Researchers in the laboratory have been able to demonstrate that extracellular components of Borrelia burgdorferi 1) appear to be present wherever active growth of the organism is taking place and therefore may be useful as a diagnostic indicator of active infection and/or treatment effectiveness; 2) are involved in the packaging and protection of intact DNA molecules containing a few known and many unknown genes and gene products; 3) appear to specifically interact with immunoglobulin M molecules in a unique fashion, perhaps to escape immune surveillance; and 4) possesses potent, non-specific mitogenic activity which may cause an inappropriate and noneffective stimulation of the immune system triggering autoimmune disease components. Furthermore, experiments suggest that B. burgdorferi can utilize transferrin as a source of ferric ions for growth in a process that involves direct interaction with an inducible surface receptor. Researchers continue to examine these and other bioproducts with the aim of improving the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of Lyme disease.
