The Impact of Strain Specific Immunity on Lyme Disease Incidence Is Spatially Heterogeneous

Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common tick-borne infection in the US. Recent studies have demonstrated that the incidence of human Lyme disease would have been even greater were it not for the presence of strain specific immunity, which protects previously infected patients against subsequent infections by the same B. burgdorferi strain. Here, spatial heterogeneity is incorporated into epidemiological models to accurately estimate the impact of strain specific immunity on human Lyme disease incidence.

Source: Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease - August 25, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Camilo E Khatchikian, Robert B Nadelman, John Nowakowski, Ira Schwartz, Gary P Wormser, Dustin Brisson Source Type: research