Why you are more likely to get Lyme disease again
Here’s more reasons to be cautious of the pesky ticks during your summer outings.
UC Davis researchers have discovered that the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium that causes Lyme disease hinders the immunity system from fighting the pathogen which may explain why some patients remain vulnerable to repeated infections.
The bacteria initially trigger a strong immune response in an infected animal, but findings from this study indicate that the bacteria soon cause structural abnormalities in “germinal centers” — sites in lymph nodes and other lymph tissues that are key to producing a long-term protective immune response.
For months after infection, those germinal centers fail to produce the specific cells — memory B cells and antibody-producing plasma cells — that are crucial for producing lasting immunity.
In effect, the bacteria prevent the animal’s adaptive immune system from forming a “memory” of the invading bacteria and launching a protective immune response against future infections.
The Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria are transmitted to humans and animals through bites from infected ticks.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic skin rash. If left untreated, the infection can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system. About 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed annually in the United States, and cases have grown the last few decades.
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