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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab

@bstevensonlab.bsky.social
3.2K followers 2.1K following 1K posts

Mostly about bacterial gene/protein regulation & function, esp. with Borrelia burgdorferi and Lyme disease. Professor at U Kentucky, views are my own. He/him Lab= microscopist.net/Stevenson_Lab.html UK= medicine.uky.edu/users/bstev0

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I still remember my first publication in Journal of Bacteriology. It wasn't my first scientific paper, but being in J Bact meant that I was real goddam Microbiologist! #MicroSky
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Insect Epiphany: How Our Six-Legged Allies Shape Human Culture Free zoom presentation October 8, 7:00PM Central time Information and registration: www.aldoleopold.org/news-and-eve...
aldoleopold.org
Upcoming Programs and Events | Aldo Leopold Foundation
Stay updated on upcoming programs and events at the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Browse our calendar, learn more, and register for events to secure your spot.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
MinD-like ATPase FlhG synchronizes flagellation and cell division in spirochetes Brilliant new paper from C. Li, J. Liu, and colleagues mBio: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #MicroSky
Fig 9 Model for FlhGBb-mediated coordination of flagellation and cell division in B. burgdorferi. In nascent cells, the ATPase FlhGBb localizes predominantly at the cell poles, where it recruits and spatially organizes FlhF and the MS-ring protein FliF to establish sites of basal body assembly. These events initiate the formation of polar PFs that assemble into ribbon-like bundles along the cell cylinder. As the cell cycle progresses, FlhGBb redistributes toward the midcell division zone, where it likely contributes to proper septum placement and coordination of cytokinesis with ongoing flagellar morphogenesis. In the absence of FlhGBb, FlhF and FliF become delocalized, basal bodies assemble at aberrant positions, and organized PF ribbon formation is disrupted, leading to defects in motility, cell morphology, and division. Through this ATPase-dependent spatial regulation, FlhGBb synchronizes flagellar assembly with cell division to maintain the distinctive architecture and motility of spirochetes.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Many hosts, many solutions: How reservoirs shape Borrelia protein diversity by S. Ciglbauerová, M. Strnad, and R.O. M. Rego PLoS Pathogens journals.plos.org/plospathogen... #MicroSky
Fig 1. Reservoir host communities drive the diversification of plasmid-encoded surface proteins in the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex.

(Left) Ixodes ticks cycle spirochetes through vertebrate reservoir communities, with distinct genospecies associating preferentially with different host groups: birds (B. garinii, B. valaisiana), lizards (B. lusitaniae), mice and shrews (B. afzelii, B. spielmanii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto), and hedgehogs (B. afzelii, B. bavariensis). Double-headed arrows denote tick-mediated acquisition and transmission; several genospecies (e.g., B. afzelii) are shared across mammal groups rather than restricted to one host. (Center) Each genospecies carries a linear chromosome together with numerous linear and circular plasmids. Genes encoding host-interaction surface proteins (adhesins and immune-evasion factors, boxed area) are enriched on the plasmids, where they are subject to host-driven diversifying selection; conserved host-interaction genes such as p66 remain chromosomal. (Right) The encoded proteins are grouped by function: adhesion and dissemination (DbpA, DbpB, BBK32), complement evasion (CspZ, BBK32), antibody evasion and persistence (VlsE, OspC), and cellular immune evasion (P66). Filled in cicles represent proven host-linked variation, empty cirlces represent proposed host-linked variation and partially filled circles represent no current evidence for host-linked variation. The P66-CD47/SIRPa interaction is currently supported only by preprint data and should be regarded as preliminary.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
#MicroSky
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Bacterial growth rate in populations and single cells Petra Anne Levin & Jue D. Wang #MicroSky
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
“Anything can happen, and anything does” Annie Dillard, April 30, 1945 – September 15, 2026
Image of the cover of a paperback edition of "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek", by Annie Dillard
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Our boy in his Southern California surfer/skater phase, 2009 @jutraslab.bsky.social #BeforeHeKnewItAll
Brandon Jutras, as a beginning graduate student in 2009
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
#MicroSky
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Spirochetes do it differently! Evolutionary characterization and structure-guided discovery of the β-barrel assembly machinery in Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum reveals a putative BamD-like protein www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #MicroSky
Figure 1. Workflow for the identification of components in the T. pallidum BAM system. This schematic illustrates the overall strategy used to identify and validate candidate components of the BAM system in T. pallidum. First, phylogenetic analysis of Omp85 family proteins and comparative analysis of bamA gene neighborhoods were performed to investigate the evolutionary features and genomic organization of BAM-associated components in Treponema and Borrelia. Subsequently, candidate BAM proteins were identified through two complementary approaches: (i) a structure-guided computational strategy based on structural similarity searches; and (ii) an experimental proteomic strategy using IP-MS analysis. Candidate proteins identified from both approaches were further evaluated by in vitro protein-protein interaction assays. Proteins exhibiting specific interaction with Tp0326 were subsequently subjected to domain identification, structural modeling and interface analysis.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Returning home after Brandon’s @jutraslab.bsky.social memorial / celebration of life. Part of the outline of my eulogy is attached. Life is a mystery We don’t know how many years, or hours, we have left to live Don’t put things off to the future Hug your friends Tell them that you love them
Part of the outline of my eulogy. 

