B. burgdorferi and B. microti Coinfection May Increase. Arthritis Severity

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B. Burgdorferi And B. Microti Coinfection May Increase Arthritis Severity

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Aug 19 - New findings from an animal study lend

support to the hypothesis that the arthritis associated with Borrelia

burgdorferi infection is more severe in individuals coinfected with Babesia

microti.

It has been difficult to assess the effects of coinfection in humans because

it is hard to obtain direct evidence of simultaneous infection with these

tickborne pathogens, study author Dr. H. Persing, from the Seattle

Life Sciences Center, and colleagues note.

To investigate, Dr. Persing's team evaluated the effect of coinfection in

C3H.HeJ and BALB/c mice cohorts. Mice in both groups were infected with B.

burgdorferi alone or in combination with B. microti.

The researchers found no significant differences in arthritis severity or

cytokine levels among mice in the C3H.HeJ cohort. In contrast, in the BALB/c

group, mice infected with both organisms demonstrated more severe arthritis

than mice infected with only B. burgdorferi. Furthermore, IL-10 and IL-13

levels were significantly reduced in BALB/c coinfected mice.

" Our data support the concept that the adjuvant effects of one tickborne

infection can affect the course of another, at least in certain genetically

susceptible hosts, " the investigators write in the August 1st issue of The

Journal of Infectious Diseases. " Further studies of immunogenetic loci in

humans infected with these organisms may shed light onto the possible

mechanisms involved. "

J Infect Dis 2002;186:428-431.

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