Statins were first identified over 40 years ago as lipid-lowering drugs and have been
remarkably effective in treating cardiovascular diseases. As research advanced, the …

Tick serine protease inhibitors (serpins) play crucial roles in tick feeding and pathogen
transmission. We demonstrate that Ixodes scapularis (Ixs) nymph tick saliva serpin (S) 41 …

Background: Microbial infection and its resistance to clinically approved drugs create a huge
threat to human health. Emerging reports have indicated the potential of statin drugs in the …

Lyme disease (LD) caused by Borrelia burgdorferi is among the most important human
vector borne diseases for which there is no effective prevention method. Identification of tick …

ABSTRACT The Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi is extremely host dependent,
with a small genome and correspondingly limited metabolism. As such, it is an excellent …

Background Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the US, yet its host
factors are poorly understood and diagnostic tests are limited. We evaluated patients in a …

Borrelia burgdorferi responds to a variety of host-derived factors and appropriately alters its
gene expression for adaptation under different host-specific conditions. We previously …

Introduction Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the US, is
caused by a spirochetal pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). Distinct host responses are …

Background Statins were shown to inhibit borrelial growth in vitro and promote clearance of
spirochetes in a murine model of Lyme borreliosis (LB). We investigated the impact of statin …

Background: Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-borne infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi
sensu lato. The current therapeutic approach to this disease is limited to antibiotics …