Researchers are seeking thousands of volunteers in the U.S. and Europe to test the first potential vaccine against Lyme disease in 20 years -- in hopes of better fighting the tick-borne threat.
— , with cases rising and warming weather helping ticks expand their habitat. While a vaccine for dogs has long been available, the only Lyme vaccine for humans was pulled off the U.S. market in 2002 from lack of demand, leaving people to rely on bug spray and tick checks.
Robert Terwilliger, an avid hunter and hiker, was first in line Friday when the study opened in central Pennsylvania. He's seen lots of friends get Lyme and is tired of wondering if his next tick bite will make him sick. Black-legged ticks, also called deer ticks, carry Lyme-causing bacteria. The infection initially causes fatigue, fever and joint pain. Often -- but not always -- the first sign is a red, round bull's-eye rash.
How? It targets an"outer surface protein" of the Lyme bacterium called OspA that's present in the tick's gut. It's estimated a tick must feed on someone for about 36 hours before the bacteria spreads to its victim. That delay gives time for antibodies the tick ingests from a vaccinated person's blood to attack the germs right at the source.
"We're really looking at something that's a seasonal vaccine," Anderson said, so people have high antibody levels during the months when ticks are most active. This new candidate is different from a previous Lyme vaccine that GlaxoSmithKline pulled off the market in 2002 amid controversy and low sales. With about 75% effectiveness, that old Lyme shot got a lukewarm endorsement from vaccine experts, wasn't tested in children and drew unsubstantiated reports of joint-related side effects.
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