A new study reveals that Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) can rapidly trigger a "leaky gut"
New Study: Borrelia burgdorferi Triggers "Leaky Gut" and Immune Dysfunction
A new study reveals that Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the bacterium causing Lyme disease, can rapidly trigger a "leaky gut" by disrupting the gastrointestinal immune barrier. In both mice and human patients, the infection increased gut permeability, allowing bacterial toxins to leak into the bloodstream and altering immune cell profiles in ways that directly correlated with symptom severity.
Researchers found that the bacterium causes early intestinal inflammation and weakens the body's mucosal immune defenses, impairing its ability to produce protective antibodies against gut microbes.
Our findings identify a key mechanism by which Bb infection can impact overall immune system health ─ beyond that caused by the pathogen itself. It also suggests that “lingering changes to the gut microbiota could continue to influence a patient's health long after antibiotics have successfully cleared the infection.”
Borrelia burgdorferi disrupts gut barrier functions and microbiota-antibody interactions
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