An ordinary meeting of the society was held on the 12th January 2011. The President was in the chair. He opened the meeting with a minutes silence in memory of Professor Donald Mayor, Foundation Professor of Anatomy in the Southampton Medical School, and Michael Absalom our ophthalmic surgeon. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. The President then introduced the evening’s speaker Dr Sue O’Connell who spoke on Lyme Disease – Facts Myths and Uncertainties.
In 1974 there wasan outbreak of juvenile arthritis in Lyme, Connecticut. The authorities, responding to public pressure, enlisted the help of professor Allen Steere to investigate it. He noted that all thecases had been preceded by a spreading erythematous rash following a tic bite. He gave the disease the name Lyme disease and identified the vector as an ixodes tic and in 1983 a spirochete was isolated belonging to the Genus Borrelia. In 1985 our dermatologist, John White with Chris Rolles and David Williams, reported a case of Lyme disease in a local child. John promoted research into the illness and worked with the NFDC to produce leaflets informing the public about dealing with tic bites and the possibility of Lyme disease. The late David Markby, a local general practitioner, and other local specialists, also produced a number of papers relating to the disease. In the early daysfalse positive serology was a problem and EC Guy from Southampton developed a polymerase chain reaction test to improve diagnosis.
Dr O’Connell then outlined national and international progress in combating the spread of Lyme disease. She told us, also, about the pseudo illnessof ‘chronic-lyme-disease’ being touted by quacks to explain all sorts of human ailments and prescribing dangerous and even lethal treatments. Dr O’Connell said that ixodes tics are found in northern temperate climes. The spirochete is different in the USA , being burgdorferi sesnso stricti whereas in Europe it is b.afzelii and garinii. The spirochete’s natural reservoir is small animals and birds. Once the tic has completed its first meal it drops off the host and laterclimbs up undergrowth to await a secondary host to complete its lifecycle and it is at this point that humans usually pick it up. Deer are not a reservoiras they contain antibodies to the spirochete but merely feed the tics at the final stage of the lifecycle. Tics removed in the first 18 hours are unlikely to spread infection. It is the tiny newborn tics that tend to get overlooked by people that result in infection. Dr O’Connell said that Doxycycline is the treatment of choice and is effective even in long standing serious cases. She said it should be remembered that recovery takes months from a serious infection and continues long after the antibiotics have finished. ‘We seem to have lost the concept of convalescence’ she said.
The President thanked her for a most interesting talk. There being no other business the meeting was closed at 10.15pm.