Host-agent interactions during persistent infections, with emphasis on Lyme Disease and granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Dr. Barthold's laboratory is engaged in research on host-agent interactions during the course of persistent infections with Borrelia burgdorferi (the agent of Lyme disease) and granulocytic ehrlichiae. His group utilizes mouse models and a multidisciplinary approach to these complex problems, including molecular biology, microbiology, immunology and pathology. Using the mouse model, the group is investigating deleterious immune reactions that elicit autoimmunity, which are suspected in chronic Lyme disease patients, as well as mechanisms by which B. burgdorferi evades immune clearance. Dr. Barthold has also utilized the mouse model to develop and test a recombinant outer surface protein A (OspA) vaccine that has been approved by the FDA for human use, and has been proven efficacious as a dog vaccine. Ongoing efforts are focused on development of second-generation protective vaccines and therapeutic vaccines. In studies on granulocytic ehrlichiosis, his laboratory investigates the duration of infection, the tissue tropism of the agent, the host-vector-pathogen interface, and the nature of the host immune response to infection. Particular emphasis involves the selective specificity of this pathogen for granulocytes, and its indirect impact upon platelets. The mouse model is also being utilized to test efficacy of several recombinant antigens as potential vaccines and diagnostic reagents.
Visit Dr. Barthold's website: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/swbarthold/