New Diagnostic Method for Lyme Disease
Understanding Lyme Disease
Recent research has unveiled a promising multi-platform method aimed at diagnosing Lyme disease in its early stages. This disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, which is transmitted to humans through bites from infected ticks. Climate changes and milder winters are causing ticks to become active earlier and expand into new regions, resulting in an increased prevalence of Lyme disease globally. Common symptoms include fever, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, and the distinctive bull’s-eye rash, known as erythema migrans. Early diagnosis is crucial, as Lyme disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics, leading to minimal long-term health effects. However, not all patients exhibit classic symptoms, and current diagnostic methods can take days to weeks for confirmation. Consequently, delayed treatment may lead to complications affecting the joints, heart, and nervous system.
Research Study Overview
A team from the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University conducted a study to identify reliable microbe-specific biomarkers that could facilitate quicker and more accurate diagnoses. The findings were published in the journal “Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.”
Methodology
The researchers utilized a macaque model infected with ticks to analyze blood and urine samples. They employed a multi-platform approach to assess these samples. Proteins detected in multiple instances were designated as potential biomarkers, while those identified three or more times were categorized as high-potential biomarkers. Through mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, the team discovered six proteins in the blood of the macaques that were consistently present across samples. However, the urine samples did not yield significant results, as proteins were only detected in a single sample.
In addition to MS, the researchers implemented an indirect detection method called immunoprecipitation to enhance protein identification, allowing for the detection of proteins below the threshold of MS. This additional step led to the identification of more biomarkers that may prove useful for diagnosing Lyme disease at its earliest stages.
Implications of Findings
The researchers propose that the six newly identified Lyme disease-associated proteins could be integrated with existing diagnostic methods to create a more accurate and timely diagnostic process. Furthermore, this innovative multi-platform approach may also be applicable for diagnosing various other infectious diseases that are challenging to detect using traditional methods. Future studies involving human subjects are necessary to validate these findings.
References
Pflughoeft, K., Mash, M., Hasenkampf, N., Jacobs, M., Tardo, A., Magee, D., Song, L., LaBaer, J., Philipp, M., Embers, M. and AuCoin, D. (2019). Multi-platform Approach for Microbial Biomarker Identification Using Borrelia burgdorferi as a Model. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 9. EurekAlert!. (2019). An innovative new diagnostic for Lyme disease. [online] Available at: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-08/asu-ain082519.php [Accessed 30 Aug. 2019]. Image by Gerhard Wiedemann from Pixabay.