Lyme
borreliosis project 
Lyme borreliosis (or Lyme disease), one of the important emerging diseases, is caused by one of three different but closely related species of Borrelia, a group of spirochetes. Spirochetes comprise a separate phylum of bacteria. What is characteristic of gram-negative and/or gram-positive bacteria may not be true of spirochetes. Members of the genus Borrelia are parasites; they are not free-living. Borrelias are transmitted from one vertebrate to another by arthropods, usually ticks.
Lyme borreliosis was named after Lyme, CT, where about 20 years ago an unusual outbreak of arthritis among children and other townspeople occurred. This disease was eventually shown to be caused by B. burgdorferi in the United States and by this and two other species in Europe and Asia. The infection in nature occurs in rodents living in rural areas and suburbs. The infection is carried from the rodents and passed to humans and their pets by ticks. Most people get Lyme borreliosis at or near to their residences.
Our laboratory first isolated and cultivated the cause of Lyme borreliosis in the laboratory. We carried out initial studies of the biology and immunology of this new organism. Since then the laboratory has, among other things, identified and characterized prominent surface proteins of the organism, showed that this and other Borrelia species have a novel linear chromosome and plasmids, identified a new prokaryotic promoter element in B. burgdorferi, and studied the structure and topological relationships of the outer membrane proteins. OspA, one of the surface proteins, which the lab identified and characterized is the basis of vaccines for for prevention of Lyme borreliosis.
We continue to take a multi-disciplinary approach to the Lyme borreliosis project. Current research areas for this project in the lab include the following: (i) targeting anti-B. burgdorferi to field mice and other natural reservoirs to reduce or eliminate the risk of Lyme borreliosis transmission in nature, (ii) studies of the evolutionary and population biology of B. burgdorferi and other Lyme borreliosis agents, and (iii) development of improved diagnostic tests for Lyme disease.
Cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi in nature in the northeastern United States