KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Researchers have found a critical component that causes one of the most painful symptoms of Lyme disease. A research team at Virginia Tech found a cellular component to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. That component causes lyme arthritis, an extremely painful condition and the most common late-stage symptom of the disease.
![](https://x-default-stgec.uplynk.com/ausw/slices/5fe/e14174ecfc5d469285bc97a89e713431/5fe255f25547415cbf23cbeb063e0053/poster_4388746df6cd4726827bcebb9b2c5955.jpg)
![](https://x-default-stgec.uplynk.com/ausw/slices/5fe/e14174ecfc5d469285bc97a89e713431/5fe255f25547415cbf23cbeb063e0053/poster_4388746df6cd4726827bcebb9b2c5955.jpg)
Posted at
and last updated
Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.