M. Gomes-Solecki

Exposure to live saprophytic Leptospira before challenge with a pathogenic serovar prevents severe leptospirosis and promotes kidney homeostasis

This study shows that prior exposure to saprophytic Leptospira reduces severe leptospirosis symptoms and kidney fibrosis when mice are later infected with a pathogenic serovar.

Infected I. scapularis nymphs maintained in prolonged questing under optimal environmental conditions for one year can transmit B. burgdorferi to uninfected hosts

Maternal transfer of neutralizing antibodies to OspA after oral vaccination of the rodent reservoir

The paper shows that oral vaccination of mice leads to maternal transfer of neutralizing anti-OspA antibodies to pups via colostrum, with antibody persistence lasting up to 9 weeks.

Maximum Antigen Diversification in a Lyme Bacterial Population and Evolutionary Strategies to Overcome Pathogen Diversity

The paper shows evolution-based synthetic antigen designs can overcome pathogen diversity by generating broadly reactive OspC analogs against Lyme disease strains.

Role of TLR4 in persistent Leptospira interrogans infection: a comparative in vivo study in mice

This study investigates the role of TLR4 in leptospirosis by comparing infection outcomes in humanized TLR4 mice, wild-type mice, and TLR4-deficient mice, finding that human TLR4 does not increase susceptibility to infection.