Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
There is currently no drug available to cure Lyme disease, a disease transmitted by ticks. Perhaps the results of research conducted by scientists at Tulane University will help create a whole new way of dealing with the long-term, debilitating effects of the disease.
The results of the conducted research suggest that the dead fragments of the bacteria causing Boleriosis, i.e.Borrelia burgdorferi , may circulate in the body even after treatment and cause inflammation in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
This may explain why people who suffer from Lyme disease have a problem with recovery despite treatment such as constant pain, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and problems with cognitive thinking. Treated patients usually recover eventually, but this can take a long time.
- About 10-35 percent Patients treated for erythema migrans or early Lyme disease have persistent or intermittent musculoskeletal, cognitive, or fatigue of mild to moderate severity after 6 to 12 months of follow-up, the researchers suggest.
Scientists have conducted research onB. burgdorfericollected from animals - rhesus macaques, observing the influence of bacteria on the frontal cortex of the brain and the ganglion of dorsal roots in the spine. The researchers found that inflammatory markers were several times higher in the samples exposed toB. burgdorferithan in samples treated with live bacteria.
Experts also noted other disturbing results - dead bacteria caused cell death in brain neurons. According to specialistsB. burgdorferiwere particularly visible in the frontal cortex, which corresponds to, inter alia, for motor coordination, thought organization and working memory control, therefore the results of the studies conducted suggest that this may be the place from which the bothersome symptoms after Lyme disease treatment, occurring for many months or even years after treatment, originate completely or partially.
Brain scans of patients who have this problem do indicate persistent inflammation, but the cause of this neuroinflammation has not yet been identified. It is also still unknown how the bacteriaB. burgdorferithey hitto the brain, although it is possible that even when the body is defended, they can cause damage to organs such as the brain or the heart.
The research was published in Scientific Reports.