2023
Development of an mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccine against Lyme disease
Pine M, Arora G, Hart T, Bettini E, Gaudette B, Muramatsu H, Tombácz I, Kambayashi T, Tam Y, Brisson D, Allman D, Locci M, Weissman D, Fikrig E, Pardi N. Development of an mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccine against Lyme disease. Molecular Therapy 2023, 31: 2702-2714. PMID: 37533256, PMCID: PMC10492027, DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.07.022.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLyme diseaseImmune responseCell-mediated immune responsesLyme disease vaccinePotent immune responsesProtein subunit vaccinesSARS-CoV-2Surface protein AVector-borne infectious diseasesMRNA-LNP vaccineOuter surface protein ASingle immunizationProtective efficacyMRNA vaccinesClinical vaccinesDisease vaccineNanoparticle vaccineSubunit vaccineVaccine developmentVaccineBacterial infectionsMRNA-LNPInfectious diseasesDiseaseMRNA platformRepeated Tick Infestations Impair Borrelia burgdorferi Transmission in a Non-Human Primate Model of Tick Feeding
Narasimhan S, Booth C, Philipp M, Fikrig E, Embers M. Repeated Tick Infestations Impair Borrelia burgdorferi Transmission in a Non-Human Primate Model of Tick Feeding. Pathogens 2023, 12: 132. PMID: 36678479, PMCID: PMC9861725, DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12010132.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNon-human primatesImmune responseLyme diseaseTick transmissionAnimal modelsGuinea pigsNon-human primate modelProtective immune responseTick feedingTick infestationRobust immune responseTick salivary antigensElicit immune responsesHuman Lyme diseaseClinical manifestationsHuman pathogensPrimate modelSalivary antigensNon-natural hostsVaccine targetsDiseaseVaccine discoveryTick resistanceBorreliaNatural host
2022
Use of host lipids by the Lyme disease spirochete may lead to biomarkers
Arora G, Hart T, Fikrig E. Use of host lipids by the Lyme disease spirochete may lead to biomarkers. Journal Of Clinical Investigation 2022, 132: e158254. PMID: 35289311, PMCID: PMC8920323, DOI: 10.1172/jci158254.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsB. burgdorferi infectionLyme diseaseBurgdorferi infectionCareful clinical assessmentCommon tick-borne diseaseAnti-lipid antibodiesProduction of antibodiesTick-borne diseaseHost lipidsAntibody titersLyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferiClinical assessmentCurrent biomarkersMurine modelDiseaseSerum samplesLyme disease spirocheteAntibodiesBorrelia burgdorferiInfectionBiomarkersPatientsLipidsSyphilisPhosphatidic acid
2021
Immunomodulation by Mosquito Salivary Protein AgSAP Contributes to Early Host Infection by Plasmodium
Arora G, Sajid A, Chuang YM, Dong Y, Gupta A, Gambardella K, DePonte K, Almeras L, Dimopolous G, Fikrig E. Immunomodulation by Mosquito Salivary Protein AgSAP Contributes to Early Host Infection by Plasmodium. MBio 2021, 12: e03091-21. PMID: 34903042, PMCID: PMC8669493, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03091-21.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLocal inflammatory responsePlasmodium berghei sporozoitesSalivary antigensInflammatory responseBerghei sporozoitesPlasmodium falciparumMosquito salivary proteinsPrevention of malariaLocal host responseAnopheline mosquitoesVertebrate hostsHost responseSaliva secretionVaccine developmentMalariaEpidemiological analysisGenerate antibodiesAntigenArthropod salivaDisease prevalenceInfectionSaliva componentsSporozoitesVector-borne diseasesDiseasemRNA vaccination induces tick resistance and prevents transmission of the Lyme disease agent
Sajid A, Matias J, Arora G, Kurokawa C, DePonte K, Tang X, Lynn G, Wu MJ, Pal U, Strank NO, Pardi N, Narasimhan S, Weissman D, Fikrig E. mRNA vaccination induces tick resistance and prevents transmission of the Lyme disease agent. Science Translational Medicine 2021, 13: eabj9827. PMID: 34788080, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abj9827.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTick-borne infectionsTick-borne infectious diseaseEngorgement weightDisease agentsTicksTick exposureLyme disease agentGuinea pigsTick biteNormal blood mealBlood mealNucleoside-modified mRNALyme diseasePigsLocal rednessMRNA vaccinationMRNA vaccinesBite siteSalivary proteinsPrevents transmissionInfectious diseasesDiseaseVaccineResistanceEffective induction
