For many people with Lyme disease, joint pain is one of the most stubborn and debilitating symptoms. Despite antibiotic treatment, inflammation can sometimes linger for months or years.

A new study supported by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation offers a promising explanation for why this happens and how future therapies might target the root cause.

Researchers found that a specific component of the Borrelia burgdorferi cell wall—called peptidoglycan—can trigger inflammation in the joints.

Even after the bacteria are gone, this material can remain behind, continuing to provoke the immune system.

What the study found

According to the research:

• Borrelia’s peptidoglycan behaves differently from that of other bacteria.
• It can linger in joint tissue, even after antibiotic treatment.
• A Borrelia protein interacts with this cell-wall material, amplifying inflammation and contributing to Lyme arthritis symptoms.
• This mechanism may explain why some patients develop persistent or recurrent joint pain.

This is a major step forward because it identifies a specific biological trigger—not just vague “post-infectious inflammation.”

The study has been published in  PLOS Pathogens.

SOURCE: Bay Area Lyme Foundation