VTechWorks staff will be away for the Thanksgiving holiday beginning at noon on Wednesday, November 27, through Friday, November 29. We will resume normal operations on Monday, December 2. Thank you for your patience.

Browsing by Author "Breitschwerdt, Edward B."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Analysis of the antigenic determinants of the OspC protein of the Lyme disease spirochetes: Evidence that the C10 motif is not immunodominant or required to elicit bactericidal antibody responses
    Izac, Jerilyn R.; Camire, Andrew C.; Earnhart, Christopher G.; Embers, Monica E.; Funk, Rebecca A.; Breitschwerdt, Edward B.; Marconi, Richard T. (2019-04-17)
    As Ixodes ticks spread to new regions, the incidence of Lyme disease (LD) in companion animals and humans will increase. Preventive strategies for LD in canines center on vaccination and tick control (acaricides). Both subunit and bacterin based LD veterinary vaccines are available. Outer surface protein C (OspC), a potent immunogen and dominant early antigen, has been demonstrated to elicit protective antibody (Ab) responses. However, a single OspC protein elicits a relatively narrow range of protection. There are conflicting reports as to whether the immunodominant epitopes of OspC reside within variable or conserved domains. A detailed understanding of the antigenic determinants of OspC is essential for understanding immune responses to this essential virulence factor and vaccinogen. Here, we investigate the contribution of the conserved C-terminal C10 motif in OspC triggered Ab responses. Using a panel of diverse recombinant full length OspC proteins and their corresponding C10 deletion variants (OspC Delta C10), we demonstrate that the C10 motif does not significantly contribute to immunization or infection induced Ab responses in rabbits, rats, canines, horses and non-human primates. Furthermore, the C10 motif is not required to trigger potent bactericidal Ab responses. This study provides insight into the antigenic structure of OspC. The results enhance our understanding of immune responses that develop during infection or upon vaccination and have implications for interpretation of LD diagnostic assays that employ OspC. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Recent Progress in Lyme Disease and Remaining Challenges
    Bobe, Jason R.; Jutras, Brandon L.; Horn, Elizabeth J.; Embers, Monica E.; Bailey, Allison; Moritz, Robert L.; Zhang, Ying; Soloski, Mark J.; Ostfeld, Richard S.; Marconi, Richard T.; Aucott, John; Ma'ayan, Avi; Keesing, Felicia; Lewis, Kim; Ben Mamoun, Choukri; Rebman, Alison W.; McClune, Mecaila E.; Breitschwerdt, Edward B.; Reddy, Panga Jaipal; Maggi, Ricardo; Yang, Frank; Nemser, Bennett; Ozcan, Aydogan; Garner, Omai; Di Carlo, Dino; Ballard, Zachary; Joung, Hyou-Arm; Garcia-Romeu, Albert; Griffiths, Roland R.; Baumgarth, Nicole; Fallon, Brian A. (Frontiers, 2021-08-18)
    Lyme disease (also known as Lyme borreliosis) is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States with an estimated 476,000 cases per year. While historically, the long-term impact of Lyme disease on patients has been controversial, mounting evidence supports the idea that a substantial number of patients experience persistent symptoms following treatment. The research community has largely lacked the necessary funding to properly advance the scientific and clinical understanding of the disease, or to develop and evaluate innovative approaches for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Given the many outstanding questions raised into the diagnosis, clinical presentation and treatment of Lyme disease, and the underlying molecular mechanisms that trigger persistent disease, there is an urgent need for more support. This review article summarizes progress over the past 5 years in our understanding of Lyme and tick-borne diseases in the United States and highlights remaining challenges.