2019
Protective Immunity and New Vaccines for Lyme Disease
Gomes-Solecki M, Arnaboldi PM, Backenson PB, Benach JL, Cooper CL, Dattwyler RJ, Diuk-Wasser M, Fikrig E, Hovius JW, Laegreid W, Lundberg U, Marconi RT, Marques AR, Molloy P, Narasimhan S, Pal U, Pedra JHF, Plotkin S, Rock DL, Rosa P, Telford SR, Tsao J, Yang XF, Schutzer SE. Protective Immunity and New Vaccines for Lyme Disease. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2019, 70: 1768-1773. PMID: 31620776, PMCID: PMC7155782, DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz872.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLyme diseaseCommon tick-borne illnessTick-borne illnessB. burgdorferi infectionBorrelia burgdorferi sensu latoMechanism of actionDirect vaccinationB. burgdorferi proteinsProtective immunityBurgdorferi sensu latoVaccination strategiesBurgdorferi infectionFirst vaccineImmune pathwaysNew vaccinesNumber of casesTick immunityDiseaseVaccineB. burgdorferiHuman hostTick proteinsInfectionImmunityPathogen transmissionPolymicrobial Nature of Tick-Borne Diseases
Sanchez-Vicente S, Tagliafierro T, Coleman J, Benach J, Tokarz R, Azad A, Fikrig E, Munderloh U, Telford S. Polymicrobial Nature of Tick-Borne Diseases. MBio 2019, 10: e02055-19. PMID: 31506314, PMCID: PMC6737246, DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02055-19.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPolymicrobial infectionsClinical spectrumTick-borne diseasesFatal infectionPowassan virusDisproportionate incidenceTick-borne diseaseDifficult diagnosisNew pathogensNew agentsPolymicrobial natureDisease severityInfectionDiseaseLyme diseasePrevalent pathogenBorreliaHigh rateIncidenceDiagnosisSeverityRickettsiaTick vectorVirusClimate changeAgBR1 antibodies delay lethal Aedes aegypti-borne West Nile virus infection in mice
Uraki R, Hastings AK, Brackney DE, Armstrong PM, Fikrig E. AgBR1 antibodies delay lethal Aedes aegypti-borne West Nile virus infection in mice. Npj Vaccines 2019, 4: 23. PMID: 31312526, PMCID: PMC6614468, DOI: 10.1038/s41541-019-0120-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchWest Nile virus infectionWest Nile virusVirus infectionInfected Aedes aegypti mosquitoesZika virus pathogenesisMosquito salivary proteinsViral loadAedes aegypti mosquitoesLethal infectionVirus pathogenesisSevere diseaseInfectionNile virusAegypti mosquitoesMiceAntibodiesSalivary proteinsMosquitoesMeningoencephalitisPathogenesisAgBR1Disease28 Host Defenses to Spirochetes
Navasa N, Fikrig E, Anguita J. 28 Host Defenses to Spirochetes. 2019, 403-411.e1. DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-7020-6896-6.00028-4.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2018
Direct Diagnostic Tests for Lyme Disease
Schutzer SE, Body BA, Boyle J, Branson BM, Dattwyler RJ, Fikrig E, Gerald NJ, Gomes-Solecki M, Kintrup M, Ledizet M, Levin AE, Lewinski M, Liotta LA, Marques A, Mead PS, Mongodin EF, Pillai S, Rao P, Robinson WH, Roth KM, Schriefer ME, Slezak T, Snyder JL, Steere AC, Witkowski J, Wong SJ, Branda JA. Direct Diagnostic Tests for Lyme Disease. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2018, 68: 1052-1057. PMID: 30307486, PMCID: PMC6399434, DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciy614.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2017
Advances in Serodiagnostic Testing for Lyme Disease Are at Hand
Branda JA, Body BA, Boyle J, Branson BM, Dattwyler RJ, Fikrig E, Gerald NJ, Gomes-Solecki M, Kintrup M, Ledizet M, Levin AE, Lewinski M, Liotta LA, Marques A, Mead PS, Mongodin EF, Pillai S, Rao P, Robinson WH, Roth KM, Schriefer ME, Slezak T, Snyder J, Steere AC, Witkowski J, Wong SJ, Schutzer SE. Advances in Serodiagnostic Testing for Lyme Disease Are at Hand. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2017, 66: 1133-1139. PMID: 29228208, PMCID: PMC6019075, DOI: 10.1093/cid/cix943.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSerodiagnostic testingEnzyme immunoassayLyme diseaseIndirect fluorescence antibodySerologic assaysImmunoglobulin MEarly infectionFluorescence antibodyTesting protocolAlternative testing protocolsBorrelia burgdorferiB. burgdorferiWestern immunoblotAntigenDiseaseAntibodiesBurgdorferiLow sensitivitySynthetic peptidesAssays
2014
Vaccine development: how scientific collaboration and communication help prevent the spread of disease: an interview with Erol Fikrig, MD.
