Transmission Competence of B. burgdorferi Infected Ixodes Ticks and Development of an OspC-Based Lyme Disease Vaccine
type: CreativeWork
description: Introduction. Lyme disease, otherwise called Lyme borreliosis, is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). Studying the increase in overall Lyme disease incidence requires understanding the role of the vector Ixodes scapularis (I. scapularis) as the agent that carries the spirochete which is important to limit the occurrence of Lyme disease. Once we understand the vector-pathogen response, it also becomes important to determine the remedies for Lyme disease. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics if detected early, but the major obstacle lies in the early detection process. Therefore, it is important to investigate alternative preventive measures. Although vaccines could serve that purpose, there are no vaccines currently available for Lyme disease in humans. A few Outer surface protein A (OspA) based compositions are currently undergoing clinical trials for human use. Outer surface protein C (OspC) is an alternative in the same line because it induces a significant antibody response and provides strain-specific protection after the tick challenge. However, due to OspC heterogeneity, there are limitations to using OspC as a broad-spectrum vaccine candidate. To this end, our lab designed a cocktail vaccine (OspCCt) comprised of 8 different OspC types selected for their ability to disseminate to target human organs. OspA and OspC are two important outer surface proteins of Bb, and they are genetically dissimilar. Despite the antigenic differences, we observed cross-reactivity between the OspC antigen and OspA serum antibodies. Studies have shown OspA to be an effective transmission-blocking vaccine. Therefore it is also important to investigate the transmission-blocking properties of the OspCCt vaccine observed in the ticks recovered from infected and vaccinated mice. Objective. Our first goal is to investigate whether I. scapularis nymphs kept in a prolonged questing state under optimal environmental conditions are f…
abstract: Introduction. Lyme disease, otherwise called Lyme borreliosis, is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). Studying the increase in overall Lyme disease incidence requires understanding the role of the vector Ixodes scapularis (I. scapularis) as the agent that carries the spirochete which is important to limit the occurrence of Lyme disease. Once we understand the vector-pathogen response, it also becomes important to determine the remedies for Lyme disease. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics if detected early, but the major obstacle lies in the early detection process. Therefore, it is important to investigate alternative preventive measures. Although vaccines could serve that purpose, there are no vaccines currently available for Lyme disease in humans. A few Outer surface protein A (OspA) based compositions are currently undergoing clinical trials for human use. Outer surface protein C (OspC) is an alternative in the same line because it induces a significant antibody response and provides strain-specific protection after the tick challenge. However, due to OspC heterogeneity, there are limitations to using OspC as a broad-spectrum vaccine candidate. To this end, our lab designed a cocktail vaccine (OspCCt) comprised of 8 different OspC types selected for their ability to disseminate to target human organs. OspA and OspC are two important outer surface proteins of Bb, and they are genetically dissimilar. Despite the antigenic differences, we observed cross-reactivity between the OspC antigen and OspA serum antibodies. Studies have shown OspA to be an effective transmission-blocking vaccine. Therefore it is also important to investigate the transmission-blocking properties of the OspCCt vaccine observed in the ticks recovered from infected and vaccinated mice. Objective. Our first goal is to investigate whether I. scapularis nymphs kept in a prolonged questing state under optimal environmental conditions are f…
author: Kamalika, Samanta
keywords: Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment, Bacterial Infections and Mycoses, Diseases, Investigative Techniques, Medical Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Parasitic Diseases, Pharmaceutics and Drug Design, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Therapeutics
date published: 2023-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:00:45Z
provider: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Tennessee Health Science Center