Protective Immunity and New Vaccines for Lyme Disease

Maria Gomes-Solecki, Paul M. Arnaboldi, P. Bryon Backenson, Jorge L. Benach, Christopher L. Cooper, Raymond J. Dattwyler, Maria Diuk-Wasser, Erol Fikrig, J. W. Hovius, Will Laegreid, Urban Lundberg, Richard T. Marconi, Adriana R. Marques, Philip Molloy, Sukanya Narasimhan, Utpal Pal, Joao H. F. Pedra, Stanley Plotkin, Daniel L. Rock, Patricia RosaSam R. Telford, Jean Tsao, X. Frank Yang, Steven E. Schutzer

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

47 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Lyme disease, caused by some Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, is the most common tick-borne illness in the Northern Hemisphere and the number of cases, and geographic spread, continue to grow. Previously identified B. burgdorferi proteins, lipid immunogens, and live mutants lead the design of canonical vaccines aimed at disrupting infection in the host. Discovery of the mechanism of action of the first vaccine catalyzed the development of new strategies to control Lyme disease that bypassed direct vaccination of the human host. Thus, novel prevention concepts center on proteins produced by B. burgdorferi during tick transit and on tick proteins that mediate feeding and pathogen transmission. A burgeoning area of research is tick immunity as it can unlock mechanistic pathways that could be targeted for disruption. Studies that shed light on the mammalian immune pathways engaged during tick-transmitted B. burgdorferi infection would further development of vaccination strategies against Lyme disease.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1768-1773
Number of pages6
JournalClinical Infectious Diseases
Volume70
Issue number8
Early online date17 Oct 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Apr 2020

Keywords

  • Borrelia burgdorferi
  • Borreliella
  • Lyme disease
  • Vaccines

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