Case of hide and seek?

Treated early, Lyme disease is usually cured with antibiotics, but the prolonged form of the disease can be more troublesome. Yale scientists have observed that while the Lyme spirochete is easily digested by immune cells in vitro, rare bacteria within the body can withstand the onslaught of the immune system, perhaps explaining the spirochete’s ability to survive long-term. Ruth R. Montgomery, Ph.D., set out with colleague Stephen Malawista, M.D., to determine whether the spirochete somehow weakened the immune system. Results of a study of mice published last June in the Journal of Infectious Diseases strongly suggested that this was not the case. With defects in leukocyte function all but ruled out, the team will look next at the other side of the equation: how the spirochete may be masking itself from immune surveillance.