On Monday night, New Jersey neurologist Dr. Rosario Trifiletti updated HLN’s Dr. Drew on the Pediatric Autoimmune Illness Associated with Streptococci (PANDAS) testing he has been doing on teen girls in Le Roy, New York, who have been affected by Tourette-like outbursts.
“We have some early results on some of the children,” Trifiletti said. “We’ve gotten the results, so far, [for] six of the nine children back. I can tell you that they are testing positive -- each one is testing for either streptococcus or mycoplasma, which are known triggers of the PANDAS syndrome.”
Read Dr. Trifiletti's full statement on his findings here.
Dr. Drew asked, “How do we distinguish between this sort of routine environmental exposure and something that would cause PANDAS?”
Trifiletti responded, "In fact, follow-up studies may be needed to determine whether there's a rise in titers. But these are tests that would normally be accepted as showing evidence of either streptococcus carriage or mycoplasma exposure."
Trifeltti added that treatment involves antibiotics and anti-inflammatory agents, which he says has already begun.
Trifeltti’s statement concluded:
"As with most illnesses, there is a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors here. As with all illnesses, psychological factors likely play some role as well. All we have done here is provided evidence for exposure to two infectious agents as potential environmental factors. I would encourage efforts to further explore genetic and other environmental factors that likely are playing an additional role here."
Dr. Trifiletti also told Dr. Drew, however, that he has not yet had any communication with Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, who diagnosed the girls with conversion disorder.
Hear the reaction from two mothers whose daughters are suffering from the sudden tics and twitches in the video clip above.
Get the latest updates on this story by watching Dr. Drew weeknights at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on HLN and follow the show on Twitter @DrDrewHLN.
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