Was
originally found on http://fit.gmd.de/~roh/LymeInfo/Metronidazole.html
presented
on the
Dr. Martin Atkinson-Barr CPhys
PhD (Calabasas, CA) and Dr. Vernon Padgett MD (Calabasas, CA) together with Dr.
Richard Horowitz MD (Hyde Park, NY)
Background:
Borrelia burgdorferi has been shown to be
capable of persisiting in human hosts despite
extensive antibiotic treatment (Preac-Mursic V, et al: Survival of Bb in antibiotically treated patients with Lyme Borreliosis,
Infection 1989; 17: 355-359). Persistent illness is due to a combination of factors including
sequestration in antibiotic and immunologically
privileged sites(Luft et al: Invasion of the CNS by BB in
acute disseminated infection, JAMA 1992; 267:
1364-1367 ).
This report describes the use of Metronidazole (Flagyl) in a cohort of chronic Lyme patients resistant to
standard antibiotic regimens.
Methodology:
57 patients with Lyme disease, and/or Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis were
previously treated with either oral, IM or IV regimens prior to being started
on metronidazole. Flagyl
was given at a dose of 250mg TID for the 1st
week irrespective of body weight, and patients between 121-
Results:
Jarish-Herxheimer type flares were common during the
1st few weeks of treatment (32/57 patients). 47% of patients
reported a significant decrease in arthralgias, with
joint pain disappearing completely in 5 patients after only 7 days of therapy.
Fatigue improved in 19/57 patients (33%) and neurocognitive
symptoms improved in 28 patients (49%) including decreased headaches, paresthesias, and improved memory and concentration.
Several patients did not show clinical improvement until the Metronidazole was stopped. The median and mean percent
improvement by the Karnofsky performance scale was
13% after 1 month of treatment. An additional 26% mean percent improvement was
reported among 7 patients completing a 2nd month of treatment.
Conclusion:
Flagyl appears to have anti-borrelial activity and its effectiveness has also been
documented in human infections with syphillis (Davies
AH, Br.J.Vener Dis 1967;
43197-200). Median and mean improvement in Lyme disease patients was 13% at
one month, but several patients showed dramatic clinical improvement, and those
patients with an inadequate clinical response, often had PCR
and RNA evidence of ongoing co-infection with Babesiosis.
The clinical effectiveness of Metronidazole may be
explained by its high bioavailability, good cellular penetration and tissue
distribution with good penetration into CSF, and the
formation of redox intermediate metabolites which
target the RNA, DNA, or cellular proteins of the micro-organisms irrespective
of replication. Further studies need to be done to evaluate the spectrum of Flagyl's role in chronic Lyme-disease.
Last changes at: Tuesday 22.08.2000 10:44