Life is a mystery 
We don’t know how many years, or hours, we have left to live
Don’t put things off to the future 
Hug your friends 
Tell them that you love them
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Tick ecology research at the University of Kentucky uknow.uky.edu/research/tic...
uknow.uky.edu
‘Tick magnets’ guide UK ecology research, tool testing and student learning
University of Kentucky research uses student-supported tick surveillance to better understand how ticks, wildlife, livestock, humans and disease interact across Kentucky landscapes.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This weekend, we celebrate the life and honor the memory of Brandon Jutras. From one of Brandon’s PhD research notebooks. He wrote of creating a name for the previously-undescribed protein that he functionally defined. This weekend, we let his definition stand: BpuR = Brandon’s PUR protein
Excerpt from Brandon Jutras’ dissertation notebook. He gave an alternative interpretation of the name of the BpuR protein that he functionally defined: Brandon’s PUR
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Reposted by Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab
Frances Yap @ribo1214.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
#MicroSky act fast! Sept 4th is the registration deadline for Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference (MMPC) that will be held in Minneapolis from Sept 25-27 #mmpc2026
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Do unto those downstryas you would have those upstream do unto you 
Wendell Berry
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Reposted by Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab
Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I love that this medical entomology professor turned a "we found a weird bug" moment into a teaching exercise and a paper for her class. (1/2) www.udel.edu/udaily/2026/...
udel.edu
The mystery of a well-traveled kissing bug | UDaily
University of Delaware study details the finding of the first known live kissing bug in Europe
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Reposted by Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab
Anahid (Ana) @anahidam.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Looking for a #postdoc outside the US, focusing on gut microbiome, AMR dynamics & phage-bacteria interactions. Bridging wet lab and computational approaches🦠👩‍💻. Hartmann Lab, Northwestern University, defending late 2026. Boosts appreciated 🙏🧫🧪 #microbiome #metagenomics #MicroSky
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Deadly tick-borne virus gains ground in Europe as climate warms | Science | AAAS Hyalomma marginatum ticks, the main vector for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, have been spotted in 40 European countries. www.science.org/content/arti... #MicroSky
science.org
Deadly tick-borne virus gains ground in Europe as climate warms
Kosovo shows how surveillance can uncover hidden circulation—and help countries prepare before human cases appear
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Recent radio interview www.wuky.org/podcast/dr-g... #MicroSky
wuky.org
Two grant-funded research projects could help foster new preventive treatments for Lyme disease
There’s a virus within a bacterium within a parasite, and University of Kentucky researchers are figuring out how to make them kill each other. Dr. Greg talks with a UK researcher who has been studyin...
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference Sepember 25-27, 2026 Minneapolis, MN #MicroSky 🦠🧫🧪🧬
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The ecology of Lyme disease: Long-term data, surprises, and a synthesis "Infection prevalence with zoonotic pathogens ... appeared to arise from the distribution of larval ticks across the entire community of larval hosts." www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... #MicroSky
Life cycle of the black-legged tick (I. scapularis), illustrating interactions among ticks, hosts, acorns, and abiotic factors. Tick larvae hatch uninfected with the Lyme bacterium, but can become infected from their hosts during the larval meal (gray shading of larval hosts). Infected nymphs can infect uninfected hosts during the nymphal meal (gray shading of nymphal hosts). Dashed gray lines below the x-axis indicate periods when ticks are alive but not actively questing for hosts. Circled letters correspond to “surprises,” as identified in the text, that have arisen from more than 30 y of study. These surprises conflict with common paradigms which need to be rethought so that we can develop a synthetic understanding of the ecology of tick-borne disease risk.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
You cannot rage against the machine if you’re asking it to summarize your emails for you
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Merging a hobby with my day job. I collect antique microscopes and microscope slides. The mid-to-late-1800s were a golden age of amateur microscopy. Numerous professionals prepared high-quality slides for that large market of hobbyists. "Ixodes from tortoise", prepared ca. 1890.
ca. 1890 microscope slide of a tick taken from a tortoise, and mounted by Ernest Hinton. Next to a magnified image of the tick (3.5x objective, C-mounted digital SLR camera, and transmitted light.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Curiouser and curiouser: understanding the intersection of inter- and intra-specific diversity during the Borrelia burgdorferi enzootic cycle and Lyme disease journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #MicroSky
Fig 1 B. burgdorferi enzootic cycle and reservoir competence. (A) The B. burgdorferi enzootic cycle. Larval ticks (Ixodes) acquire B. burgdorferi during feeding on infected vertebrate hosts. These ticks molt to nymphs before feeding on uninfected hosts and transmitting the bacteria. During feeding, adult female ticks can also transmit the bacteria to reservoirs before completing the tick reproductive cycle and producing new, uninfected larval ticks. Reservoir hosts infected during nymphal and adult tick feeding can harbor the bacteria and, in turn, spread B. burgdorferi back into the tick population. (B) Reservoir competence depends on a variety of factors, including abundance of the host, host-tick interactions, and host-B. burgdorferi interactions (7). Additional complexity is added to the system as different hosts may be more or less competent for specific strains of B. burgdorferi (13, 14). Figure illustrated by Patrick Lane—ScEYEnce Studios.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A direct, urine-based test to diagnose acute Lyme disease using actively secreted peptidoglycan as a biomarker Exciting new results from @jutraslab.bsky.social www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6... #TheShowMustGoOn #MicroSky
Figure 1.
Monoclonal antibody cocktail specifically detect released Borreliae PG
(A) Each monoclonal antibody (mAb) were incubated with purified, enzyme-digested B. burgdorferi PG (dPG). Immunoprecipitation, coupled with quantitative LCMS, identified high-affinity interactions for four different mAb. Heat map indicates the percent of each muropeptide bound, relative to input control. (B) Cartoon schematic of the muropeptide structure bound by the mAbs in ‘A’. The numbers associated with each muropeptide species indicate enantomers or isobarics present in B. burgdorferi PG. (C) A cocktail of capture and detection mAb pairs is a sensitive approach to detect purified, dPG produced by B. burgdorferi. Values were background subtracted using the absorbance values of a PBS control. (D) The same cocktail of capture and detection mAb pairs provide high affinity binding to released B. burgdorferi PG in spent culture medium. B. burgdorferi were cultured to late-log, cells harvested, spent cultured media filtered (0.2 μm), and titrations were assayed by ELISA. Control reactions included sterile culture media, processed similarly, or the same sterile media spiked with dPG. (E) Lyme Borrelia spp. release PG. Each species was pulse labeled with 5uCi of 3H L-Orn for 2-3 generations, washed, and back-diluted into fresh media. Pre- and post-culture expansion, PG was purified and quantified by liquid scintillation. (F) The mAb cocktail cross-reacts with digested PG from different Lyme-disease causing Borrelia spp. Purified, dPG, attained from different Borrelia spp. was titrated into human urine (diluted 1:2 with PBS) and detected by ELISA. Values were background subtracted using the absorbance of a neat human urine diluted with PBS (1:2) that was not spiked with PG. Data points with absorbance of 4 were beyond the detection limit of the spectrophotometer.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Remembering the life of Brandon Jutras gone far too soon www.nhscotthanekamp.com/obituaries/D...
nhscotthanekamp.com
Obituary information for Dr. Brandon Lyon Jutras
View Dr. Brandon Lyon Jutras's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference (MMPC) September 25-27, 2026 University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN Register now! #MicroSky
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference (MMPC) September 25-27, 2026 University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN Register now! #MicroSky
MMPC Tshirt design. Shows the shape of Minnesota, composed of bacteria and viruses
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
In the Land of Cheese and Phages! #phages2026
Display of cheeses, and three Wisconsin “Cheesehead” hats
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
NIAID R21 proposal was scored 18. When paylines existed, that score was definitely going to be funded. Now, I’m merely “cautiously optimistic”. Haven’t purchased the champagne.
static.klipy.com
Elmo Says Maybe
Alt: Elmo Says Maybe!
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Had a few drinks with my ghosts last night
Photograph of an empty chair
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Reposted by Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab
Scicommpoetmom @krosejutras.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Kristin Rose Jutras 38m Devastated to share that my husband, @jutraslab.bsky.social, passed away. People are writing fake obituaries online/sharing on social media that Brandon died of Lyme disease. This is not true and is an affront to everything Brandon stood for as a scientist: the truth.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Devastated to report that Brandon Jutras passed away a day or two ago. Brandon earned his PhD with me. He went on to be an Associate Professor at Northwestern University School of Medicine and a super star in Lyme research. A loving husband and father, a sincere friend, and a brilliant scientist 💔
Brandon Jutras, PhD, in his laboratory.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Relapsing fever in Texas, USA Human Exposure to Spirochete-Infected Ornithodoros turicata in a Residential Setting in the Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42517151/ #MicroSky
Patient history, from the publication
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Philip Stewart, a recently retired Rocky Mountain Labs researcher (who) focused on tick-borne diseases, “There is an anti-science movement … We are targets” Phil was also a postdoc with Patti Rosa at RML, about 3 years after I left the lab.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
On the top of the University’s daily propaganda email ! uknow.uky.edu/research/res...
Screenshot of 7/17 UK Now, the daily propaganda email from the University of Kentucky. Shows an attractive, bearded scientist who is holding up a tick.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Antiphospholipid antibodies in acute and post-treatment Lyme disease "A subset of patients with chronic symptoms is identifiable by persistent elevation in anti-phosphatidylserine" journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #MicroSky
journals.asm.org
Antiphospholipid antibodies in acute and post-treatment Lyme disease | Infection and Immunity
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne infection in North America and Europe and is caused in the United States mainly by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Early infection typically manifests...
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Today we say goodbye to my parents’ mortal remains ❤️❤️
Two people kissing, within a large frame
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Onion satire: picture of puzzled man with cell phone and computer, with caption: 
“Study: 97% of average American’s day spent retrieving 6-digit codes”
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Bactofilins are essential spatial organizers of peptidoglycan insertion in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #MicroSky
journals.asm.org
Bactofilins are essential spatial organizers of peptidoglycan insertion in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi | Journal of Bacteriology
The spirochetal bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi causes Lyme disease, the most prevalent vector-borne infection in North America and Europe. Cellular replication, which requires growth and division of t...
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Bacterial and human exonucleases mediate interkingdom antiviral immunity #MicroSky #PhageSky
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
A secreted Buchnera endosymbiont protein essential for colonizing host cells #MicroSky
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Phage ORF annotation app #MicroSky #PhageSky
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Riboflavin Salvage Supports Glycolysis in Borrelia burgdorferi Through Flavin-Dependent NAD+ Regeneration Nifty new information from Mollie Jewett and team! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #MicroSky
Graphical Abstract

The Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi has limited metabolic capabilities and depends on salvage of riboflavin via the BB0316-BB0319 transport system for generation of critical flavin cofactors FMN and FAD. Riboflavin is important for NAD+ regeneration to fuel glycolysis. FAD-dependent coenzyme A disulfide reductase (CoADR) is the critical link between riboflavin availability and glycolytic redox balance driving glycolytic success in B. burgdorferi.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Top 1%
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Dr. Mark Martin's "Matters Microbial" podcasts @markowenmartin.bsky.social Watch 'em all! www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... #MicroSky
Screenshot of intro to "Matters Microbial"
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I know it seems like a heretical idea, but one way to figure out if a preprint is really interesting (to you) is... to read the preprint. Then, in the spirit of sharing, send a note to authors: a simple kudos or a more detailed question. I do this a dozen times a year. It's awesome. Try it.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
The host calcium system contributes to intracellular Rickettsia pathogenesis "Calcium channel blockers (disrupt) rickettsial actin polymerization, and these results highlight the complex interdependence of Rickettsia and host cell biology." journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #MicroSky
Figure 5 from the article:
 CCB disruption of actin-based mobility. (A) Fluorescence micrographs of R. conorii and host actin after 48 hours of infection with noted compounds added for the last 24 hours of infection. R. conorii (green) containing actin tails (red) are readily observed in mock (DMSO) treated cells, but the frequency of actin polymerization is reduced in CCB and Cytochalasin D treated cells. (B) Quantification of R. parkeri with observable actin tails after 48 hours of infection of EA.hy926 cells with noted compounds. Treatment with all three CCBs and the actin polymerization inhibitor Cytochalasin D all significantly reduced rickettsial actin polymerization. (C) Similar analysis of actin polymerization in R. conorii-infected EA.hy926 cells. Scale bar = 20 µm. *P < 0.05 by one-way ANOVA with Dunnett’s multiple comparisons test.
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
"Dr. Rachel Simmons is a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, where her research focuses on something to do with gene regulation that she could explain in detail if you would just let her open her laptop for thirty seconds."
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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Machine learning-driven identification of virulence determinants in Borrelia burgdorferi associated with human dissemination New publication from @brissettelab.bsky.social journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol... #MicroSky
Fig 1. Overview of machine learning workflow.
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