THE ESSENTIAL
- An antimicrobial would be able to eradicate Lyme disease by targeting the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi which causes this infection.
- This treatment would be harmless to animals, which would allow it to be spread in nature to eradicate the disease.
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In 2015, 33,202 people were affected by Lyme disease in France, according to thethe Ministry of Solidarity and Health. This pathology – also called Lyme borreliosis – is not contagious between humans. Humans can only catch it if they are bitten by a tick infected with the bacteria. Borrelia burgdorferi. Sometimes the individual has no symptoms as a result of the infection, but in some cases this sting can lead to crippling disease, with lasting joint pain, partial paralysis of the limbs, etc. However, if it is treated in time, it can be controlled by taking antibiotics. The disadvantages of these drugs are multiple. First of all, they are broad spectrum, meaning that they kill a wide range of bacteria, which is harmful for the good bacteria present in our intestinal flora. On the other hand, their repeated use can promote antibiotic resistance. Finally, they have side effects, including diarrhea sometimes over a long period.
A new treatment with targeted action …
In a new study, published in the journal Cell, researchers have just discovered a new treatment for Lyme disease. It is a targeted-acting antimicrobial that could therefore kill only the bacteria involved in Lyme disease. In addition, it would not be harmful to animals or to the intestinal flora. Scientists believe that if this antimicrobial were to become widespread in nature, it could eradicate Lyme disease without adverse effects on the environment. “Lyme disease is well placed to be eradicated, says Kim Lewis, one of the study’s authors. We are preparing, the first field test will take place next summer”.
… Hygromycin A, an animal-safe antimicrobial
In detail, the researchers found that hygromycin A, an antimicrobial produced by bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus, was particularly active in the fight against the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi the cause of Lyme disease. To achieve this result, they fed mice with baits containing hygromycin A. Results: their infection with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi quickly disappeared! Scientists therefore conclude that by putting these same baits in nature, it would therefore be possible to eliminate Lyme disease from entire areas, or even entire countries. Another advantage of hygromycin A is that it is completely harmless to animals. “Even at very high doses, hygromycin A shows no signs of toxicity, which suggests that this compound is safe ”, insists Kim Lewis.
Hygromycin A was discovered in 1953 but, until now, scientists had neglected it because it was ineffective against a large panel of bacteria. And this is precisely what interested the researchers of this study: as this antimicrobial has little effect on most other bacteria, it can therefore be considered as a targeted treatment. In other words, it is very effective in fighting Lyme disease, but without having adverse effects on other bacteria in the body. On the other hand, the study also proved that the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi was not able to develop resistance to hygromycin A, which means that the treatment may be effective in the very long term.
Research on this antimicrobial will continue. The researchers have just requested permission to move on to phase 3 of their clinical trial: to be able to test hygromycin A on humans.
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