Study provides a better understanding of Lyme borreliosis bacteria causes

Lyme borreliosis in the United States by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi ticks and, in general, begins with a lesion of the skin that bacteria throughout the body on the nervous system, heart or joints. Over 60 percent of individuals not to develop arthritis in the knees in particular. Lyme borreliosis, typically responds well to treatment with antibiotics, but in rare cases, arthritis for months or years after treatment, a rare condition known as antibiotic-resistant Lyme arthritis . Common tests of liquid in general negative for B. burgdorferi after treatment, which means that joint inflammation may, even after the bacteria has been eliminated.

Two systems of genetic markers to correlate the variations of these bacteria with clinical outcome: entry OSPC strains of B. burgdorferi subdivided into 21 categories, while the ribosomal RNA spacer intergenischen Art (RST) system divides into three groups, some groups clearly RST corresponding to certain types OSPC.

A new study led by Allen Steere of the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, analysis of fluid samples from 124 patients with Lyme arthritis, which extends over a 30-year period. It identifies strains B. burgdorferi in the joints of patients with Lyme arthritis and found that genotype frequencies in the joints reflected in the skin lesions. However, RST1 tribes were most frequent in patients with antibiotic-refractory arthritis. The study was published in the July edition of arthritis and rheumatism.

The researchers were able, 10 of 16 species B. OSPC burgdorferi in the north-eastern United States and three in the town RST fluid of patients with Lyme arthritis. Of course, it was only possible to determine, B. burgdorferi phenotypes in 40% of the samples, the researchers hope that the distribution reflects, which in the skin, because they were able to many OSPC and RST-types, and distribution was similar to what has been reported in previous studies of skin lesions.

One might think that the Association of tribes RST1 with arthritis refractory to antibiotics may also be a greater capacity of these strains to survive in spite of the common antibiotics. This does not seem to be the case. It RST1 strains seem to achieve an immune response, the conditions of inflammation, according to the antibiotic in people genetically susceptible.

"We assumed that virulent strains are RST1 that a greater number of organisms in the blood, and inflammation in the joints," the authors of the State. They come to the conclusion that the results of the study "In the emerging literature on the pathogenicity of different strains of B. burgdorferi