2023-07-27 06:15:33
The experiment was carried out jointly by Inrae (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment), ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and work) and the National Veterinary School of Alfort. Lyme disease, which leads in the most serious cases to neurological and joint disorders, transmitted by tick bitesand this vaccine means target the microbiota of this parasite.
At the origin of Lyme disease, there is indeed a bacterium called “Borrelia” that the tick can transmit by biting an animal or a human being… A bacterium that finds refuge in the microbiota of the tickas Nathalie Boulanger, a medical entomologist and tick specialist at the University of Strasbourg, explains: “Ticks only feed on blood, but they need certain food supplements that their microbiota, therefore the bacteria present in their intestine, provide them with.”
A vaccine that is “transmitted” from mice to ticks
To neutralize this microbiota, the researchers use mice, they inoculate the rodent with a harmless bacterium which, in reaction, produces antibodies to defend itself. The immunized mouse is then brought into contact with the tick which, by biting the animal, ingests antibodies at the same timewhich immediately attack the “Borrelia” bacterium.
“Lyme disease bacteria thrive primarily in the gut”says Nathalie Boulanger. “So disrupting the gut microbiota of ticks will decrease the infection rate in them. This results in fewer vectors of Lyme disease in the environment.”
If this mechanism works with mice, the authors of the study recognize that many questions remain to be explored. before obtaining a vaccine suitable for humans.
1693756138
#step #closer #Lyme #disease #vaccine