via lymedisease.org
Yale researchers have discovered a protein that helps protect hosts from infection with the tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme Disease, a finding that may help diagnose and treat this infection, they report Nov. 11 in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
Lyme Disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America and is transmitted by ticks infected with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. The course of the disease varies among individuals, with the majority experiencing mild symptoms easily treated by antibiotics. However, in some cases of untreated Lyme the infection can spread to the heart, joints, nervous system, and other organs.
For the study, the Yale team expressed more than 1,000 human genes in yeast and analyzed their interactions with 36 samples of B. burgdorferi. They found that one protein, Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein 1 (PGLYRP1), acts like an early warning signal to the immune system when exposed to the bacteria. When exposed to the Lyme spirochete, mice lacking PGLYRP1 had much higher levels of B. burgdorferi than mice with the protein and showed signs of immune system dysfunction, the researchers report.
“Stimulating the ability of people to make more of this protein could help fight infection,” said Yale’s Erol Fikrig, the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases) and of microbial pathogenesis and co-corresponding author of the study.
Fikrig and his colleagues are also investigating whether people with higher levels of PGLYRP1 may be less susceptible to infection by B. burgdorferi, which would help explain why some infected individuals have better outcomes.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Lyme Disease
- Was Lyme disease spread as a bioweapon? No, that theory is Pants on Fire!
Further, Diuk-Wasser said, Lyme disease would be a "terrible bioweapon" because the bacteria and ticks grow very slowly, need specific habitats to survive and are transferred through tick bites, which have a slower transmission rate than diseases spread through other means, such as respiratory viruses.
- Local Chiropractor Dr. Kristi Hellenbrand Addresses Lyme Disease Awareness at Peachtree City Library
In recognition of Lyme Disease Awareness Month, Kristi Hellenbrand, DC, will be speaking at Peachtree City Library on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 1 p.m. in the Storytime Room. Dr.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Lyme Disease
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Lyme Disease” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
PGLYRP1
- TREM proteins and reagents for targeted immunotherapy
TREM1 has only been linked to the high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), extracellular actin, peptidoglycan recognition protein 1 (PGLYRP1), and cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP). TREM2 ligand ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
PGLYRP1
[google_news title=”” keyword=”PGLYRP1″ num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]