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Lyme disease: is the vaccine making a comeback?
7 mai 2026
By Ana Espino | Published on May 7, 2026 | 4 min readLyme disease is currently the most common vector-borne disease in temperate regions, particularly in North America and Europe. It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted to humans through ticks of the Ixodes genus. Its incidence continues to rise, making it a significant public health concern. Clinically, the disease initial
By Ana Espino | Published on May 7, 2026 | 4 min read
Lyme disease is currently the most common vector-borne disease in temperate regions, particularly in North America and Europe. It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted to humans through ticks of the Ixodes genus. Its incidence continues to rise, making it a significant public health concern.
Clinically, the disease initially presents with often mild symptoms, such as erythema migrans or flu-like signs, but it can progress to more severe forms affecting the joints, nervous system, or heart. Despite this growing burden, no human vaccine has been available since the withdrawal of LYMErix in 2002, mainly due to safety concerns and low public acceptance. This situation highlights the urgent need to develop new, effective, and safe vaccination strategies.
Lyme disease is currently the most common vector-borne disease in temperate regions, particularly in North America and Europe. It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted to humans through ticks of the Ixodes genus. Its incidence continues to rise, making it a significant public health concern.
Clinically, the disease initially presents with often mild symptoms, such as erythema migrans or flu-like signs, but it can progress to more severe forms affecting the joints, nervous system, or heart. Despite this growing burden, no human vaccine has been available since the withdrawal of LYMErix in 2002, mainly due to safety concerns and low public acceptance. This situation highlights the urgent need to develop new, effective, and safe vaccination strategies.
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Scientific reference
Trezel P, et al. Borrelia surface proteins: new horizons in Lyme disease diagnosis. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2025 Jul 1;109(1):156. doi: 10.1007/s00253-025-13490-6. PMID: 40590992; PMCID: PMC12213884.
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