Borrelia burgdorferiFLICKR, NIAIDA distinctive pattern of gene transcription in the white blood cells of people infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, could serve as the basis for a diagnostic test that flags the infection earlier than current methods, according to a study published today (February 12) in mBio.
“Improved diagnostics are urgently needed for Lyme disease,” study coauthor Charles Chiu of the University of California, San Francisco, said in a press release. “The tick that transmits Lyme also harbors many other pathogens, and early diagnosis is critical in guiding appropriate treatment and preventing later complications of the illness.”
Chiu and his colleagues used RNA-seq to examine the blood samples of 29 patients before and after a three-week course of antibiotics, finding that distinctive Lyme-associated gene signatures persisted for at least that long. Retesting the patients’ blood six months later, the team found that some of the transcriptome differences were still present at that time. “To our knowledge, this study is the first to document changes in gene expression occurring even after a bacterial ...
