PUBLIC DOMAIN IMAGES, JAMICE HANEY CARR, CLAUDIA MOLINS
The bacterium that causes Lyme disease spreads aggressively throughout the body, but little is known about how it so effectively moves. In a paper published last week (August 25) in Cell Reports, researchers from the University of Toronto show that the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, rapidly grabs and releases its host’s blood vessel-lining endothelial cells with a protein that acts like a grappling hook. “This mechanism is how the bacteria can overcome the fast flow of blood and avoid getting swept away,” study coauthor Rhodaba Ebady of Toronto told Scientific American.
B. burgdorferi enters the body through a tick bite, usually leaving a distinctive bull’s-eye rash. Symptoms include fever, headache, and fatigue, and—if left untreated—the infection can cause joint pain, heart problems, and nerve damage, according ...
