14/07/2025
Groundbreaking new research from Northwestern University has uncovered that fragments of Borrelia burgdorferi — the bacteria that causes Lyme disease — can linger in the liver, disrupting proteins and triggering liver dysfunction. 🧫
What’s New (2025 Study):
🔬 Scientists tracked large peptidoglycan (PG) fragments from B. burgdorferi in mice.
🧠 These fragments accumulated in the liver and were still detectable 4 weeks later — unlike PG from other bacteria, which cleared in just days.
💥 The fragments triggered elevated liver enzymes, disrupted immune proteins, and altered genes tied to energy metabolism — potentially linking to the chronic fatigue seen in PTLDS.
🧃 What makes Borrelia unique? Its peptidoglycan includes a rare sugar not made by the bacteria itself — it’s stolen from ticks. This strange sugar modification helps Borrelia fragments evade the human immune system, making them more persistent than fragments from other bacteria.
What Was Known (2019 Study):
🧪 Yale researchers, including Dr. Brandon Jutras, had found Borrelia PG in the joints of Lyme arthritis patients.
❓ Back then, it wasn’t clear how long PG fragments lasted or whether they caused damage in other organs.
Why It Matters:
🧬 This is the first time researchers have shown Borrelia fragments persisting in the liver, not just joints — pointing to a possible cause of long-term symptoms in PTLDS.
💉 Scientists are now investigating monoclonal antibody therapies that could target and eliminate these persistent fragments.
🚀 These findings could change how we understand, treat, and eventually solve chronic Lyme disease.
