Scientists Have Identified the Lyme Disease Genes Responsible for Severe Symptoms
"In a paper published in PLOS Pathogens, an international group of researchers report on the most comprehensive analysis of the Borrelia burgdorferi genome to date,
which provides clues about what’s causing more severe forms of the disease, and lays the foundation for developing better diagnostic tests and treatments.
The data come from samples painstakingly taken from 299 Lyme patients in the northeastern and midwestern U.S., and central Europe,
mostly extracted from skin biopsies of the bullseye-shaped rashes that are a hallmark early sign of infection.
The scientists first isolated the bacteria from the biopsied skin samples, then correlated genetic signatures of the bacteria with the patients’ health outcomes.
That allowed them to identify genes that were associated with more severe symptoms as well as understand why U.S. patients tend to have different symptoms than those in Europe."
-------------------- Ann-OH Posts: 1747 | From Ohio | Registered: Aug 2014
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aklnwlf
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5960
posted
Thanks for posting this Ann! Great to read research heading in this direction!
-------------------- Do not take this as medical advice. This comment is based on opinion and personal experience only.
Alaska Lone Wolf Posts: 6918 | From Columbus, GA | Registered: Jul 2004
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Ann-Ohio
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 44364
posted
I really like that there is more cooperative research going on between US and Europe.
I really liked this quote: "They also found specific proteins on the surface of the bacteria that were associated with the ability to spread
beyond the initial site of infection (i.e. a tick bite) via the blood to affect other tissues and organs.
“That’s when most of the problematic aspects of Lyme disease begins,” says Dr. Jacob Lemieux, from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and first author of the study.
“The bacteria may go to the nervous system, causing neurological Lyme disease, or if it goes to the joints, it can cause Lyme arthritis.
Dissemination is a watershed event because it could mean the difference between a mild and severe case.”
-------------------- Ann-OH Posts: 1747 | From Ohio | Registered: Aug 2014
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posted
I have a number of reservations, chief among them: check out the list of ALL the authors of the actual study (vs. the Time article)...They're not all immediately obvious.
posted
I hope you saw all the names. Might not be great chronic Lyme advocates is a crazy understatement. lol Those names alone should make every single chronic Lyme advocate scrutinize these results.
That being said, my visceral reaction was: a) This is pretty much an acute phase effort - again. Some "disseminated". Not much specifically to do with late stage, much less chronic Lyme;
b) It appears limited to B31. That is theoretically quite the limitation;
c) What if the strain cultured through EMs is not the strain responsible for long term sequelae?
d) How are they qualifying dangerous symptoms, and why is arthritis on the list (well, hello, look at who some of the authors are)?
e) Patients met the CDC criteria only - that's potentially pigeon-holing sample characteristics, i.e. they'd possibly be limited to a certain phenotype of Bb;
The WGS thing got me hooked at first, as well. But as I read the actual study, I started growing uncomfortable. Even before I saw the unfurled list of authors I had reservations, but considering who contributed to this...
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