Science Daily Article -- Is There A Tie In To PANDAS?

[DebC]

My husband forwarded this to me asking if there was any connection or tie in to PANDAS. I have been googling ipopolysaccharide, LPS, and TLR4 along with PANDAS and am not finding a connection. Any thoughts on this?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140210114548.htm

Edited February 13, 2014 by debc

[rowingmom]

There was a connection for us.

 

"Part of Gram-negative bacteria's danger lies in certain disease-causing components in the bacteria's outer wall. The most significant, say the researchers, is lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS fragments from damaged bits of the bacterial walls are released locally, triggering an immune response.

When they come in contact with specialised TLR4 receptors at the surface of 'sentinel' immune cells, chemicals are released that recruit other immune cells, inducing swelling, tissue injury and eventual lyses and clearance of the bacteria" (My bolding).

 

.....Hopefully, and only if the immune system is competent. Otherwise I think we end up with continuing recruitment of incompetent (unable to properly lyse bacteria) immune cells, and continuing stimulation of the immune system (ie, TLR4) because the bacteria are not being lysed; increasing pain and inflammation.

 

Steroids decrease pain/inflammation but the underlying cause (in our case gram negative bacteria/LPS) will remain if the infection is not properly addressed.

 

DD's PANS symptoms were caused by the gram negative bacteria Bartonella hensalae. Her pain and inflammation eventually decreased with bartonella treatment.

 

Heightened inflammation and pain produced by LPS resulting from from introduction or change in abx protocols (aka - herx) and can be expected with gram negative bacterial infection; and this certainly was true for us. We also found exacerbation with strep infections, but only in symptoms associated with bartonella die-off. My feeling is that strep probably served to further tie up DD's immune system, allowing bartonella to florish and the inflammation cascade to intensify.

 

Gram positive strep infections would not cause similar LPS reactions in TLR4, although the article does mention:

 

"TRPA1 proteins are already known to be a detector of multiple harmful compounds contained in smoke, mustard, wasabi and tobacco".

 

So are perhaps sensitive to the exotoxins produced by strep bacteria as well.

 

Edited February 13, 2014 by rowingmom