How wild birds help Lyme bacteria survive
Official title: Immunomodulatory mechanisms of wild bird reservoir hosts that facilitate persistence of Lyme disease bacteria
Funded at Tufts University Boston · NIH-11311270 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project learns how wild birds' immune systems allow Lyme disease bacteria to persist and spread, which could help people at risk from tick bites.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts University Boston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | March 25, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $838,799 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI181746-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11311270 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This grant does not enroll people; it focuses on wild birds and animal models rather than recruiting patients.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking immediate treatments for an active Lyme infection are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this basic ecology and immunology research.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers will sample wild birds and ticks and use lab models to see why some Borrelia burgdorferi strains survive better in birds than in mice. They will compare bacterial genotypes, measure antibody and complement responses, and run controlled infection experiments in bird and rodent models. Field data on which strains birds carry will be combined with lab immunology to pinpoint mechanisms of persistence. The team aims to explain bird-specific transmission patterns that influence human Lyme risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could inform new prevention strategies that reduce the likelihood of people getting Lyme disease from bird-associated ticks.
How similar studies have gone: Prior field and laboratory studies have shown bird-specific Borrelia genotypes and transmission patterns, but using those findings to prevent human infection is still early-stage.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts University Boston
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lin, Yi-Pin — Tufts University Boston
- Study coordinator: Lin, Yi-Pin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding why some people have ongoing symptoms after Lyme disease
A long-term study follows people diagnosed with acute Lyme disease to see who develops persistent symptoms and why, with care from a team of Lyme experts.
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CSF Protein Map in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease
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Lyme disease vaccine research aimed at preventing infection
Researchers are developing a Lyme disease vaccine by studying how the immune system responds to Borrelia burgdorferi and testing vaccine approaches to prevent illness.
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Lyme disease brain health: tracking brain signals and blood clues after treatment
This study follows people with early Lyme disease and compares them to healthy volunteers to see how the brain and blood markers change over a year after starting antibiotics.
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Lyme disease symptoms lingering after treatment may be driven by special bacterial fragments
A human-friendly look at a study exploring why some Lyme patients keep symptoms after antibiotics and whether tiny fragments from the bacteria are to blame.
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Understanding Lyme disease immune signals to predict recovery after antibiotics
A research project at MIT aims to find immune biomarkers that tell which Lyme patients will recover after standard antibiotics and who might have lasting symptoms.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.