Head Scratcher.....

From the paper: Deeply divergent Treponema pallidum lineage in the Americas and implications for pathogen evolution. We identified and reconstructed a ~5500-year-old 1.7× T. pallidum genome (TE1-3) from a Middle Holocene individual at Tequendama I rock shelter in Colombia. Phylogenomic analysis reveals that TE1-3 is an early-branching sister lineage to all extant T. pallidum subspecies, with divergence dating to ~13,700 years ago (95% HPD: 6768 to 20,592 cal yr B.P.) and coinciding with early human migration and ecological shifts in the Americas. Despite its antiquity, TE1-3 possesses the T. pallidum virulence-associated genes, suggesting conserved pathogenic capacity. TE1-3 provides the earliest molecular evidence of T. pallidum in the Americas to date, bridging a multimillennial gap between skeletal signs and genomic data and offering a rare glimpse into the long-term evolution of treponemal pathogens.

A 5500-year-old Treponema pallidum genome from Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia

"This genome falls outside of known T. pallidum lineages today, but it has many genetic hallmarks associated with virulence in modern pathogens of these subspecies"

Science
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41570125/

#MicroSky

Looking for a paid summer research experience? Apply to MSU’s Extreme Biofilms REU and work on cutting-edge biofilm science in extreme environments. No prior research experience needed.

#MicroSky
#PhageSky

The state of affairs in Czech Science funding needs a voice #CzechScience

www.bc.cas.cz/en/news/news...

Description Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities ment...

We're advertising for a bacteriology technician and a post-doc to work on AI-guided antibiotic development as part of a large multidisciplinary Fleming Initiative project:
www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

More on that wonderful collaborative paper from my lab and Marie Vancova
www.bc.cas.cz/en/news/news...
@czechacademy.bsky.social

Stay tuned as we go after the variations we have here in Europe at the species level.

Thank you. This early, just post point of entry, one would expect all species/strains to behave the same. It was really nice to see how pericytes play a part, slightly unexpected.

Targeted volume imaging reveals early vascular interactions of Lyme disease pathogen in skin - Nature Communications Authors utilise scanning electron microscopy to show that Borrelia burgdorferi initiates systemic vascular spread by targeting pericytes, while crossing of the lymphatic endothelium occurs via sequent...

If you ever wondered what happened next at a tick bite site in terms of Borrelia dissemination ....wonder no more. Wonderful collaborative work between my lab and my collaborators Marie Vancova,Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, #NatureComms

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Repeats mimic pathogen-associated patterns across a vast evolutionary landscape An emerging hallmark of disease is transcription of pathogen-associated molecular patterns from within the genome–known as viral mimicry. We propose a statistical physics framework to measure “selecti...

🧪 In our new work (just published in Cell Genomics) with Benjamin Greenbaum , John LaCava, Daniel De Carvalho, PhD , Simona Cocco and Remi Monasson labs, we venture into the dark matter of human genome:
www.cell.com/cell-genomic...

🧵A shot thread summary below in comments:⬇️

How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 24 September 2025

Latest from the Nature Podcast 🔊 How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain

go.nature.com/4nRIOuV

How a tick-borne virus enters human cells Tick-borne encephalitis virus can infect the nervous system and cause life-threatening illness. Finding the cellular gateway it uses could transform prevention and treatment.

Finding the tick-borne encephalitis cellular gateway could transform prevention and treatment

go.nature.com/3Kqp5E9

Schematic representation of the first two generations (F0–F1) in the experimental transovarial transmission of B. ovis by R. bursa. The process led to the development of F2 larvae infected only with B. ovis, and the generation of virulent B. ovis (Alacakaya) stabilate.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: 🧪
Transovarial transmission of Babesia ovis in Rhipicephalus bursa, confirmed by multi-generational experiments
www.parasite-journal.org/articles/par...

Agar art: Microbes make the world go ground.

The 2025 agar art contest is open and accepting submissions until Oct. 26! The theme is “Microbes Make the World Go Round.” Submit your artwork and showcase the vital role microbes play in our daily lives. All are welcome to apply! See contest details: asm.org/events/asm-a...

Record Number of Tick-Borne Diseases in the Czech Republic - Prague Daily News In the Czech Republic, tick-borne diseases are reaching a ten-year high in 2025. Lyme disease, in particular, has seen a dramatic rise. Experts warn of further increases in the autumn. By the end of A...

In the Czech Republic, tick-borne diseases are reaching a ten-year high in 2025. Lyme disease, in particular, has seen a dramatic rise. Experts warn of further increases in the autumn.

