As we found the inflammatory mediators IL-6, IL-8 and CCL2 in our HSC culture supernatants stimulated with live B. burgdorferi, as well as in the Schwann cells in the dorsal roots of the DRG tissue explants incubated with live B. burgdorferi, it is possible that similar mechanisms of inflammatory mediated axonal damage could be contributing to the peripheral neuritis seen in LNB. The gene discussed is CCL2; the disease is neuritis.