The Lyme disease spirochete can hijack the host immune system for extravasation from the microvasculature.
Mol Microbiol
; 116(2): 498-515, 2021 08.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33891779
ABSTRACT
Lyme disease is the most common tick-transmitted disease in the northern hemisphere and is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and related Borrelia species. The constellation of symptoms attributable to this malady results from vascular dissemination of B. burgdorferi throughout the body to invade various tissue types. However, little is known about the mechanism by which the spirochetes can breach the blood vessel wall to reach distant tissues. We have studied this process by direct observation of spirochetes in the microvasculature of living mice using multi-laser spinning-disk intravital microscopy. Our results show that in our experimental system, instead of phagocytizing B. burgdorferi, host neutrophils are involved in the production of specific cytokines that activate the endothelium and potentiate B. burgdorferi escape into the surrounding tissue. Spirochete escape is not induced by paracellular permeability and appears to occur via a transcellular pathway. Neutrophil repurposing to promote bacterial extravasation represents a new and innovative pathogenic strategy.
Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Lyme Disease
/
Cytokines
/
Borrelia burgdorferi
/
Microvessels
/
Transendothelial and Transepithelial Migration
/
Neutrophils
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Year:
2021
Type:
Article