First article published

www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14...

How do #bacteria get in, spread, and stick around?🤔

This new Special Issue digs into the playbook behind #infection and persistence—from biofilms to immune hide-and-seek and the #microbiota’s role. Got a study or a sharp review? Start here: brnw.ch/21wVj1H

A survey conducted by researchers for residents in the US who have been diagnosed with a tick- borne illness. Do repost.

unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Characteristics of Clinics Offering Nontraditional Lyme Disease Therapies in Lyme Endemic States of the United States Abstract. In this cross-sectional analysis, we analyzed 117 US clinics in Lyme endemic states that provide nontraditional care for Lyme disease. We found t

Had a long chat last week with someone who has paid thousands of $$ cash for ozone, UV blood, and blood heating “treatments” for Lyme symptoms. Sad abuse of patients’ health for useless, even dangerous, procedures. 😡

Related:
academic.oup.com/ofid/article...

A small Montana town grapples with the fallouts from federal worker cuts Science is an economic driver in Hamilton, Mont., thanks to Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a federal research lab. Now, layoffs and funding cuts are having an impact in this town far from Washington.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

In the Bitterroot valley of Montana a public health lab has been improving human health for a hundred years. The lab is an economic boon for the community, but the residents voted heavily for Trump. Now the lab is staggering under the DOGE assault and erratic policies of the current administration.

Experimental evidence rules out mosquitoes as vectors of Lyme disease - Parasites & Vectors Background Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), is the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere, with Ixodes ticks as its primary vectors. However, many p...

Putting to bed that 'anecdotal tale' especially here in Europe, and confirming for the naysayers that mosquitoes truly are not vectors for the Lyme Disease pathogen.

parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Come work with us! We're looking of postdoc(s) with experience in bacterial genomics and interest in mathematical modelling to work on bacterial ecology and evolution in the context of public health. tinyurl.com/n34vzszu

I can only imagine Brian. Happy to hear the good news.

My first post on BlueSky, I could not access the same handle as my X (someone hacked into that one):

So it's @peterhotez for X and @peterhotezmdphd for BlueSky

I'm a pediatric-vaccine scientist based in Houston TX at our Texas Medical Center

We are looking for a postdoc with microbiology background for #superresolution #singlemolecule #ERC tracking project. Apply by 27.4.2025. 🦠🔬🧫
Pls share!

www.aalto.fi/en/open-posi...

Proud to finally announce the publication of an absolute labor of love on the part of the first author, Methods of active surveillance for hard ticks and associated tick-borne pathogens of public health importance in the contiguous United States: a comprehensive systematic review

646 articles!

Flier for Dr. Robert Lochhead's seminar at University of Kentucky

Pleased to be hosting Rob Lochhead @lochhead.bsky.social for a seminar on Tuesday, March 18:
"Uncovering mechanisms of chronic Lyme arthritis"

#MicroSky #TickSky 🦠🧫🧪🔬🧬

Peromyscus leucopus, Mus musculus, and humans have distinct transcriptomic responses to larval Ixodes scapularis bites | Infection and Immunity Ixodes scapularis (formerly Ixodes dammini) ticks are the most important invertebrate vector of human diseases in North America (1). These ticks are responsible for spreading most cases of Lyme disease (predominantly caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in North America), which affects an estimated 476,000 individuals in the United States yearly (2), as well as six other human pathogens—Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, Borrelia miyamotoi, Borrelia mayonii, Ehrlichia muris eauclairensis, and deer tick virus/Powassan virus (3, 4). Tick feeding can trigger immunologic processes at the bite site in the skin, which may threaten the ability of the tick to survive during the blood meal (5). To prevent this from occurring, Ixodes ticks secrete saliva containing anticoagulants and immunomodulatory compounds into the feeding site, which dampens the host’s immune response and ensures that the tick can remain attached until completion of feeding (6–8). This secretion also contributes to the spread of B. burgdorferi into new hosts, both by providing a mechanism to exit the tick (9–11) and by dampening the immune response while the pathogen establishes the infection (12–19).

Another one through peer review—many thanks to the reviewers and editor who helped us improve this along the way. New insight into how reservoirs and humans interact with *larval* Ixodes scapularis ticks.

And as always, thanks for supporting me and the work, @tuftslyme.bsky.social

Big news: we are setting up a new non-profit organization to run bioRxiv and medRxiv. It's called openRxiv [no it's not a new preprint server; it's dedicated organization to oversee the servers] openrxiv.org 1/n