Fikrig E, Turchick A, Czochor J. Vaccine development: how scientific collaboration and communication help prevent the spread of disease: an interview with Erol Fikrig, MD. The Yale Journal Of Biology And Medicine 2014, 87: 519-25. PMID: 25506284, PMCID: PMC4257037.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBorrelia miyamotoi sensu lato Seroreactivity and Seroprevalence in the Northeastern United States - Volume 20, Number 7—July 2014 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC
Krause PJ, Narasimhan S, Wormser GP, Barbour AG, Platonov AE, Brancato J, Lepore T, Dardick K, Mamula M, Rollend L, Steeves TK, Diuk-Wasser M, Usmani-Brown S, Williamson P, Sarksyan DS, Fikrig E, Fish D, . Borrelia miyamotoi sensu lato Seroreactivity and Seroprevalence in the Northeastern United States - Volume 20, Number 7—July 2014 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2014, 20: 1183-1190. PMID: 24960072, PMCID: PMC4073859, DOI: 10.3201/eid2007.131587.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsB. burgdorferiInfectious Diseases journal - CDCSeroprevalence of IgGB. burgdorferi antigensLyme disease endemic areaDisease-endemic areasAntibody testingHealthy personsLyme diseaseSerum samplesSeroprevalenceBurgdorferiInfectionSame tickUnited StatesSensu latoArea residentsPersonsBorrelia spSeroreactivityIgGAntigenDiseaseSerumRole of the Vector in Arbovirus Transmission
Conway MJ, Colpitts TM, Fikrig E. Role of the Vector in Arbovirus Transmission. Annual Review Of Virology 2014, 1: 71-88. PMID: 26958715, PMCID: PMC7809425, DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-031413-085513.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDisease vectorsDominant lethal geneArbovirus transmissionTransmission of arbovirusesLethal genesMolecular detailsTransgenic mosquitoesHost-seeking behaviorMosquito populationsArboviral diseasesGenomicsProteomicsPrevalence of diseaseNovel strategyGenesArbovirusesMicrobesImmunological controlGrowthVectorDiseaseSignificant diseasePathogensHostRole
2013
Human Borrelia miyamotoi Infection in the United States
Krause PJ, Narasimhan S, Wormser GP, Rollend L, Fikrig E, Lepore T, Barbour A, Fish D. Human Borrelia miyamotoi Infection in the United States. New England Journal Of Medicine 2013, 368: 291-293. PMID: 23323920, PMCID: PMC3934646, DOI: 10.1056/nejmc1215469.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2012
West Nile Virus: Biology, Transmission, and Human Infection
Colpitts TM, Conway MJ, Montgomery RR, Fikrig E. West Nile Virus: Biology, Transmission, and Human Infection. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 2012, 25: 635-648. PMID: 23034323, PMCID: PMC3485754, DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00045-12.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchImmunity's fourth dimension: approaching the circadian–immune connection
Arjona A, Silver AC, Walker WE, Fikrig E. Immunity's fourth dimension: approaching the circadian–immune connection. Trends In Immunology 2012, 33: 607-612. PMID: 23000010, PMCID: PMC3712756, DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2012.08.007.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2011
prM-antibody renders immature West Nile virus infectious in vivo
Colpitts TM, Rodenhuis-Zybert I, Moesker B, Wang P, Fikrig E, Smit JM. prM-antibody renders immature West Nile virus infectious in vivo. Journal Of General Virology 2011, 92: 2281-2285. PMID: 21697345, PMCID: PMC3347797, DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.031427-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWest Nile virusInfectious West Nile virusNile virusDeath of micePrM antibodiesNeurotropic pathogensWNV particlesSevere human diseasesFamily FlaviviridaeVivo proofImmature flavivirus particlesInfectious potentialAntibodiesDiseaseViral surfaceVirus particlesPrM proteinFlavivirus particlesVirusHuman diseasesInfectionMiceFlavivirusesBrainSerum
2010
Lyme borreliosis vaccination: the facts, the challenge, the future
Schuijt TJ, Hovius JW, van der Poll T, van Dam AP, Fikrig E. Lyme borreliosis vaccination: the facts, the challenge, the future. Trends In Parasitology 2010, 27: 40-47. PMID: 20594913, DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2010.06.006.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBorrelia burgdorferi sensu lato groupPrevalent arthropod-borne diseaseAnti-tick vaccinesLyme borreliosisArthropod-borne diseaseSensu lato groupTick proteinsTick vectorIxodes ticksNovel vaccination strategiesTicksMammalian hostsVaccination strategiesLyme diseaseVaccine candidatesBorreliosisBorrelia antigensVaccineAntigenDiseaseBorreliaOuter membrane proteinsWestern worldFuture candidatesSpirochetes
2009
Passage through Ixodes scapularis Ticks Enhances the Virulence of a Weakly Pathogenic Isolate of Borrelia burgdorferi
Adusumilli S, Booth CJ, Anguita J, Fikrig E. Passage through Ixodes scapularis Ticks Enhances the Virulence of a Weakly Pathogenic Isolate of Borrelia burgdorferi. Infection And Immunity 2009, 78: 138-144. PMID: 19822652, PMCID: PMC2798202, DOI: 10.1128/iai.00470-09.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsIxodes scapularis ticksCommon tick-borne illnessScapularis ticksTick-borne illnessB. burgdorferi sensu strictoC3H miceBurgdorferi sensu strictoLyme diseaseMiceHigh expression levelsBorrelia burgdorferiB. burgdorferiTick engorgementExpression levelsSpirochetesDiseaseArray analysisSyringe inoculationBurgdorferiPathogenic isolatesIsolatesI. scapularisArthritisVirulencePathogenesis