Forward Genetic Approaches for Elucidation of Novel Regulators of Lyme Arthritis Severity

Abstract

Read online

Patients experiencing natural infection with Borrelia burgdorferi display a spectrum of associated symptoms and severity, strongly implicating the impact of genetically determined host factors in the pathogenesis of Lyme disease. Herein, we provide a summary of the host genetic factors that have been demonstrated to influence the severity and chronicity of Lyme arthritis symptoms, and a review of the resources available, current progress, and added value of a forward genetic approach for identification of novel genetic regulators.

Keywords

• Inflammation
• Lyme Disease
• Pathogenesis
• Forward genetics
• genome wide association studies
• innate immunity and responses