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.
Robert Terwilliger, right, of Williamsburg, Pa., who is participating in a Lyme disease vaccine trial at the Altoona Center for Clinical Research, is injected with either the new vaccine or a placebo, by registered nurse Janae Roland, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, in Duncansville, Pa. Lyme is a growing problem, with cases steadily rising and warming weather helping ticks expand their habitat. Credit: AP Photo/Gary M.
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.
Janae Roland, a registered nurse at the Altoona Center for Clinical Research begins the process of preparing refrigerated doses of a new Lyme disease vaccine Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, in Duncansville, Pa. Credit: AP Photo/Gary M. Baranec
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