Emergence of chronic Lyme arthritis: Putting the breaks on CD28 costimulation

Abstract

Lyme disease is a debilitating infection that is caused upon a bite of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb)-infected ticks. One of the most prominent clinical manifestations is the development of chronic Lyme arthritis. Months after Bb infection, ~60% of untreated Lyme patients experience intermittent arthritic attacks that may last for years. The use of the CD28^−/− mouse in Bb infection has helped to shed light into the mechanisms that govern this inflammatory process, which seems to be tightly regulated. In this current review, the effect of immunoregulation, as well as CD28 deficiency in the development of chronic Lyme arthritis is discussed.

Keywords::

• CD28
• Lyme arthritis
• murine models
• immunoregulation

Acknowledgement

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.