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=<p>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, <italic>Borrelia burgdorferi</italic>, 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 <italic>B. burgdorferi</italic> infection in patients with chronic Lyme disease symptoms.</p>