Crypto-Infections: Denial, Censorship and Suppression--The Truth about What Lies Behind Chronic Disease

A challenge to the conventional medical narrative around infectious disease from one of France's leading specialists

The accepted message is that humankind has largely conquered infectious disease with a mixture of antibiotics and vaccines, yet it is becoming increasingly clear that chronic hidden or latent infections (crypto-infections) lie behind many of today's big killers, including heart disease, dementia, and cancer. As an exemplar of how the organisms responsible can hide in plain sight, causing devastation while the medical world is in denial, Borrelia burgdorferi--the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease--has led Dr Perronne to clash with his fellow specialists in infectious disease (ID) and challenge the status quo. From his experience as one of France's, and the world's, leading ID specialists, he examines the threats that both Lyme in particular and crypto-infections in general pose and how we can rise to the challenge.

Christian Perronne MD, PhD qualified in Internal Medicine and is Professor of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the University of Versailles-St Quentin, Paris-Saclay, France. Since 1994, he has been head of a Department of Medicine at the Raymond Poincaré University Hospital in Garches, Greater Paris University Hospitals group. He had major responsibilities within several institutions: the Pasteur Institute in Paris (vice-director of the national tuberculosis reference centre), French College of Professors of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (chairman), French National Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (chairman), French Drug Agency (chairman of several working groups making evidence-based recommendations), Superior Council for Public Hygiene in France (chairman), French High Council for Public Health (chairman of the Communicable Diseases Commission), INSERM, National Council of Universities (chairman for infectious and tropical diseases), and the European Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation at the World Health Organization (vice-chairman). He has been principal investigator of several major clinical trials. He is author or co-author of more than 300 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals. Since 1994, Christian Perronne has been involved in the management of chronic Lyme and associated diseases. He is leading a coalition of patients and physicians for the recognition of chronic Lyme disease and other crypto-infections in France. He is co-founder and vice-president of the French Federation against Tickborne Diseases (FFMVT) and president of its scientific council.