Antimicrobial Discovery Center, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address:
Published: October 2021
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Lyme disease is on the rise. Caused by a spirochete Borreliella burgdorferi, it affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States alone. The antibiotics currently used to treat Lyme disease are broad spectrum, damage the microbiome, and select for resistance in non-target bacteria. We therefore sought to identify a compound acting selectively against B. burgdorferi. A screen of soil micro-organisms revealed a compound highly selective against spirochetes, including B. burgdorferi. Unexpectedly, this compound was determined to be hygromycin A, a known antimicrobial produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus. Hygromycin A targets the ribosomes and is taken up by B. burgdorferi, explaining its selectivity. Hygromycin A cleared the B. burgdorferi infection in mice, including animals that ingested the compound in a bait, and was less disruptive to the fecal microbiome than clinically relevant antibiotics. This selective antibiotic holds the promise of providing a better therapeutic for Lyme disease and eradicating it in the environment.
We report here on the development of tailored plasmonic AgNPs/C:H:N:O plasma polymer nanocomposites for the detection of the pathogenic bacterium Borrelia afzelii, with high selectivity and sensitivity. Silver (Ag) nanoparticles, generated by a gas aggregation source, are incorporated onto a C:H:N:O plasma polymer matrix, which is deposited by magnetron sputtering of a nylon 6.6.
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Chair of Bacteriology and Mycology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Oberschleißheim, Bavaria, Germany.
Diagnosis of equine Lyme borreliosis (LB), an infection caused by members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex (Bbsl), is challenging due to the nonspecific clinical signs of the disease and due to the variety of non-standardized serological tests. Specific vaccine-induced antibodies against LB, providing an effective protection against the infection, complicate the issue further. The standard for the detection of specific antibodies against Bbsl is a two-tier test system based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFA) for antibody screening combined with a qualitative, highly specific immunoassay (e.
Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia species that are transmitted by Ixodes ticks prevalent in parts of the United States and Europe. A Lyme vaccine containing the OspA antigens from the single Borrelia species most prevalent in the United States was marketed in the 1990s, but was withdrawn because of unproven concerns about safety, which led to insufficient sales. Since then, the incidence of Lyme disease has increased in the United States owing to the geographical spread of infected ticks.
Categorization systems for tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection lack consistency in classifying disease severity. To evaluate the need for a standard, consensus-based categorisation system for TBEV infection across subtypes, we gathered an expert panel of clinicians and scientists with diverse expertise in TBEV infection. Consensus was sought using the Delphi technique, which consisted of 2 web-based survey questionnaires and a final, virtual, consensus-building exercise.
