NYMC Faculty Publications
Evidence for Strain-Specific Immunity in Patients Treated for Early Lyme Disease
Author Type(s)
Faculty
DOI
10.1128/IAI.01451-13
Journal Title
Infection and Immunity
First Page
1408
Last Page
1413
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2014
Department
Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Keywords
Borrelia burgdorferi, Cohort Studies, Humans, Lyme Disease, Models, Statistical, Recurrence, Species Specificity, United States
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States. Many patients treated for early Lyme disease incur another infection in subsequent years, suggesting that previous exposure to B. burgdorferi may not elicit a protective immune response. However, identical strains are almost never detected from patients who have been infected multiple times, suggesting that B. burgdorferi exposure may elicit strain-specific immunity. Probabilistic and simulation models assuming biologically realistic data derived from patients in the northeastern United States suggest that patients treated for early Lyme disease develop protective immunity that is strain specific and lasts for at least 6 years.
Recommended Citation
Khatchikian, C. E., Nadelman, R., Nowakowski, J., Schwartz, I., Wormser, G., & Brisson, D. (2014). Evidence for Strain-Specific Immunity in Patients Treated for Early Lyme Disease. Infection and Immunity, 82 (4), 1408-1413. https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.01451-13
