Biofilms Causing Some Cases of Tinnitus?

[The Red Viper]

I think most cases of tinnitus are from noise exposure. Other cases come from ototoxicity. However, for those that didn't get tinnitus until after an acute infection, perhaps bacterial biofilms are to blame:



These biofilms can induce an immune response, but they are protected from antibiotics and immune cells. Thus the inflammation can persist and cause all sorts of damage.

 

[Ecip]

So, how do we fight this shits?

 

[Cityjohn]

If a biofilm would turn out to be the cause of some cases of chronic tinnitus after contracting an illness due to a bacteria. For example with food poisoning... Then it would take general medicine five more centuries to figure it out.

A very simple way to test this is by designing our own clinical trial with a bacteriophage. They are very easy to produce however there is an institute still producing them in Georgia. Bacteriophages are a virus specially selected for it's appetite of certain bacteria.
To give you an idea. In Georgia you can be operated on with a rusty blade in a room filled with rats, and nobody has ever died of infection there. The George Eliava Institute in Tbilisi has been using phages since before the second world war. In fact Russian soldiers in the second world war all carried these tablets and didn't have to contend with infection as much as other armies.
Their product, if it works, renders the multi-billion euro industry of antibiotics completely obsolete. The reason we don't have the old literature on this is because it is all written in Georgian, some of it has been translated to Russian.

The virus enters the body and infects it, dying off quickly without nourishment. When it encounters the bacteria however it multiplies exponentially until its food source is gone. Then the virus is cleaned up by the immune system, which as we know is far more capable of resolving a viral attack than a bacterial infection.

We could design a small clinical trial to test this theory with people that have contracted tinnitus after an infection. I'd be willing to contact the institute to ask for a quote and then perhaps we could find out if we can get something funded.

 

[The Red Viper]

@Cityjohn

Interesting about the bacteriophages. I imagine there might be some small risk if it mutates to attack eukaryotic cells.

Either way, I think it's a fascinating idea. I know there is plenty of research on biofilms and the microbiology field is light years ahead of clinical medicine. The name of the game at this point is about "busting" biofilm. By doing this and exposing the individual bacteria, they would immediately become susceptible to antibiotics. New research is implicating bacterial biofilms in chronic sinusitis. To me the solution for that particular situation would be to remove all the biofilm, and then repopulate the sinuses with a diversity of healthy bacteria using a probiotic rinse or nasal spray. Check out this link where a doctor at Baylor in Texas suggests putting baby shampoo in a neti pot to basically clean away any films: https://www.bcm.edu/news/head-and-neck/new-ways-to-flush-sinus-infection. He also suggests rinsing with probiotics, but doesn't say which probiotics he's using.

Now if the research on biofilms suggests that they are impenetrable to medicines, then would they also be impenetrable to viruses as well?

PS: The reason I proposed the idea is because in my case, I've had a dysfunctioning eustachian tube in my right ear since the end of January. However, it isn't completely inflammed because I can still pop the ear to clear the pressure. My middle ear isn't filled with fluid either. I've been able to measure my middle ear pressure with a tympanogram immediately after I wake up from a long sleep or a short nap and I've confirmed that negative pressure builds up during that rest period, but only in my right ear. Either the tube is inflammed OR there is a "sticky" biofilm in there making it much harder to open the tube with simple swallowing. Which is why when I Valsalva, I can put air in, but can't simply swallow to depressurize. I believe that constantly trying to open my jaw wide stressed my temporalis muscle, which would explain the constant headaches I had for nearly 8 months. That and I may have had a possible neck injury from sledding that became aggravated afterwards by exercise. I had a CT scan last month and everything was clear, except for mild mucosal thickening in the maxillary sinuses. The thickening was actually at the top of the sinus, where it drains into the nasal cavity. This would also explain why I lost the ability to produce boogers and phlegm, as the maxillary sinus is by far the biggest and would presumably produce the most mucus. As to how this relates to T, I think it may have been a combination of a "stuck" eustachian tube and likely muslce strain in my neck and jaw. But that's enough about me...

 

[Cityjohn]

I imagine there might be some small risk if it mutates to attack eukaryotic cells.

I don't know to be honest. The viruses are specifically geared to attack bacteria and have no way of breaching the human cell. If one does breach by accident and multiplies there's no telling what it would do. However we may find a whole lot of comfort in the fact that these viruses are already in our biosphere in small amounts and we are still sort of alive today.

neti pot

I really dislike neti pots...

Now if the research on biofilms suggests that they are impenetrable to medicines, then would they also be impenetrable to viruses as well?

Well the whole bio-film phage connection is a little more complex. http://phys.org/news/2015-11-bacteria-bacteriophages-collude-formation-clinically.html. The only way I imagine a virus will be able to break through the bio-film is by attacking the bacteria from the other side, through the tissue. Since a virus is much smaller it can go behind enemy lines as it were.

which would explain the constant headaches I had for nearly 8 months.

I too have a massive headache. The location of which is in the right sphenoid sinus and the right frontal sinus. I also have aching around the top of my skulls. The interesting point is that my tinnitus is loudest on the right.

 

[linearb]

I really dislike neti pots...

Just from a comfort angle, or other reasons?

I'll take a stab at the baby shampoo thing. I like neti pots and also have really longstanding PND issues from my deviated septum.

I'd neti with chili sauce if it would stop the damn ringing

 

[Cityjohn]

Just from a comfort angle, or other reasons?

I'll take a stab at the baby shampoo thing. I like neti pots and also have really longstanding PND issues from my deviated septum.

I'd neti with chili sauce if it would stop the damn ringing

Just because they hurt my sinuses, I think I may be a little sensitive there. When I was a kid my mother gave me a neti pot with salty water, it hurt then and it hurts now.

 

[linearb]

Just because they hurt my sinuses, I think I may be a little sensitive there. When I was a kid my mother gave me a neti pot with salty water, it hurt then and it hurts now.

you may just be too sensitive for them, but, if you're interested in experimenting, I've found that there's a sweet spot -- too much salt is definitely burny, but, oddly, not quite enough is usually the same way. 1/4 tsp in 8oz usually doesn't feel uncomfortable at all to me -- just tried it with ~1/8 tsp baby shampoo, which was only very slightly uncomfortable.

 

[The Red Viper]

-- just tried it with ~1/8 tsp baby shampoo, which was only very slightly uncomfortable.

Yeah I've only tried it once using a single drop of baby shampoo. It didn't burn but my mouth felt very soapy .

 

[The Red Viper]

As for the neti pot, they make salt packets with a predetermined amount of salt and baking soda to make it isotonic.

 

[Path Maker]

I'd neti with chili sauce if it would stop the damn ringing

OUCH!