Researchers report that synovial fluid from patients with Lyme arthritis (LA), but not from patients with other forms of arthritis, contained peptidoglycan--a component of bacterial cell walls--from Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, as well as antibodies against this peptidoglycan; Borrelia peptidoglycan stimulated human white blood cells to produce proinflammatory cytokines and induced acute arthritis in mice, suggesting that the Borrelia peptidoglycan contributes to inflammation in LA.
Article #19-04170: "Borrelia burgdorferi peptidoglycan is a persistent antigen in patients with Lyme arthritis," by Brandon L. Jutras et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Christine Jacobs-Wagner, Yale University, West Haven, CT; tel: 203-737-7219; e-mail: christine.jacobs-wagner@yale.edu
###
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences