Jenny Hyde, PhD

Education and Training

• Texas A&M University , BS, 2000
• Texas A&M University Health Science Center, PhD, 2005
• Texas A&M Health Science Center, Postdoctoral, 2005-2010

Research Interests

• Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal bacterium that causes Lyme disease, is the most common tick-borne infection in the United States with the CDC reporting over 300,000 cases per year. Lyme disease progresses in multiple stages that includes early or localized, disseminated, and late stages. Localized disease occurs after an infected deer tick (Ixodes) transmits B. burgdorferi into the skin while feeding on a small rodent, bird, dog, or human. At this stage patients may experience general flu-like symptoms and approximately 70% will develop a characteristic bulls-eye rash, also known as erythema migrans. In the absence of antibiotic treatment, the pathogen disseminates and colonizes secondary tissues, such as the heart, central nervous system, and joint, that may develop into Lyme carditis, Neuroborreliosis, of Lyme arthritis, respectively. B. burgdorferi causes a highly inflammatory disease with patients experiencing chronic and severe morbidity. Serodiagnostic tests that measure borrelial antibodies are recommended by the CDC and will diagnose later stages of disease. Currently, a diagnostic for early Lyme disease or a human vaccine is not available.
• B. burgdorferi undergoes dynamic genetic regulation to survive and persist in the tick vector and mammalian reservoir. With a minimal genome lacking in metabolic pathways and pathogenic mechanisms B. burgdorferi is able to withstand the host immune response and adapt to vastly distinct environments. The focus of my research is to identify and characterize the host-pathogen interactions of B. burgdorferi in both the tick vector and mammalian host. We approach this in three ways: 1) Identifying borrelial genetic mechanisms required for distinct stages of disease and the development of inflammation, 2) Characterizing the immune response induced by B. burgdorferi and how it supports pathogenesis, 3) Elucidate the virulence factors important for transmission, colonization, survival, and persistence within the tick vector. We employ a wide variety of molecular and genetic techniques to address these areas of interest. One unique tool utilized by my lab is in vivo imaging of bioluminescent B. burgdorferi to understand the progression of borrelial infection and genetic responses necessary for specific stages of disease and/or tissues.

Awards, Recognition and Service

• 2023 JUNIOR FACULTY RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARD