A group of scientists at the CUNY Graduate Centre has generated a genetic analysis of the bacteria causing Lyme disease, which could lead to better identification, management, and prevention of the illness spread by ticks.A global team led by lead author Saymon Akther, a former Ph.D. student in biology at the CUNY Graduate Centre, and biology professor Weigang Qiu of Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Centre mapped the entire genetic composition of 47 strains of bacteria related to Lyme disease from around the globe, developing a potent tool for identifying the bacterial strains that infect patients.
This could allow for more precise diagnostic procedures and therapies that are specific to the germs causing each patient’s ailment, according to researchers.
The findings of the study were published in mBio journal. “By understanding how these bacteria evolve and exchange genetic material, we’re better equipped to monitor their spread and respond to their ability to cause disease in humans,” said Qiu, the corresponding author of the study. Researchers said the genetic information uncovered in the study may help scientists develop more-effective vaccines against Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe, affecting hundreds of thousands of people a year. The disease arises from bacteria belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group, which infect people through the bite of infected ticks. Symptoms can include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash. If left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system, causing more severe complications. Case numbers are increasing steadily, with 476,000 new cases each year in the United States, and may grow faster with climate change, the authors of the study said.