Dangerous Rendezvous

A macrophage (pale brown) interacts with Borrelia cells (blue), the spirochete bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

Although the outer membrane of Borrelia contains a strong antigen, the OspC protein, the bacterium successfully evades the human immune system by hiding out in places less accessible to immune cells, such as the central nervous system.

Picture made by Nicole Ottawa and Oliver Meckes: http://www.cell.com/cell_picture_show-immunology