When the cases of Lyme Borreliosis grow

With increasing temperatures, cases of Lyme-Borreliosis and other ticks born. Therefore, a search for the spread and treatment of the symptoms has taken up some urgency – and now offers a glimmer of hope.

Warmer weather gives evil little vectors like the Hirsch ticks that carry the disease for a long time to spread it. The ticks carry the disease from their “reservoir” small forest mammal to human hosts by biting them. Although it is most common in forested areas, the deer slick can also live in long grass areas.

The US centers for the control and prevention of diseases (CDC) recorded 89,000 cases of Lyme Borreliosis in 2023 based on reports of the state health departments. Other methods that pursue the treatment of the symptoms of the disease rely on 476,000. The actual number of Lyme illness cases is probably somewhere in between.

Identification and treatment of Lyme Borreliosis

Infected people sometimes discover circular rashes on their body. They also often develop headaches, fever and fatigue. If the disease remains untreated, it can put herself through the heart, nervous system and joints.

The treatment of the disease – usually an antibiotic course – has proven to be less ideal. Antibiotics are better brought when the disease is identified at an early stage – which is not often the case. Some long -term effects of the infection can also linger for years.

Since the disease achieves more traction and more people have to struggle with their long -term effects, more researchers are looking for better treatments. Researcher reported in mbioA journal of the American Society for Microbiology that they have found a tempting goal – lactate dehydrogenase (BBLDH). This enzyme plays a key role in the metabolism of Borrelia BurgdorferiThe pathogen responsible for the disease.

Read more: What is Lyme Borreliosis and why do cases rise?

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In the new study, the researchers first examined the structure of the enzyme to understand where they could aim at a medication. Then they switched off parts of the enzyme to determine which parts were required for its growth. As soon as they identified them, they modified these elements.

These optimizations effectively stop the pathogen in its tracks. It was unable to grow in a petri dish and could not infect animal models. As soon as they confirmed that the enzyme was actually a good goal, they found several molecular candidates that BBLDH could effectively close down.

“We have found that BBLDH has a unique biochemical and structural feature and it is important for B. Burgdorferi Growth and infectiousity, ”said Chunhao (Chris) Lia researcher at the Virginia Commonwealth University and author of the newspaper, in A Press release. “BBLDH can serve as the ideal goal for the development of genre-specific inhibitors that may be used to treat and prevent Lyme disease.”

While an actual drug will probably take years to develop and then be tested, potential prevention and treatment of the disease should be welcome for all people who spend time outside of forest areas.

This article does not offer a medical advice and should only be used for information purposes.

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Before Paul Smaglik came to the Discover Magazine, he was a scientific journalist for over 20 years and specialized in US living science and global scientific career questions. He started his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work appeared in publications such as Science News, Science, Nature and Scientific American.