Genomic Study Identifies Lyme Disease Infectivity Genes

Researchers have used advanced DNA sequencing techniques to study the genome of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and identify genes responsible for infectivity in a mouse model.

Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. B. burgdorferi is the main cause of Lyme disease in North America, whereas B. afzelii and B. garinii cause most European cases. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere where it is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks belonging to a few species of the genus Ixodes (hard ticks). Early symptoms may include fever, headache, fatigue, depression, and a characteristic circular skin rash called erythema migrans (EM). Left untreated, later symptoms may involve the joints, heart, and central nervous system. In most cases, the infection and its symptoms are eliminated by antibiotics, especially if the illness is treated early. Delayed or inadequate treatment can lead to the more serious symptoms, which can be disabling and difficult to treat.

Investigators at the University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston, USA) recently described the development of a new technique that allowed them to test 15 times more B. burgdorferi genes than had been evaluated in the previous 30 years. The new methodology, which was used to screen 4,479 transposon mutants, was based on a semiquantitative, Luminex (Austin, TX, USA)-based DNA detection method.

Results reported in the October 25, 2012, online edition of the journal PLOS ONE revealed that genes found to be important in mouse infectivity included those involved in motility, chemotaxis, the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system, and other transporters, as well as putative plasmid maintenance genes.

“We believe that this will be one of the most significant publications in Lyme disease in the next several years. This global approach will help move the field forward and also serve as a model for other pathogens with similar properties,” said senior author Dr. Steven Norris, professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center.

Related Links:
University of Texas Health Science Center
Luminex