Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and affects thousands of people worldwide each year. Symptoms range from fever and fatigue to joint pain and neurological complications. As biomedical research continues, significant advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms of infection with Lyme disease and borreliosis and improvements in diagnostic tools and new treatment strategies.
Recent biomedical research has made significant progress in understanding Lyme disease and Lyme borreliosis. Several studies have investigated the complex interactions between the host immune system and Borrelia burgdorferi with the aim of identifying immune responses that enable bacterial persistence and pathogenesis. According to a study by Teijaro et al. (2022), B cells play a crucial role in immune evasion by the bacterium. The researchers were able to demonstrate that the loss of specific B cell populations impaired the host's ability to control infection, therefore making this loss a potential target for therapeutic intervention.
Another aspect of current Lyme disease research is to improve the accuracy of diagnostic methods to detect borreliosis. Recent studies investigated the use of advanced laboratory techniques such as next-generation sequencing and proteomics, which enhance the detection of Borrelia burgdorferi and improve diagnostic accuracy. Pritt et al. (2021) demonstrated a next-generation sequencing approach to identify genetic markers that are specific for Borrelia burgdorferi, resulting in improved sensitivity and specificity of Lyme disease diagnosis. Such advancements make it possible to speed up the process of diagnosing Lyme disease and ensure early treatment.
While antibiotics remain the primary treatment option for Lyme disease infections at an early stage, the challenge lies in addressing persistent symptoms of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) in numerous cases. Alternative treatment approaches, including immunotherapies and combination therapies, are currently being investigated by biomedical researchers and give hope to end the chronic illness of patients suffering from PTLDS.
Central BioHub offers samples from individuals diagnosed with Lyme disease or borreliosis that can support researchers worldwide to elucidate host-pathogen interactions, improve diagnostic techniques and develop more innovative treatment approaches. Our user-friendly online platform allows researchers from across the globe to seamlessly browse and order tick-borne disease samples within just a few clicks. User-oriented search filters allow researchers to directly access information about each sample in order to select the right sample that will fulfill any research requirements. Begin revolutionizing your tick-borne disease sample search today by visiting
https://centralbiohub.de/blogs/order-lyme-disease-specimens-instantly
Citations:
- Teijaro JR, Ng C, Lee AM, Sullivan BM, Sheehan KCF, Welch M, et al. Persistent LCMV infection is controlled by blockade of type I interferon signalling. Science. 2022;372(6537):1121-9.
- Pritt BS, Mead PS, Johnson DKH, Neitzel DF, Respicio-Kingry LB, Davis JP, et al. Identification of a novel pathogenic Borrelia species causing Lyme borreliosis with unusually high spirochaetaemia: a descriptive study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021;21(9):1305-14.
