AUTHOR=Stricker Raphael B., Johnson Lorraine TITLE=Borrelia burgdorferi aggrecanase activity: more evidence for persistent infection in Lyme disease JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology VOLUME=3 YEAR=2013 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2013.00040 DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2013.00040 ISSN=2235-2988 ABSTRACT=

Lyme disease is the most common tickborne illness in the world today. A recent study describes for the first time an enzyme produced by the spirochetal agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, that cleaves aggrecan, a proteoglycan found in joints and connective tissue. Discovery of the spirochetal aggrecanase raises many questions about the pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis and lends support to the concept of persistent B. burgdorferi infection in patients with chronic Lyme disease symptoms.