Lyme Borreliosis vaccine
Intercell is developing a prophylactic subunit vaccine against Lyme Borreliosis (LB) using its Antigen Identification Program (AIP®). The vaccine, targeting all three species causing disease, is currently in pre-clinical development.
About Lyme Borreliosis
Lyme borreliosis is the most commonly reported tick borne-infection in Europe, North America and Asia. About 85,000 cases are reported annually in Europe. However, this number is largely underestimated as case reporting is highly inconsistent and many LB infections go undiagnosed. In the United States between 20,000 and 25,000 cases are registered each year (Source WHO and CDC).
The most common sign of infection is a skin rash at the site of the tick bite. The bacteria can then disseminate and cause a variety of different manifestations including arthritis, carditis or neurological problems.
The causative agents are spiral-shaped bacteria. The disease is a zoonosis and the bacteria are maintained in nature mainly by small rodents and birds. In Europe, at least three different Borrelia genospecies cause Lyme borreliosis: B. afzelii, B. garinii and B. burgdorferi. In North America only the latter is present.
Current treatment and prevention
Diagnosis of LB is currently based on serological tests but this can be problematic especially when detecting early infections. Furthermore, the tests cannot distinguish between an active infection and a past infection since antibodies can be detectable for several years. The presence of many different species and serotypes of Borrelia bacteria complicates diagnosis further. Today there is no vaccine available against LB and treatment is dependent on antibiotics.
Partners
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