VlsE, the nexus for antigenic variation of the Lyme disease spirochete, also mediates early bacterial attachment to the host microvasculature under shear force. - Tan, Xi; Lin, Yi-Pin; Pereira, Michael J.; Castellanos, Mildred; Hahn, Beth L.; Anderson, Phillip; Coburn, Jenifer; Leong, John M.; Chaconas, George (PLoS Pathogens, 2022)