FOXP3 and arthritic joint disease: Foxp3+ Tregs are important for maintaining tissue homeostasis often by secreting anti-inflammatory cytokines, and there have been several studies to suggest that Tregs during B. burgdorferi infection can be protective against excessive inflammation: in patients with antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis, higher numbers of Tregs in the joint synovial fluid correlated with faster resolution of arthritis symptoms [44,45].