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Div. of Media Relations
1600 Clifton Road
MS D-14
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404) 639-3286
Fax (404) 639-7394 |
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Press Release
For Immediate Release
April 5, 2004 |
Contact: CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286 |
CDC Announces New Awards For Lyme Disease Research
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced that
more than $3.5 million will be awarded to 10 institutions for new research
on Lyme disease. The studies are designed to improve understanding of the
disease and to examine new methods for testing, prevention, and control.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread through the bite of an
infected tick. It is the most prevalent vector-borne infectious disease in
the United States, with more than 23,000 cases reported in 2002.
“We know that early diagnosis is crucial to enable prompt treatment to
prevent long-term complications from Lyme disease,” said Dr. James M.
Hughes, Director of CDC’s National Center for Infectious Diseases. “These
awards will lead to improvements in surveillance, clinical testing, tick
control and community-based prevention programs.”
Brief descriptions of the studies along with the names of the principal
investigators and institutions are included below:
Diagnosis, Immunology, and Pathogenesis Research
- Diagnosis and Pathogenesis of Early Lyme Disease, Allen C.
Steere, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. The
goals of this project are to improve the accuracy of serodiagnostic
testing for Lyme disease, and to identify bacterial and host factors that
lead to more severe disease. Laboratory markers for patients who would
benefit from more intensive treatment may be developed.
- Pathogenesis of Lyme Borreliosis in the Rhesus Monkey, Mario T.
Philipp, Ph.D., Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans,
Louisiana. This proposal will advance understanding of the effects of Lyme
disease on the central nervous systems. Mechanisms of neural injury will
be determined using primate cells in culture.
- Analysis of pgf 54 Members in Lyme Disease Serodiagnosis, James
A. Carroll, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This study will identify and evaluate proteins that vary as Lyme disease
bacteria cycle between ticks and mammals. These variably expressed
proteins will be evaluated in diagnostic tests and as vaccine candidates.
- Innate Immunity in Vector-Borne Lyme Borreliosis, Linda
Bockenstedt, M.D., Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. This study
will explore factors that contribute to susceptibility to infection. It
also will examine the characteristics of Lyme disease bacteria that are
“crippled” by antibiotic treatment.
- Lyme Disease Diagnosis with Host Gene Expression Arrays, Ira
Schwartz, Ph.D., New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. This
investigation will examine how cells from mice and humans respond to
infection by Lyme disease bacteria. Gene expression that changes with
infection will be monitored using a technique called microarray analysis.
New diagnostic tests for active infection may be developed based on these
changes.
Tick-Control Research
- Spatial Risk Model for Ixodes scapularis-borne Borrelia,
Durland Fish, Ph.D., Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. This project
will lead to the development of a GIS-based surface map of the population
density of nymphal ticks and prevalence of Lyme disease spirochete
infection to estimate human infection risk in the eastern United States.
- Assessing Community-based Tick Control for Lyme Disease Mitigation,
Thomas N. Mather, Ph.D., University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode
Island. This proposal will assess and evaluate tick control attitudes and
practices before and after implementing an aggressive community outreach
program for tick control in Rhode Island. A comprehensive training manual
for implementing community-wide tick control programs throughout the
Northeast also will be developed.
- Control of Ixodes scapularis, Eddy A. Bresnitz, M.D., New
Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Trenton, New Jersey. This
investigation will test integrated pest management strategies, assess
effectiveness of a sustained deer reduction program, and evaluate
effectiveness of broad-scale, seasonal acaricide (pesticide against ticks)
applications to reduce tick populations and Lyme disease incidence in New
Jersey. In addition, educational materials on tick management to improve
tick control practices in New Jersey will be developed.
Community-based Prevention Programs
- A School-Based Intervention to Reduce Lyme Disease, Nancy
Shadick, M.D., M.P.H., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston,
Massachusetts. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of an
efficient, cost effective, school-based intervention program in reducing
the incidence of Lyme disease in endemic areas.
- Prevention of Lyme Disease in Connecticut, Matthew Cartter,
M.D., M.P.H., Connecticut Department of Public Health, Hartford,
Connecticut. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of integrated
prevention measures to reduce the risk of Lyme disease in the United
States, and will evaluate the costs of these interventions in relation to
the number of cases prevented.
# # #
CDC protects people's health and safety by preventing and
controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing
credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living
through strong partnerships with local, national, and international
organizations.
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