Treatment Information for Doctors

Information for doctors

Treating Cpn^{i [1]}.

Chlamidophila Pneumoniae (Cpn – formerly known as Chlamydia Pneumoniae) is an obligate intracellular^{i [2]} pathogen which has three life phases. This makes it particularly difficult to diagnose and treat. The only phase of the organism easily identified in blood samples is the Elementary Body^{i [3]} phase. The Reticulate Body phase and the Cryptic phase are more difficult to identify as the organism resides within the cell, preventing apoptosis^{i [4]} and having the ability to take advantage of suitable conditions for reproduction and further spreading infection. The problem is compounded by the fact that macrophages are often themselves infected and transport the bacterium to new sites in the body.

Cpn, being a vascular disease^{i [5]} has been implicated in a wide range of conditions ranging from Asthma^{i [6]} to Vasculitis^{i [7]}, and including Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, Atherosclerosis, CFS^{i [8]}, Fibromyalgia^{i [9]}, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, MS, Sinusitis etc and displaying a myriad of symptoms.

A simple course of antibiotics^{i [10]} will not address the problem; thus a Combined Antibiotic Protocol along the line of the protocol used to treat TB is necessary, and as for TB the treatment is likely to take months and years rather than days and weeks.

Doctors and scientists led by Dr C Stratton at Vanderbilt University researched the action of a number of antibiotics on Cpn and together with Dr D Wheldon (a British consultant microbiologist) formulated the following protocol:

Antibiotic	Dosage	When taken	Notes
Doxycycline	100mg	QDi [11]<	Take this alone until well tolerated.
Azithromycin or Roxithromycin	250mg 150mg	Mon, Wed, Fri BIDi [12] (everyday)	Add either one or the other of these to 100mg doxycycline
Doxycycline	100mg	BIDi [13]<	When both the above are well tolerated add another 100mg of doxycycline
Metronidazolei [14] pulse, also called Flagyl. An alternative is Tinidazole	400mg or 500mg depending on dose available in your country. 500mg	TID BID	When the first two antibiotics are well tolerated start pulsing the third. For one day every three to four weeks initially. Increase the number of days per pulse gradually to five days.

The dying bacteria produce endotoxins^{i [15]} and may cause secondary porphyria^{i [16]} which can make patients quite unwell so, initially, it is important to pace the treatment. Metronidazole or Tinidazole are only taken for 5 days in each three or four week cycle to allow the patient to recover from die off effects.

This is only one of several solutions to the treatment of Cpn, but possibly the easiest to administrate and follow. There are other protocols^{i [17]} that can be prescribed after the initial period of treatment. For more information on the research that has been done, patients’ experiences and the other protocols please visit: www.cpnhelp.org< [18]. This site also provides support for patients and publishes updated information on research and new protocols.