Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., and his lab have made a critical finding regarding this disease. They discovered that the bacteria that causes lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, contains a certain glycolipid (a cell-signaling molecule) which will activate the body’s Natural Killer T cells (NKT cells). These NKT cells are valuable soldiers in the body’s defense system, and are known for fast and effective attacks against infection in the body. The discovery was made even more important because the bacteria that activates the NKT cells is one of only three substances known to naturally induce this response from the body.
