Apr. 4, 2013 — Like humans, mice can become infected with Borrelia. However, not all mice that come into contact with these bacteria contract the dreaded Lyme disease: Animals with a particular gene variant are immune to the bacteria, as scientists from the universities of Zurich and Lund demonstrate. Wild mice are the primary hosts for Borrelia, which are transmitted by ticks.
Springtime spells tick-time. Lyme borreliosis is the most common tick-borne disease in Switzerland: around 10,000 people a year become infected with the pathogen. The actual hosts for Borrelia, however, are wild mice. Like in humans, the pathogen is also transmitted by ticks in mice. Interestingly, not all mice are equally susceptible to the bacterium and individual animals are immune to the pathogen. Scientists from the universities of Zurich and Lund headed by evolutionary biologist Barbara Tschirren reveal that the difference in vulnerability among the animals is genetic in origin.
Protective gene variant
Tschirren and colleagues examined wild mice for signs of a Borreliainfection in a large-scale field study. Borrelia afzelii -- the scientific name for the bacteria -- feed on mouse blood. The researchers discovered that mice with a particular variant of the antigen receptor TLR2 were around three times less susceptible toBorrelia. "The immune system of mice with this receptor variant recognizes the pathogen better and can trigger an immune response more quickly to destroy the Borreliain time," says Tschirren. Infected mice exhibit similar symptoms to humans -- especially joint complaints. Consequently, in the wild infected mice probably do not survive for very long and weakened animals soon fall victim to foxes and birds of prey.
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