# LYME ARTHRITIS: A NEW EPIDEMIC DISEASE

> **NIH NIH R01** · TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER · 1989 · $298,426

## Abstract

Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted infection caused by a newly recognized
Borrelia burgdorferi.  The illness, which affects both children and adults,
usually begins with a characteristic skin lesion, erythema migrans, which
may be followed by meningitis, cranial or peripheral neuritis, myocarditis,
or arthritis.  Our work covers the natural history, diagnosis, treatment,
epidemiology, and pathogenesis of this disorder.  During the next granting
period, studies of the natural history of the illness will be continued in
patients with arthritis, CNS abnormalities, acrodermatitis chronica
atrophicans, or maternal-fetal illness.  Sensitive and specific diagnostic
tests will be developed for early disease and for neurologic abnormalities,
and clinically useful evidence for persistent immunologic and inflammatory
stimulation will be sought through serial measurements in plasma of
Interleukin-1 (and its endogenous inhibitors), C-reactive protein, and
fibrinopeptide A.  Antibiotic therapy regimens will be tested in patients
with arthritis, and the role of arthroscopic synovectomy will be assessed
in unresponsive cases.  The frequency, duration, and risk of asymptomatic
infection will be ascertained in defined populations.

To further understand the pathogenesis of the arthritis, monoclonal
antibodies will be generated against B. burgdorferi and against the
idiotypes of anti-B. burgdorferi, which will be used to search for B.
burdorferi in synovium, to look for evidence of molecular mimicry or
peptidoglycan, and to explore the specificities of the immune response in
this tissue.  Spirochetal antigens will be sought within immune complexes
in serum and joint fluid.  An animal model for Lyme disease will be sought
to further understand pathogenetic mechanisms.  With collaborators, the
frequency and role of certain autoantibodies will be defined, immunogenetic
profiles will be determined using typing sera and alloreactive T cell
clones, and lymphocyte-endothelial cell interactions will be investigated
in synovium.  This work will provide important information about the
diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, and may have implications for
other rheumatic diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3155115
- **Project number:** 5R01AR020358-14
- **Recipient organization:** TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER
- **SAM.gov UEI:** MY2ERHGDV956
- **Principal Investigator:** ALLEN C STEERE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1989
- **Award amount:** $298,426
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1987-07-01 → 1991-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3155115

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3155115, LYME ARTHRITIS: A NEW EPIDEMIC DISEASE (5R01AR020358-14). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-24 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3155115. Licensed CC0.

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