Yellowstone Times

Funding from the National Institutes of Health will support a Montana State University research team in its efforts to explore Lyme disease, a growing concern in the United States. The bacterial infection, transmitted by ticks, saw nearly 90,000 cases reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2023. Historically found in the northeastern U.S., climate change has expanded the range of infected ticks to include North Dakota and other Western states.

Patrick Secor, an associate professor at MSU’s Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, stated, “It's made its way all the way from the East Coast.” He added that while vaccination is effective against Lyme disease, frequent boosters are required. Secor's lab will use a $2.8 million NIH grant over five years to study adaptations in Borrelia burgdorferi—the bacterium causing Lyme disease—to better understand how it evades host immune systems.

Secor noted that bacteriophages infecting B. burgdorferi may play a significant role in disease development by transferring genetic material between bacterial strains. This process disguises bacteria presence and enables reinfection in hosts previously exposed. In his previous research published in PLOS Pathogens, Secor explored how these bacteriophages move genetic material.

“If you think about the mice that are the reservoir species for Borrelia and the ticks that are the vector, those populations are pretty geographically constrained,” said Secor. For survival, bacteria must transition between tick and mouse hosts while avoiding immune responses through gene swapping.

Genetic analysis shows viral genomes within Borrelia bacteria are approximately 95% identical but contain variable regions affecting immune system appearance. Secor’s team aims to identify genetic materials swapped by phages to discover more effective treatment targets for Lyme disease.

“We want to see which strains get through the immune system," said Secor. "The stuff that gets through is important."

Secor grew up in Gallatin Valley and completed his undergraduate and doctoral studies at MSU before conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Washington. His lab transitioned back to MSU last fall semester after being housed at UM.

For this NIH-supported project, Secor collaborates with assistant professor Reetika Chaurasia and Scott Samuels from UM’s Center for Translational Medicine to develop improved therapies for Lyme disease. The work involves numerous student researchers as well.

“One of my favorite things about the department is that I can walk down the hall and interact with other faculty or students in other labs," said Secor regarding his return to MSU.