Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness in the U.S. and Europe, is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. A new study may have identified how the enzyme can be used as a potential target for advanced treatment.

Researchers have discovered that an enzyme can serve as an ideal target for developing new therapeutics against Lyme disease, and most likely other tick-borne diseases as well. The finding was reported in mBio.

Targeting a key enzyme in the microorganism responsible for the disease could stop both its growth and ability to infect