L-Form Bacteria

or as I refer to them-Cell Wall Deficient form (CWD).

The CWD form of bacteria, and Lyme CWD, presents a very difficult form to treat (of course Lyme Cyst form is difficult to treat too) with conventional courses of antibiotics. While the specifics of the CWD form are a bit over my head, the idea is that the bacteria cell wall changes (I think into just a peptide wall) and can now move into and live within a human cell. CWD Lyme is another form that the bacteria can change into as a defensive measure to escape antibiotics, etc., and one that is difficult to treat because it typically resides within another cell. There is a treatment option that works well for this, but maybe another day.

What I find most interesting about CWD is that it offers a very compelling explanation for all autoimmune diseases. The reason for this is that when the CWD bacteria is living within a host cell the immune system treats the host's cell as an invader. Using Multiple Sclerosis as an example the CWD bacteria living within Myelin would trigger an autoimmune response against the infected Myelin. Of course this isn't something that your read on the National MS site (my searches yielded nothing from them); though it is something being studied. To me this seems like a very reasonable explanation as to why your body just suddenly turns against itself. Of course why would companies be interested in looking into something that can be cured with a couple of years of low-dose, cheap, oral antibiotics. If CWD bacteria is the cause of Multiple Sclerosis than it would explain the different disease courses (different strains of the mystery bacteria, and severity based on how far the disease has spread), and it would also mean that the disease modifying therapies (e.g. Rebif, Avonex, Tysabri, etc.) while suppressing the immune response are actually making the infection work. CWD bacteria as a cause would explain why people respond well to Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) and Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). "A different bacteria, operating on similar principles, seems to be the organic cause of multiple sclerosis, says Dr. Hoekstra. It's tentative name--not yet widely accepted by other microbiologists--is Borrelia mylophora, so named because its characteristics seem to resemble those of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria believed responsible for Lyme disease."^ref.

The reason that Lyme may be called the “Great Imitator” is because it isn't that different than the cause of many autoimmune diseases (e.g. ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, etc.)

More information on the "Stealth Pathogens":

• ALS2Lyme
  
• New ideas about the cause, spread and therapy of Lyme Disease
  
• Book: Cell Wall Deficient Forms: Stealth Pathogens, Third Edition by Lida H. Mattman PhD. (I'm not interested in the book since it is a technical reference way too complex for me. I think the intro to the book is here) [Also, I think the author was nominated for a Nobel prize for her work on stealth pathogens]
  
• New Pathways. Stealth Pathogens are mentioned, but not much said.
  

Technorati Tags: Multiple Sclerosis, Lyme, Antibiotics, Cell Wall Deficient, L-Form,Borrelia Mylophora, Autoimmune