my entire esophagus. I'm beginning to wonder if the labs are told to report "normal" if it resembles M. It's frustrating!

[Phatgrower]

This M thing is literally killing me... no memory, always frustrated, cxant get words out, crawling n biting.... ****