hygromycin-a and Lyme-Disease

Lyme disease is on the rise. Caused by a spirochete Borreliella burgdorferi, it affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States alone. The antibiotics currently used to treat Lyme disease are broad spectrum, damage the microbiome, and select for resistance in non-target bacteria. We therefore sought to identify a compound acting selectively against B. burgdorferi. A screen of soil micro-organisms revealed a compound highly selective against spirochetes, including B. burgdorferi. Unexpectedly, this compound was determined to be hygromycin A, a known antimicrobial produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus. Hygromycin A targets the ribosomes and is taken up by B. burgdorferi, explaining its selectivity. Hygromycin A cleared the B. burgdorferi infection in mice, including animals that ingested the compound in a bait, and was less disruptive to the fecal microbiome than clinically relevant antibiotics. This selective antibiotic holds the promise of providing a better therapeutic for Lyme disease and eradicating it in the environment.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Borrelia burgdorferi; Calibration; Cinnamates; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Feces; Female; HEK293 Cells; Hep G2 Cells; Humans; Hygromycin B; Lyme Disease; Mice; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbiota

Topics: Cinnamates; Humans; Hygromycin B; Lyme Disease

Lyme disease, which is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is on the rise. Current treatment relies on broad-spectrum antibiotics that perturb the gut microbiome. In a recent paper in Cell, Leimer et al. demonstrate the utility of a long-forgotten antibiotic, Hygromycin A, as a spirochete-specific antibacterial that is conducive to gut health.

Topics: Borrelia burgdorferi; Borrelia burgdorferi Group; Cinnamates; Humans; Hygromycin B; Lyme Disease