The current landscape and future directions of Lyme disease vaccines.
Lyme disease (LD) represents a significant public health challenge in North America and Eurasia. The persistent increase in its incidence may create an opportunity for vaccines to gain broader acceptance. Recent years have seen notable advances in vaccine development. However, achieving a balance be…
Analysis of vaccine adverse events associated with rheumatoid arthritis: A pharmacovigilance study based on the VAERS database.
Vaccination is a principal method of infectious disease prevention, but its association with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains controversial. This study assessed vaccine‑associated RA using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Data from 1990 to 2026 were extracted. Descriptive…
The behavioural spillover effect: modelling behavioural interdependencies in multi-pathogen dynamics.
During the recent pandemic, a rise in COVID-19 cases was followed by a decline in influenza. In the absence of cross-immunity, a potential explanation for the observed pattern is behavioural: non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) designed and promoted for one disease also reduce the spread of othe…
Climate and other environmental factors predict tick abundance and Lyme cases in Minnesota one and two years in advance.
Environmental factors, like weather and host abundance influence tick populations which in turn affect tickborne disease in endemic regions. It is important to understand how these factors are associated with tick abundance, and whether they can predict disease. We assessed associations between envi…
Molecular detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in questing ticks: One year of sampling in Bologna (Northern Italy).
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) includes several genospecies responsible for Lyme borreliosis (LB), a major zoonotic disease transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks. In Western Europe, LB incidence has risen in recent decades, with documented expansion into previously non-endemic regions. A cross-se…
Tick-borne pathogens in dogs and their ticks in France: Molecular and serological evidence from a multicenter participatory study.
Canine tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are expanding globally, representing an increasing concern for both veterinary and public health. Dogs, due to their close contact with humans and frequent exposure to ticks, may serve as valuable sentinels for zoonotic risk. Between December 2022 and December 2023,…
A cofactor-promiscuous HMGR from the Lyme disease pathogen illuminates diversity in bacterial isoprenoid biosynthesis.
The Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi contains a highly reduced genome lacking many primary metabolic pathways. However, B. burgdorferi retains the mevalonate pathway that synthesizes isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), the precursor to the peptidoglycan carrier lipid. While the mevalonate pat…