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IAREF sponsored research for The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Galaxy Diagnostics, and published an article in Microbiology Spectrum: Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and Bartonella species in serum and synovial fluid from people with rheumatic diseases.
The results of the study suggest that synovial fluid could be a useful sample for the clinical diagnosis of Lyme disease. Data shows that antibodies to B. burgdorferi, but not Bartonella spp., are more commonly found in synovial fluid than serum of patients with joint effusion. Since Lyme arthritis is a common—and sometimes difficult to diagnose—rheumatic disease, improving diagnostic capabilities is of utmost importance.After several years of diagnosing and treating patients, our belief is that many autoimmune diseases are driven by an underlying chronic infection. Treating symptoms is the common thing to do in medicine, while this is a short-term fix, this does not help address the long-term problems that can develop from not treating the root cause of the disease that will continue to be problematic. To make lasting change for the better, the root cause needs to be identified and treated. This belief of an underlying infection driving autoimmune diseases is is one that needs to be further taught and explored with other medical professionals.
IAREF was founded to educate the medical community to better serve their communities.
IAREF partners with experts in the medical field to provide education by organizing seminars, lectures, and publishing books and articles for medical doctors, doctors of osteopathic medicine, naturopathic doctors, and the public; focused on the connections between autoimmune diseases and chronic infections.
Our programs include sponsoring clinical research focused on new diagnostic approaches and novel therapies targeting several chronic infections, including but not limited to bartonellosis, mycoplasmosis, chlamydiosis and chronic infection with Epstein-Barr Virus.