Scientists discover that deer blood could have the cure for Lyme disease

Lyme disease, a tick-borne multisystem disease, is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. It is a common disease in temperate countries, especially Spain, but the incidence is increasing on all continents due to increased reforestation, adventure travel and tourism, increased intrusion into the vector's habitat, and changing of vector habitat.

Borrelia burgdorferi, It is a vectorized human pathogen, which implies that transmission occurs mainly through the bite of an infected tick (Ixodes spp.). The appearance of an erythema migrans rash after a tick bite is diagnostic of early Lyme disease, even without laboratory evidence.

There are many vertebrate animals that are competent reservoirs, that is, they provide the entire cellular industry to Borrelia burgdorferi to multiply in the vector, and in this way be transmitted to humans.

A notable feature of Borrelia burgdorferi is that it has genospecies, that is, organisms that are genetically different but not enough to be classified as an epe. Several genospecies of the causing spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) have been identified that are associated with human diseases on and within continents. , Lyme disease is primarily caused by three genospecies comprising B. burgdorferi (sensu stricto) in North America, and B. afzelii and B. garinii in Asia and Europe.

Lyme disease in Spain, in the last 15 years, the number of hospitalizations due to Lyme disease has multiplied by three. 

Initially, bacteria proliferate in the same place where the tick bites. Within 3 to 32 days, bacteria migrate from the bite site to the surrounding skin, causing a rash called erythema migrans. This erythema appears in about 75% of people.

Bacteria can enter the lymphatic system and infect the lymph nodes. Or they can enter the bloodstream and spread to other organs, such as the skin in other areas of the body and the heart, nervous system, and joints.

Lyme disease has three stages:

• Early localized stage
• Early disseminated stage (generalized)
• Late

The early and late phases of Lyme disease are usually separated by an asymptomatic period, that is, a period without symptoms.

In the disseminated stage, more serious symptoms sometimes appear; in approximately 15% of cases the nervous system is affected. Common problems are meningitis (which causes headache and stiff neck) and Bell's palsy (which causes weakness on only one side of the face or sometimes both).

Epidemiology tells us that the 8% of infected people develop heart problems, among which the following are worth highlighting:

• Delay in the movement of electrical signals through the heart, leading to arrhythmias, which are an abnormal, out-of-sync heart rhythm.
• Inflammation of the heart tissue (known as myocarditis) and inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart (pericarditis), causing chest pain.

Arrhythmias can cause palpitations, and even cause loss of consciousness.

If the initial infection is not treated, other problems often appear months or years later.

In the late stage, more than half of those affected develop arthritis, usually within several months. Episodes of swelling and pain in some of the large joints, especially the knees. 

Affected knees usually have more swelling than pain, feel hot, and, in rare cases, are visibly red. Cysts can appear behind the knee and rupture, causing a sudden increase in pain. About 10% of people with arthritis have persistent knee problems for more than 6 months.

A small number of people suffer from brain-related disorders and inadequate neurological functioning. Alterations in mood, speech, memory and sleep also appear. Some people have tingling or shooting pains in their back, legs, and arms.

Deer blood, a natural enemy of the bacteria that causes Lyme

Because of this, scientists have studied B. burgdorferi strains in various animals since there are animals capable of multiplying B. burgdorferi. The study that shed light on a possibility against Lyme Disease relied on strains of B. burgdorferi that were isolated directly from adult Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in the field, thus limiting dilution.

These strains were genotyped based on their outer surface protein C (ospC) sequence. Serum was collected from a herd of semi-captive deer at Auburn University, Alabama. Those from this area were chosen due to a low rate of transmission of B. burgdorferi at the local level, which would imply a low risk of confusion of anti-B antibodies. burgdorferi. 

Regarding the technique that was used, it was a modified serum sensitivity assay to determine the impact of deer serum on B. burgdorferi.

The survival percentage was calculated as the number of viable cells after 4 h in relation to the control serum. To confirm the borreliacidal activity of deer serum observed during the serum susceptibility assay, an aliquot of the control and test samples was passed into the 96-well plate at the 4 h time point into complete BSK-H media.

The test tubes were incubated for 6-8 days, all subcultures were analyzed for B. burgdorferi growth on days 6-8 and a subset was also checked weeks later.

Diagnosis of Lyme Disease:

We can diagnose Lyme disease using any of the following tests.

• Blood test
• Sometimes analysis of a sample of joint fluid or cerebrospinal fluid (obtained by lumbar puncture)

The diagnosis of Lyme disease is usually based on all of the following characteristics:

• Characteristic symptoms, including rash (especially erythema migrans)
• Opportunity for exposure (living in or visiting an area where Lyme disease is common)
• Test results.

A promising study

Doctors prescribe tests that measure antibodies to bacteria in the blood. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to help the body defend itself against a particular attack, such as that produced by Borrelia burgdorferi O well Borrelia mayonii. Simultaneous tests are also usually requested to rule out Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis and the Powassan virus, since the tick of the genus Ixodes spp is the vector of all these bacteria and said virus, and they can be contaminated simultaneously.

However, antibodies may not be present if the test is performed during the first weeks of infection or if antibiotics are given before antibodies develop. 

Studies are underway to produce Lyme disease vaccines, using nucleoside-modified mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP-mRNA) to generate a Lyme disease vaccine. Of the antigens expressed by Borrelia burgdorferi, outer surface protein A (OspA) is the most promising candidate for vaccine development; it is the protein that has been observed in all Borrelia genospecies.

Tests in animal models showed that the OspA-targeting mRNA vaccine induced a strong antigen-specific antibody and T cell response after a single vaccination that could protect against B. burgdorferi infection. What's more, the vaccine triggered a strong response from memory B cells, which can activate much later to help prevent infection long after the vaccine is administered.

Many promising studies have emerged after this discovery in deer blood, even looking beyond just one treatment. But even the modification of the tick's microbiome, which is the main reason why it is a vector of Borrelia.

We hope that the advances in science in health can give us giant steps every day in the prevention and treatment of diseases.

At Enevia, we believe that no person should be diagnosed with autism without first ruling out underlying medical conditions.

We have several articles that are related to Lyme disease and the immune system, we leave them below:

Borrelia and ticks: What is it? Types and their Diagnosis

The link between immunity and ASD. Do you know how it influences?

Treatment of autism, encephalitis and herpesvirus 6 and 7 infection with Valtrex, Cortisone and Immunoglobulins: Matilde's case.

We also have information and articles about ASD and other neurodevelopmental pathologies on the blog, which you can access by clicking here or going directly to our Web.

Enevia, we are your ally in health.

Bibliography

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/vbz.2022.0095