Press Release

For Immediate Release
Contact: Tom Capezzuto
(973) 972-7273
E-mail:capezzta@umdnj.edu

At UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
Lyme Disease Bacteria Linked to Specific Bacteria Known to Cause Autoimmune Damage
-Study Published in February Issue of Journal of Clinical Microbiology

2/24/05—Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) have discovered molecular similarities between the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and other bacteria that are known to trigger various autoimmune illnesses, such as arthritis and heart disease.

The researchers made this discovery in a laboratory study of mice genetically prone to developing autoimmune diseases, said Dr. Elizabeth S. Raveche, an immunologist at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark and principal investigator. The study is published in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

"The study showed that those who are prone to autoimmune diseases may develop a more prolonged form of Lyme" said Dr. Raveche, a researcher at the medical school's Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Lyme disease is cause by the bacterial spirochete known as Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by a tick bite. The disease can affect skin, nervous system, joints and the heart. It is frequently accompanied by a red bull's eye rash surrounding the site of the tick bite.

In the study, Dr. Raveche and Dr. Steven E. Schutzer, an immunologist at the medical school, found that the Osp-A protein of the Lyme disease bacteria shared molecular similarities with the Streptococcus pyogenes M protein known to cause autoimmune-related diseases, including rheumatic heart disease and arthritis.

The authors noted that these findings are preliminary and require further research. Researchers from the University of New Mexico and University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center also contributed to this study.

--February 24, 2005