Lyme disease is a zoonosis caused by infection with Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). A great amount of research has attempted to elucidate the mechanisms by which Bb causes inflammation and chronic symptomatology in some patients. Patients often seek unconventional treatments that lack scientific evidence, as medical care is unable to effectively explain and treat their illness. Bb-DNA can persist for long periods of time in some individuals, even after antibiotic therapy. Herein, scientific rationale is presented for a new therapeutic approach against remaining bacterial DNA, and/or increasing the ability of human macrophages to remove extracellular Bb DNA.
Keywords: Antimicrobial peptides; Borrelia burgdorferi; DNA persistence; Lyme disease; Post-treatment Lyme syndrome; TLR9.
Copyright © 2017 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.