Unusual bacterial fragments that may cause long-lasting Lyme symptoms
Official title: The natural release of unusual peptidoglycan fragments drives persistent Lyme disease symptoms in susceptible hosts
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11168835 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether pieces of the Lyme bacterium left behind after antibiotics cause ongoing joint pain in people who had Lyme disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | June 15, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $514,496 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI178711-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11168835 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who previously had Lyme disease and still have joint pain or Lyme arthritis after completing recommended antibiotic therapy are the most likely candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with newly diagnosed, untreated Lyme infection or whose symptoms are caused by a different condition may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
Researchers will examine joint fluid and other samples from people who continue to have Lyme-related joint pain after standard antibiotic treatment to identify leftover bacterial cell-wall fragments. They will chemically map the unusual peptidoglycan pieces and track how long they remain in tissues. Parallel animal and lab experiments will test whether these fragments can trigger persistent inflammation and whether they can be targeted or removed. The team aims to link what is found in patients to specific approaches that could reduce lingering symptoms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to treatments that remove or neutralize leftover bacterial fragments and ease persistent Lyme arthritis.
How similar studies have gone: Animal studies have shown purified Borrelia peptidoglycan can cause arthritis and researchers have detected these fragments in patient joint fluid, but human treatments based on this idea are not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jutras, Brandon Lyon — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Jutras, Brandon Lyon
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.
-
CSF Protein Map in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease
A short study to map proteins in spinal fluid of people who had Lyme disease and still feel sick after standard treatment, to understand what’s going on.
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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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.