A transcriptome study of borrelia burgdorferi infection in murine heart and brain tissues

during the tick’s blood meals (Rosa et al., 2005). Although Lyme disease is usually curable with prompt antibiotic treatment, nonspecific symptoms make early diagnosis difficult, and untreated infection can induce rheumatic, cardiac, and neurologic complications. The current screening test is still suboptimal in detecting Lyme reliably (Centers for Disease, & Prevention, 1995; Dressler et al., 1993). Lyme is often diagnosed after the emergence of the classic bulls-eye-shaped rash at the site of the tick bite, which occurs in over 70% of patients (McConville, 2014). The infection spreads throughout the body, causing general inflammation during the early dissemination stage, and years after initial infection, painful arthritis and joint swelling are observed among 60% of patients (McConville, 2014). Borrelia are transported throughout the body, and persistent infections are established in the skin, joint, heart, bladder, and, in only humans and primates, the central nervous system (Rosa et al., 2005). Some of these tissues are particularly affected by infectioninduced inflammation. Lyme carditis (inflammation of the heart tissue, interfering with its electrical activity) occurs in 4-10% of infections during the early dissemination stage. Carditis responds well to antibiotic treatment; however, because it occurs so early in the infection process and Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose, it can be fatal (McAlister et al., 1989). Additionally, 10-15% of Lyme disease cases manifest neurological conditions, such as pain caused by temporary or permanent inflammation of the nerves, meningitis, memory and anxiety problems, depression, and both cranial and peripheral neuritis (Narasimhan et al., 2003; Pachner, & Steere, 1984; Rupprecht et al., 2008). Some patients will experience Post-Treatment Lyme Disease INTRODUCTION Lyme disease is prevalent from southern Scandinavia to the northern Mediterranean countries and in the northeastern United States (U.S.). In the U.S., Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease: over 251,000 cases were reported between 2005 and 2014, with about 25,000 confirmed cases each year. Most cases occur in the northeast; however, notable expansion was observed in the Great Lakes region (CDC 2014). Lyme disease is caused by the infection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (family Spirochaetaceae), a diderm, microaerophilic spirochete bacteria (Wang et al., 1999). Within the genus Borrelia, three other species (B. afzelii, B. garinii, and possibly B. valaisiana) can cause the disease, but are more prevalent on the European continent (WHO, 2006). Other Borrelia species are carried by soft-bodied ticks and cause relapsing fevers (Garcia-Monco et al., 1997). All four pathogenic species of Borrelia are spread to humans by the bite of an infected tick. In the U.S., two blacklegged, or deer, tick species (Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus) are known to carry B. burgdorferi. The bacteria infect several mammal and bird species and are transmitted A Transcriptome Study of Borrelia burgdorferi Infection in Murine Heart and Brain Tissues