PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif. — January 20, 2026 — Leads & Copy —
Bay Area Lyme Foundation announced the publication of new research in PLOS Pathogens identifying a novel mechanism that may trigger Lyme arthritis. The study provides new insight into how the structure of Borrelia burgdorferi peptidoglycan and its interaction with a Borrelia protein can provoke joint inflammation.
According to the study, changes researchers made to the bacterium’s peptidoglycan structure nearly eliminated arthritis despite ongoing infection in a preclinical model. The study suggests new approaches to reduce Lyme arthritis and joint damage that may complement antibiotics by targeting inflammatory bacterial components.
Brandon L. Jutras, PhD, lead author of the study and associate professor of Microbiology-Immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said understanding how these bacterial structures provoke inflammation could lead to new approaches for limiting long-term joint damage and possibly treating patients whose symptoms persist despite standard antibiotic therapy. Jutras is also a Bay Area Lyme Foundation 2021 Emerging Leader Award winner.
The study demonstrates that the chemical makeup and physical structure of peptidoglycan plays a decisive role in determining whether joint inflammation develops. It also demonstrates how impeding peptidoglycan’s interaction with a specific Borrelia protein may impact the bacterium’s ability to migrate to and persist within joint tissue, resulting in near elimination of Lyme arthritis in the study.
Linda Giampa, Board of Directors, Bay Area Lyme Foundation, said the research represents a major advance in understanding the biological drivers of Lyme arthritis. Giampa added that it underscores the importance of identifying and supporting innovative scientists early in their careers.
Previous research by Jutras and his team has shown that peptidoglycan can linger in joint tissue and drive chronic inflammation. However, why this process leads to severe arthritis in some patients, but not others, has remained unclear until this study. In this new study, the researchers genetically altered B. burgdorferi to subtly change the structure of its peptidoglycan. The modified bacteria caused little to no joint inflammation in preclinical models of infection.
Altering the structure of peptidoglycan also disrupted a previously unrecognized interaction between peptidoglycan and p83/100, an immunodominant Borrelia protein that has been associated with joint involvement in Lyme disease in past studies. These findings help explain why bacterial remnants can be detected in patients’ joints years after infection and show that it is not just the presence of bacterial remnants, but how they are structured and how they interact with the immune system, that drives disease.
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne infection in the US and can cause debilitating long-term symptoms. Each year, approximately 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease.
Globally, a 2022 BMJ Global Health analysis found that about 1.15 billion people worldwide have or previously had an infection with Borrelia burgdorferi.
Bay Area Lyme Foundation is a national organization committed to making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure. It collaborates with world-class scientists and institutions to accelerate medical breakthroughs for Lyme disease. For more information about Lyme disease or to get involved, visit www.bayarealyme.org or call 650-530-2439.
Contact:
Tara DiMilia
Phone: 908-369-7168
Tara.DiMilia@tmstrat.com
Source: Bay Area Lyme Foundation
