2023-03-30 マサチューセッツ大学アマースト校
Some people infected with Lyme get a tell-tale target rash around their tick bite. Credit: Getty Images
この研究により、将来的にはライム病の予防や治療に新しい戦略やアプローチが開発されるかもしれない。ライム病の原因菌は、齧歯類からイクスデス・スキャプラリスと呼ばれるダニに感染し、ダニは人間に刺されることで人間に病気をうつす。オジロジカの血清成分がライム病を殺す仕組みを調べることが次の研究課題となる。
<関連情報>
- https://www.umass.edu/news/article/white-tailed-deer-blood-kills-bacteria-causes-lyme-disease
- https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/vbz.2022.0095
オジロジカの血清がライム病スピロヘータ「Borrelia burgdorferi」を殺菌することを発見 White-Tailed Deer Serum Kills the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi
Patrick Pearson, Connor Rich, Martin J.R. Feehan, Stephen S. Ditchkoff and Stephen M. Rich
Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases Published:21 Mar 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2022.0095
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi is a human pathogen vectored by Ixodes ticks and maintained in nature by a suite of competent vertebrate reservoirs. White-tailed deer (WTD) are considered to be noncompetent reservoirs for B. burgdorferi. Sera from other deer species have been found to be borreliacidal, and similar mechanisms could explain the lack of reservoir competence of WTD. Therefore, we determined whether WTD serum can kill B. burgdorferi. Using an in vitro serum sensitivity assay and subculturing of spirochetes, we demonstrated that WTD serum effectively kills B. burgdorferi. The borreliacidal activity of WTD serum likely contributes to the inability of WTD to efficiently harbor and transmit B. burgdorferi.
