Scientists identify the protein that protects against Lyme disease

Researchers at Yale University have discovered the existence of a protein that can protect against Lyme disease transmission.

During this second period of confinement, the French take advantage of the authorized daily exit time to stretch their legs a little. For those who live in the countryside, this break is often an opportunity to walk in the woods and as close to nature as possible. A walk that can sometimes turn into a nightmare with the presence of ticks.

The Ministry of Solidarity and Health reports that Lyme disease surveillance for the year 2018 showed a significant increase in the number of new cases diagnosed in general medicine in France between 2017 and 2018 (104 cases per 100,000 population versus 69 / 100,000 in 2017). As a reminder, the transmission of Lyme disease to humans occurs via a tick bite. The latter, everywhere throughout the territory, are installed above all below 1,500 m of altitude. They live in wooded and wet areas, tall grasses of prairies, gardens and parks.

Yale researchers have discovered a protein that helps protect hosts from infection by the tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme disease. These findings were published on November 11 in the journal PLOS pathogens. As part of this study, the Yale team expressed more than 1,000 human genes in yeast and analyzed their interactions with 36 samples. They found that a protein, Peptidoglycan recognition protein 1 (PGLYRP1), acts as an early warning sign for the immune system when exposed to bacteria. Mice lacking this bacterium showed signs of immune system dysfunction.

Neurological signs and joint damage

“Increasing people’s ability to make more of this protein could help fight infections“Said Erol Fikrig of Yale, Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) and Microbial Pathogenesis, author of the study. The medical team set out to determine whether people with higher levels of PGLYRP1 may be less susceptible to infections.

Lyme disease can begin within 30 days of the bite. It appears as a red, round plaque that extends in a circle (erythema migrans) from the sting area and then disappears within a few weeks or months. In the absence of treatment, progression to the secondary phase is not systematic, but the prognosis worsens. “If the person does not receive antibiotic treatment, neurological signs or damage to the joints or more rarely to other organs may appear a few weeks or months after the bite.”Warns the Ministry of Health. To limit the risk of being stung during a walk, it is recommended that you cover your arms and legs with long clothing and carefully inspect your body upon returning.

You may also be interested in this content: