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Bobe JR, Jutras BL, Horn EJ, Embers ME, Bailey A, Moritz RL, Zhang Y, Soloski MJ, Ostfeld RS, Marconi RT, Aucott J, Ma'ayan A, Keesing F, Lewis K, Ben Mamoun C, Rebman AW, McClune ME, Breitschwerdt EB, Reddy PJ, Maggi R, Yang F, Nemser B, Ozcan A, Garner O, Di Carlo D, Ballard Z, Joung HA, Garcia-Romeu A, Griffiths RR, Baumgarth N, Fallon BA. Recent Progress in Lyme Disease and Remaining Challenges. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:666554. [PMID: 34485323 PMCID: PMC8416313 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.666554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease (also known as Lyme borreliosis) is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States with an estimated 476,000 cases per year. While historically, the long-term impact of Lyme disease on patients has been controversial, mounting evidence supports the idea that a substantial number of patients experience persistent symptoms following treatment. The research community has largely lacked the necessary funding to properly advance the scientific and clinical understanding of the disease, or to develop and evaluate innovative approaches for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Given the many outstanding questions raised into the diagnosis, clinical presentation and treatment of Lyme disease, and the underlying molecular mechanisms that trigger persistent disease, there is an urgent need for more support. This review article summarizes progress over the past 5 years in our understanding of Lyme and tick-borne diseases in the United States and highlights remaining challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason R. Bobe
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Brandon L. Jutras
- Department of Biochemistry, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | | | - Monica E. Embers
- Tulane University Health Sciences, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Allison Bailey
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Ying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mark J. Soloski
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Lyme Disease Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Richard T. Marconi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - John Aucott
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Lyme Disease Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Avi Ma'ayan
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Kim Lewis
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Alison W. Rebman
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Lyme Disease Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Mecaila E. McClune
- Department of Biochemistry, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Edward B. Breitschwerdt
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | | | - Ricardo Maggi
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Frank Yang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Bennett Nemser
- Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, Stamford, CT, United States
| | - Aydogan Ozcan
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Omai Garner
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Dino Di Carlo
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Zachary Ballard
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Hyou-Arm Joung
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Albert Garcia-Romeu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Roland R. Griffiths
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Nicole Baumgarth
- Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases and the Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Brian A. Fallon
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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Competition between strains of Borrelia afzelii in the host tissues and consequences for transmission to ticks. THE ISME JOURNAL 2021; 15:2390-2400. [PMID: 33658621 PMCID: PMC8319436 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-00939-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Pathogen species often consist of genetically distinct strains, which can establish mixed infections or coinfections in the host. In coinfections, interactions between pathogen strains can have important consequences for their transmission success. We used the tick-borne bacterium Borrelia afzelii, which is the most common cause of Lyme disease in Europe, as a model multi-strain pathogen to investigate the relationship between coinfection, competition between strains, and strain-specific transmission success. Mus musculus mice were infected with one or two strains of B. afzelii, strain transmission success was measured by feeding ticks on mice, and the distribution of each strain in six different mouse organs and the ticks was measured using qPCR. Coinfection and competition reduced the tissue infection prevalence of both strains and changed their bacterial abundance in some tissues. Coinfection and competition also reduced the transmission success of the B. afzelii strains from the infected hosts to feeding ticks. The ability of the B. afzelii strains to establish infection in the host tissues was strongly correlated with their transmission success to the tick vector. Our study demonstrates that coinfection and competition between pathogen strains inside the host tissues can have major consequences for their transmission success.
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Eisen RJ, Paddock CD. Tick and Tickborne Pathogen Surveillance as a Public Health Tool in the United States. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:1490-1502. [PMID: 32440679 PMCID: PMC8905548 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, tickborne disease (TBD) cases and established populations of medically important ticks have been reported over expanding geographic areas, and an increasing number of tickborne bacteria, viruses, and protozoans have been recognized as human pathogens, collectively contributing to an increasing burden of TBDs in the United States. The prevention and diagnosis of TBDs depend greatly on an accurate understanding by the public and healthcare providers of when and where persons are at risk for exposure to human-biting ticks and to the pathogens these ticks transmit. However, national maps showing the distributions of medically important ticks and the presence or prevalence of tickborne pathogens are often incomplete, outdated, or lacking entirely. Similar deficiencies exist regarding geographic variability in host-seeking tick abundance. Efforts to accurately depict acarological risk are hampered by lack of systematic and routine surveillance for medically important ticks and their associated human pathogens. In this review, we: 1) outline the public health importance of tick surveillance; 2) identify gaps in knowledge regarding the distributions and abundance of medically important ticks in the United States and the presence and prevalence of their associated pathogens; 3) describe key objectives for tick surveillance and review methods appropriate for addressing those goals; and 4) assess current capacity and barriers to implementation and sustainability of tick surveillance programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J. Eisen
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Christopher D. Paddock
- Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
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Tsao JI, Hamer SA, Han S, Sidge JL, Hickling GJ. The Contribution of Wildlife Hosts to the Rise of Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in North America. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:1565-1587. [PMID: 33885784 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife vertebrate hosts are integral to enzootic cycles of tick-borne pathogens, and in some cases have played key roles in the recent rise of ticks and tick-borne diseases in North America. In this forum article, we highlight roles that wildlife hosts play in the maintenance and transmission of zoonotic, companion animal, livestock, and wildlife tick-borne pathogens. We begin by illustrating how wildlife contribute directly and indirectly to the increase and geographic expansion of ticks and their associated pathogens. Wildlife provide blood meals for tick growth and reproduction; serve as pathogen reservoirs; and can disperse ticks and pathogens-either through natural movement (e.g., avian migration) or through human-facilitated movement (e.g., wildlife translocations and trade). We then discuss opportunities to manage tick-borne disease through actions directed at wildlife hosts. To conclude, we highlight key gaps in our understanding of the ecology of tick-host interactions, emphasizing that wildlife host communities are themselves a very dynamic component of tick-pathogen-host systems and therefore complicate management of tick-borne diseases, and should be taken into account when considering host-targeted approaches. Effective management of wildlife to reduce tick-borne disease risk further requires consideration of the 'human dimensions' of wildlife management. This includes understanding the public's diverse views and values about wildlife and wildlife impacts-including the perceived role of wildlife in fostering tick-borne diseases. Public health agencies should capitalize on the expertise of wildlife agencies when developing strategies to reduce tick-borne disease risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean I Tsao
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Sarah A Hamer
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, and Schubot Center for Avian Health, Department of Veterinary Pathology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Seungeun Han
- Department of Disease Control and Epidemiology, National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jennifer L Sidge
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Graham J Hickling
- Center for Wildlife Health, Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
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Barbour AG, Gupta RS. The Family Borreliaceae (Spirochaetales), a Diverse Group in Two Genera of Tick-Borne Spirochetes of Mammals, Birds, and Reptiles. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:1513-1524. [PMID: 33903910 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Spirochetes of the family Borreliaceae are, with one exception, tick-borne pathogens of a variety of vertebrates. The family at present comprises two genera: Borrelia (Swellengrebel), which includes the agents of relapsing fever, avian spirochetosis, and bovine borreliosis, and Borreliella (Gupta et al.), which includes the agents of Lyme disease and was formerly known as 'Borrelia burgdorferi sensulato complex'. The two genera are distinguished not only by their disease associations but also biological features in the tick vector, including tissue location in unfed ticks and transovarial transmission. Borrelia species transmitted by argasid (soft) ticks tend to have more exclusive relationships with their tick vectors than do other Borrelia species and all Borreliella species that have ixodid (hard) ticks as vectors. The division of genera is supported by phylogenomic evidence from whole genomes and by several specific molecular markers. These distinguishing phylogenetic criteria also applied to three new species or isolates of Borrelia that were discovered in ixodid ticks of reptiles, a monotreme, and birds. Although the deep branching of the family from other spirochetes has been a challenge for inferences about evolution of the family, the discovery of related microorganisms in the gut microbiota of other arachnids suggests an ancestral origin for the family as symbionts of ticks and other arachnids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan G Barbour
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Radhey S Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Wolcott KA, Margos G, Fingerle V, Becker NS. Host association of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato: A review. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2021; 12:101766. [PMID: 34161868 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) is a bacterial species complex that includes the etiological agents of the most frequently reported vector-borne disease in the Northern hemisphere, Lyme borreliosis. It currently comprises > 20 named and proposed genospecies that use vertebrate hosts and tick vectors for transmission in the Americas and Eurasia. Host (and vector) associations influence geographic distribution and speciation in Bbsl, which is of particular relevance to human health. To target gaps in knowledge for future efforts to understand broad patterns of the Bbsl-tick-host system and how they relate to human health, the present review aims to give a comprehensive summary of the literature on host association in Bbsl. Of 465 papers consulted (404 after exclusion criteria were applied), 96 sought to experimentally establish reservoir competence of 143 vertebrate host species for Bbsl. We recognize xenodiagnosis as the strongest method used, however it is infrequent (20% of studies) probably due to difficulties in maintaining tick vectors and/or wild host species in the lab. Some well-established associations were not experimentally confirmed according to our definition (ex: Borrelia garinii, Ixodes uriae and sea birds). We conclude that our current knowledge on host association in Bbsl is mostly derived from a subset of host, vector and bacterial species involved, providing an incomplete knowledge of the physiology, ecology and evolutionary history of these interactions. More studies are needed on all host, vector and bacterial species globally involved with a focus on non-rodent hosts and Asian Bbsl complex species, especially with experimental research that uses xenodiagnosis and genomics to analyze existing host associations in different ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A Wolcott
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Grosshaderner Strasse 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany; National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
| | - Gabriele Margos
- National Reference Centre for Borrelia at the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Volker Fingerle
- National Reference Centre for Borrelia at the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Noémie S Becker
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Grosshaderner Strasse 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
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Nakao R, Kasama K, Boldbaatar B, Ogura Y, Kawabata H, Toyoda A, Hayashi T, Takano A, Maeda K. The evolution of hard tick-borne relapsing fever borreliae is correlated with vector species rather than geographical distance. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:105. [PMID: 34058972 PMCID: PMC8166147 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01838-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Relapsing fever (RF) borreliae are arthropod-borne spirochetes and some of them cause human diseases, which are characterized by relapsing or recurring episodes of fever. Recently, it has been classified into two groups: soft tick-borne RF (STRF) borreliae and hard tick-borne RF (HTRF) borreliae. STRF borreliae include classical RF agents and HTRF borreliae, the latter of which include B. miyamotoi, a human pathogen recently identified in Eurasia and North America. Results In this study, we determined the genome sequences of 16 HTRF borreliae strains: 15 B. miyamotoi strains (9 from Hokkaido Island, Japan, 3 from Honshu Island, Japan, and 3 from Mongolia) and a Borrelia sp. tHM16w. Chromosomal gene synteny was highly conserved among the HTRF strains sequenced in this study, even though they were isolated from different geographic regions and different tick species. Phylogenetic analysis based on core gene sequences revealed that HTRF and STRF borreliae are clearly distinguishable, with each forming a monophyletic group in the RF borreliae lineage. Moreover, the evolutionary relationships of RF borreliae are consistent with the biological and ecological features of each RF borreliae sublineage and can explain the unique characteristics of Borrelia anserina. In addition, the pairwise genetic distances between HTRF borreliae strains were well correlated with those of vector species rather than with the geographical distances between strain isolation sites. This result suggests that the genetic diversification of HTRF borreliae is attributed to the speciation of vector ticks and that this relationship might be required for efficient transmission of HTRF borreliae within vector ticks. Conclusions The results of the present study, together with those from previous investigations, support the hypothesis that the common ancestor of borreliae was transmitted by hard-bodied ticks and that only STRF borreliae switched to using soft-bodied ticks as a vector, which was followed by the emergence of Borrelia recurrentis, lice-borne RF borreliae. Our study clarifies the phylogenetic relationships between RF borreliae, and the data obtained will contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary history of RF borreliae. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-021-01838-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranna Nakao
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi, 753-8515, Japan
| | - Kentaro Kasama
- Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Bazartseren Boldbaatar
- Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Zaisan, 17024, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Yoshitoshi Ogura
- Division of Microbiology, Department of Infectious Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume City, Fukuoka, 830-0011, Japan
| | - Hiroki Kawabata
- Department of Bacteriology-I, National Institute of Infectious Disease, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan
| | - Atsushi Toyoda
- Department of Genomics and Evolutionary Biology, National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Mishima City, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Hayashi
- Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Ai Takano
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi, 753-8515, Japan. .,Joint Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi, 753-8515, Japan.
| | - Ken Maeda
- Joint Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi, 753-8515, Japan.,Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan
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Infection with Borrelia afzelii and manipulation of the egg surface microbiota have no effect on the fitness of immature Ixodes ricinus ticks. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10686. [PMID: 34021230 PMCID: PMC8140075 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90177-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Arthropod vectors carry vector-borne pathogens that cause infectious disease in vertebrate hosts, and arthropod-associated microbiota, which consists of non-pathogenic microorganisms. Vector-borne pathogens and the microbiota can both influence the fitness of their arthropod vectors, and hence the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. The bacterium Borrelia afzelii, which causes Lyme borreliosis in Europe, is transmitted among vertebrate reservoir hosts by Ixodes ricinus ticks, which also harbour a diverse microbiota of non-pathogenic bacteria. The purpose of this controlled study was to test whether B. afzelii and the tick-associated microbiota influence the fitness of I. ricinus. Eggs obtained from field-collected adult female ticks were surface sterilized (with bleach and ethanol), which reduced the abundance of the bacterial microbiota in the hatched I. ricinus larvae by 28-fold compared to larvae that hatched from control eggs washed with water. The dysbiosed and control larvae were subsequently fed on B. afzelii-infected or uninfected control mice, and the engorged larvae were left to moult into nymphs under laboratory conditions. I. ricinus larvae that fed on B. afzelii-infected mice had a significantly faster larva-to-nymph moulting time compared to larvae that fed on uninfected control mice, but the effect was small (2.4% reduction) and unlikely to be biologically significant. We found no evidence that B. afzelii infection or reduction of the larval microbiota influenced the four other life history traits of the immature I. ricinus ticks, which included engorged larval weight, unfed nymphal weight, larva-to-nymph moulting success, and immature tick survival. A retrospective power analysis found that our sampling effort had sufficient power (> 80%) to detect small effects (differences of 5% to 10%) of our treatments. Under the environmental conditions of this study, we conclude that B. afzelii and the egg surface microbiota had no meaningful effects on tick fitness and hence on the R0 of Lyme borreliosis.
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Takhampunya R, Thaloengsok S, Tippayachai B, Promsathaporn S, Leepitakrat S, Gross K, Davidson SA. Retrospective Survey of Borrelia spp. From Rodents and Ticks in Thailand. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:1331-1344. [PMID: 33367702 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Borrelia is a genus of spirochetal bacteria with several species known to cause disease in humans. The distribution of Borrelia has rarely been studied in Thailand. In this study, a retrospective survey of Borrelia was conducted in ticks and wild rodents to better characterize the prevalence, diversity, and distribution of Borrelia across Thailand. Several pools of DNA from tick samples were positive for Borrelia spp. (36/258, 13.9%). Borrelia theileri/B. lonestari was found in 17 tick samples (16 pools of Haemaphysalis bandicota and 1 pool of Rhipicephalus sp.), and Borrelia yangtzensis was found in 8 tick samples (2 pools of H. bandicota and 6 pools of Ixodes granulatus). Borrelia spp. were detected at low prevalence levels in rodent tissue samples (24/2001, 1.2%), with 19 identified as B. theileri or B. lonestari and 5 identified as B. miyamotoi. Several geographic and species-specific infection trends were apparent, with Ixodes ticks infected with B. yangtzensis and Haemaphysalis and Rhipicephalus ticks infected with both B. yangtzensis and B. theileri/B. lonestari. Notably, B. yangtzensis showed a similar geographic distribution to B. miyamotoi, which was identified in new areas of Thailand in this study. The flagellin gene sequence from B. miyamotoi was more similar to European (99.3-99.9%) than Japanese (96.9-97.6%) genotypes. This study greatly expands the knowledge of Borrelia in Thailand and identified several Borrelia species for the first time. It also found several ticks and rodents infected with the pathogen that were not previously known to carry Borrelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ratree Takhampunya
- Department of Entomology, United States Army Medical Directorate - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, APO AP, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sasikanya Thaloengsok
- Department of Entomology, United States Army Medical Directorate - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, APO AP, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Bousaraporn Tippayachai
- Department of Entomology, United States Army Medical Directorate - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, APO AP, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sommai Promsathaporn
- Department of Entomology, United States Army Medical Directorate - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, APO AP, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Surachai Leepitakrat
- Department of Entomology, United States Army Medical Directorate - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, APO AP, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Katelynn Gross
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY
| | - Silas A Davidson
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY
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Lantos PM, Rumbaugh J, Bockenstedt LK, Falck-Ytter YT, Aguero-Rosenfeld ME, Auwaerter PG, Baldwin K, Bannuru RR, Belani KK, Bowie WR, Branda JA, Clifford DB, DiMario FJ, Halperin JJ, Krause PJ, Lavergne V, Liang MH, Meissner HC, Nigrovic LE, Nocton JJJ, Osani MC, Pruitt AA, Rips J, Rosenfeld LE, Savoy ML, Sood SK, Steere AC, Strle F, Sundel R, Tsao J, Vaysbrot EE, Wormser GP, Zemel LS. Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR): 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 72:e1-e48. [PMID: 33417672 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease was developed by a multidisciplinary panel representing the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The scope of this guideline includes prevention of Lyme disease, and the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease presenting as erythema migrans, Lyme disease complicated by neurologic, cardiac, and rheumatologic manifestations, Eurasian manifestations of Lyme disease, and Lyme disease complicated by coinfection with other tick-borne pathogens. This guideline does not include comprehensive recommendations for babesiosis and tick-borne rickettsial infections, which are published in separate guidelines. The target audience for this guideline includes primary care physicians and specialists caring for this condition such as infectious diseases specialists, emergency physicians, internists, pediatricians, family physicians, neurologists, rheumatologists, cardiologists and dermatologists in North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Lantos
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | - Yngve T Falck-Ytter
- Case Western Reserve University, VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Paul G Auwaerter
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kelly Baldwin
- Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Kiran K Belani
- Childrens Hospital and Clinical of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - William R Bowie
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - John A Branda
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David B Clifford
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | | | | | - Peter J Krause
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Amy A Pruitt
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jane Rips
- Consumer Representative, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | | | | | | | - Allen C Steere
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Franc Strle
- University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Robert Sundel
- Boston Children's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jean Tsao
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | | | | | - Lawrence S Zemel
- Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
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Della-Giustina D, Duke C, Goldflam K. Underrecognized Tickborne Illnesses: Borrelia Miyamotoi and Powassan Virus. Wilderness Environ Med 2021; 32:240-246. [PMID: 33839017 DOI: 10.1016/j.wem.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Over the past 2 decades, tickborne disease has been increasingly recognized as a threat to humans as a result of the growing geographic range of ticks. This review describes 2 tickborne diseases, Borrelia miyamotoi and Powassan virus, that likely have a significant impact on humans, yet are underdiagnosed compared to most other tickborne diseases. We performed a literature search from 2015 to 2020. Borrelia miyamotoi is a tickborne pathogen that infects and co-infects ticks along with other pathogens, including Borrelia burgdorferi. Because B miyamotoi infects the same Ixodes ticks as B burgdorferi, B miyamotoi may cover a similar geographic range. B miyamotoi infection may be underdiagnosed for 2 reasons. First, a presumptive treatment approach to Lyme disease may result in B miyamotoi infection treatment without identification of the actual cause. Second, the absence of readily available testing and diagnostic criteria makes it difficult to diagnose B miyamotoi infection. Powassan virus is a tickborne flavivirus similar to the dengue virus. Powassan virus disease appears to have an asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic presentation in most people but can cause devastating and fatal encephalitis. The Powassan virus may be transmitted in less than 15 min of tick feeding. Powassan virus disease is a difficult diagnosis because testing capabilities are limited and because there may be co-infection with other tickborne pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Charles Duke
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Katja Goldflam
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New Haven, CT
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Bregnard C, Rais O, Voordouw MJ. Masting by beech trees predicts the risk of Lyme disease. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:168. [PMID: 33743800 PMCID: PMC7980658 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04646-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The incidence of Lyme borreliosis and other tick-borne diseases is increasing in Europe and North America. There is currently much interest in identifying the ecological factors that determine the density of infected ticks as this variable determines the risk of Lyme borreliosis to vertebrate hosts, including humans. Lyme borreliosis is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and in western Europe, the hard tick Ixodes ricinus is the most important vector. METHODS Over a 15-year period (2004-2018), we monitored the monthly abundance of I. ricinus ticks (nymphs and adults) and their B. burgdorferi s.l. infection status at four different elevations on a mountain in western Switzerland. We collected climate variables in the field and from nearby weather stations. We obtained data on beech tree seed production (masting) from the literature, as the abundance of Ixodes nymphs can increase dramatically 2 years after a masting event. We used generalized linear mixed effects models and AIC-based model selection to identify the ecological factors that influence inter-annual variation in the nymphal infection prevalence (NIP) and the density of infected nymphs (DIN). RESULTS We found that the NIP decreased by 78% over the study period. Inter-annual variation in the NIP was explained by the mean precipitation in the present year, and the duration that the DNA extraction was stored in the freezer prior to pathogen detection. The DIN decreased over the study period at all four elevation sites, and the decrease was significant at the top elevation. Inter-annual variation in the DIN was best explained by elevation site, year, beech tree masting index 2 years prior and the mean relative humidity in the present year. This is the first study in Europe to demonstrate that seed production by deciduous trees influences the density of nymphs infected with B. burgdorferi s.l. and hence the risk of Lyme borreliosis. CONCLUSIONS Public health officials in Europe should be aware that masting by deciduous trees is an important predictor of the risk of Lyme borreliosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy Bregnard
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Rais
- Laboratory of Ecology and Epidemiology of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Maarten Jeroen Voordouw
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
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Are Orienteers Protected Enough against Tick Bites? Estimating Human Exposure to Tick Bites through a Participative Science Survey during an Orienteering Competition. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18063161. [PMID: 33803910 PMCID: PMC8003242 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18063161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Mass-participation events in temperate forests are now well-established features of outdoor activities and represent high-risk activities regarding human exposition to tick bites. In this study we used a citizen science approach to quantify the space-time frequency of tick bites and undetected tick bites among orienteers that participated in a 6-day orienteering competition that took place in July 2018 in the forests of Eastern France, and we looked at the use and efficacy of different preventive behaviors. Our study confirms that orienteers are a high-risk population for tick bites, with 62.4% of orienteers bitten at least once during the competition, and 2.4 to 12.1 orienteers per 100 orienteers were bitten by ticks when walking 1 km. In addition, 16.7% of orienteers bitten by ticks had engorged ticks, meaning that they did not detect and remove their ticks immediately after the run. Further, only 8.5% of orienteers systematically used a repellent, and the use of repellent only partially reduced the probability of being bitten by ticks. These results represent the first attempt to quantify the risk of not immediately detecting a tick bite and provide rare quantitative data on the frequency of tick bites for orienteers according to walking distance and time spent in the forest. The results also provide information on the use of repellent, which will be very helpful for modeling risk assessment. The study also shows that prevention should be increased for orienteers in France.
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Burrows H, Talbot B, McKay R, Slatculescu A, Logan J, Thickstun C, Lindsay LR, Dibernardo A, Koffi JK, Ogden NH, Kulkarni MA. A multi-year assessment of blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) population establishment and Lyme disease risk areas in Ottawa, Canada, 2017-2019. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246484. [PMID: 33539458 PMCID: PMC7861446 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Canadians face an emerging threat of Lyme disease due to the northward expansion of the tick vector, Ixodes scapularis. We evaluated the degree of I. scapularis population establishment and Borrelia burgdorferi occurrence in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from 2017–2019 using active surveillance at 28 sites. We used a field indicator tool developed by Clow et al. to determine the risk of I. scapularis establishment for each tick cohort at each site using the results of drag sampling. Based on results obtained with the field indicator tool, we assigned each site an ecological classification describing the pattern of tick colonization over two successive cohorts (cohort 1 was comprised of ticks collected in fall 2017 and spring 2018, and cohort 2 was collected in fall 2018 and spring 2019). Total annual site-specific I. scapularis density ranged from 0 to 16.3 ticks per person-hour. Sites with the highest density were located within the Greenbelt zone, in the suburban/rural areas in the western portion of the city of Ottawa, and along the Ottawa River; the lowest densities occurred at sites in the suburban/urban core. B. burgdorferi infection rates exhibited a similar spatial distribution pattern. Of the 23 sites for which data for two tick cohorts were available, 11 sites were classified as “high-stable”, 4 were classified as “emerging”, 2 were classified as “low-stable”, and 6 were classified as “non-zero”. B. burgdorferi-infected ticks were found at all high-stable sites, and at one emerging site. These findings suggest that high-stable sites pose a risk of Lyme disease exposure to the community as they have reproducing tick populations with consistent levels of B. burgdorferi infection. Continued surveillance for I. scapularis, B. burgdorferi, and range expansion of other tick species and emerging tick-borne pathogens is important to identify areas posing a high risk for human exposure to tick-borne pathogens in the face of ongoing climate change and urban expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Burrows
- Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Benoit Talbot
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Roman McKay
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andreea Slatculescu
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - James Logan
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Charles Thickstun
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - L. Robbin Lindsay
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Antonia Dibernardo
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Jules K. Koffi
- Centre for Foodborne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nicholas H. Ogden
- Public Health Risk Sciences Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
| | - Manisha A. Kulkarni
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
With one exception (epidemic relapsing fever), borreliae are obligately maintained in nature by ticks. Although some Borrelia spp. may be vertically transmitted to subsequent generations of ticks, most require amplification by a vertebrate host because inheritance is not stable. Enzootic cycles of borreliae have been found globally; those receiving the most attention from researchers are those whose vectors have some degree of anthropophily and, thus, cause zoonoses such as Lyme disease or relapsing fever. To some extent, our views on the synecology of the borreliae has been dominated by an applied focus, viz., analyses that seek to understand the elements of human risk for borreliosis. But, the elements of borrelial perpetuation do not necessarily bear upon risk, nor do our concepts of risk provide the best structure for analyzing perpetuation. We identify the major global themes for the perpetuation of borreliae, and summarize local variations on those themes, focusing on key literature to outline the factors that serve as the basis for the distribution and abundance of borreliae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam R. Telford
- Dept of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Tufts University, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
| | - Heidi K. Goethert
- Dept of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Tufts University, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
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Abstract
The genus Borrelia consists of evolutionarily and genetically diverse bacterial species that cause a variety of diseases in humans and domestic animals. These vector-borne spirochetes can be classified into two major evolutionary groups, the Lyme borreliosis clade and the relapsing fever clade, both of which have complex transmission cycles during which they interact with multiple host species and arthropod vectors. Molecular, ecological, and evolutionary studies have each provided significant contributions towards our understanding of the natural history, biology and evolutionary genetics of Borrelia species; however, integration of these studies is required to identify the evolutionary causes and consequences of the genetic variation within and among Borrelia species. For example, molecular and genetic studies have identified the adaptations that maximize fitness components throughout the Borrelia lifecycle and enhance transmission efficacy but provide limited insights into the evolutionary pressures that have produced them. Ecological studies can identify interactions between Borrelia species and the vertebrate hosts and arthropod vectors they encounter and the resulting impact on the geographic distribution and abundance of spirochetes but not the genetic or molecular basis underlying these interactions. In this review we discuss recent findings on the evolutionary genetics from both of the evolutionarily distinct clades of Borrelia species. We focus on connecting molecular interactions to the ecological processes that have driven the evolution and diversification of Borrelia species in order to understand the current distribution of genetic and molecular variation within and between Borrelia species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary J. Oppler
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 South University Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kayleigh R. O’Keeffe
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 South University Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Karen D. McCoy
- Centre for Research on the Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), MiVEGEC, University of Montpellier – CNRS - IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Dustin Brisson
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 South University Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Migratory birds as disseminators of ticks and the tick-borne pathogens Borrelia bacteria and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus: a seasonal study at Ottenby Bird Observatory in South-eastern Sweden. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:607. [PMID: 33272317 PMCID: PMC7713317 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04493-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Birds can act as reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens and can also disperse pathogen-containing ticks to both nearby and remote localities. The aims of this study were to estimate tick infestation patterns on migratory birds and the prevalence of different Borrelia species and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in ticks removed from birds in south-eastern Sweden. Methods Ticks were collected from resident and migratory birds captured at the Ottenby Bird Observatory, Öland, Sweden, from March to November 2009. Ticks were molecularly identified to species, and morphologically to developmental stage, and the presence of Borrelia bacteria and TBEV was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Results A total of 1339 ticks in the genera Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, and Ixodes was recorded of which I. ricinus was the most abundant species. Important tick hosts were the European robin (Erithacus rubecula), Blackbird (Turdus merula), Tree pipit (Anthus trivialis), Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), and Common whitethroat (Sylvia communis). Borrelia bacteria were detected in 25% (285/1,124) of the detached ticks available for analysis. Seven Borrelia species (B. afzelii, B. burgdorferi (s.s.), B. garinii, B. lusitaniae, B. turdi, B. valaisiana, and B. miyamotoi) were identified. B. turdi was recorded for the first time in ticks in Sweden. The number of Borrelia cells per tick ranged from 2.0 × 100 to 7.0 × 105. B. miyamotoi-containing ticks contained a significantly higher median number of Borrelia cells than B. burgdorferi (s.l.)-containing ticks. B. garinii and B. miyamotoi were the most prevalent Borrelia species in tick larvae. Larvae of I. ricinus with B. garinii were removed from seven bird species, particularly S. communis and A. trivialis, which may suggest that the larvae had contracted the Borrelia bacteria from or via these birds. Also, a high percentage of tick larvae containing B. miyamotoi was removed from E. rubecula. All ticks were negative for TBEV. Conclusions The results corroborate the view that the contributions of birds to human disease are substantial, particularly as blood hosts for ticks and for their short-, medium-, and long-distance dispersal. Moreover, several ground-foraging bird species appear to be important for the maintenance and dispersal of Borrelia species. The absence of TBEV in the ticks conforms to other similar studies.![]()
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Han S, Hickling GJ, Ogden NH, Ginsberg HS, Kobbekaduwa V, Rulison EL, Beati L, Tsao JI. Seasonality of acarological risk of exposure to Borrelia miyamotoi from questing life stages of Ixodes scapularis collected from Wisconsin and Massachusetts, USA. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020; 12:101556. [PMID: 33035757 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Measures of acarological risk of exposure to Ixodes scapularis-borne disease agents typically focus on nymphs; however, the relapsing fever group spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi can be passed transovarially, and I. scapularis larvae are capable of transmitting B. miyamotoi to their hosts. To quantify the larval contribution to acarological risk, relative to nymphs and adults, we collected questing I. scapularis for 3 yr at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin (WI, n = 23,367 ticks), and Cape Cod, Massachusetts (MA, n = 4190) in the United States. Borrelia miyamotoi infection prevalence was estimated for I. scapularis larvae, nymphs, females, and males, respectively, as 0.88, 2.05, 0.63, and 1.22 % from the WI site and 0.33, 2.32, 2.83, and 2.11 % from the MA site. Densities of B. miyamotoi-infected ticks (DIT, per 1000 m2) were estimated for larvae, nymphs, females, and males, respectively, as 0.36, 0.14, 0.01, and 0.03 from the WI site and 0.05, 0.06, 0.03, and 0.02 from the MA site. Thus, although larval infection prevalence with B. miyamotoi was significantly lower than that of nymphs and similar to that of adults, because of their higher abundance, the larval contribution to the overall DIT was similar to that of nymphs and trended towards a greater contribution than adults. Assuming homogenous contact rates with humans, these results suggest that eco-epidemiological investigations of B. miyamotoi disease in North America should include larvae. A fuller appreciation of the epidemiological implications of these results, therefore, requires an examination of the heterogeneity in contact rates with humans among life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungeun Han
- Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology program, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States.
| | - Graham J Hickling
- Center for Wildlife Health, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States.
| | - Nicholas H Ogden
- Public Health Risk Sciences Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, St-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada.
| | - Howard S Ginsberg
- U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Kingston, RI 02881, United States.
| | - Vishvapali Kobbekaduwa
- Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology program, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States.
| | - Eric L Rulison
- California Department of Transportation, Redding, CA 96001, United States.
| | - Lorenza Beati
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, United States.
| | - Jean I Tsao
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, United States; Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, United States.
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Cutler S, Vayssier-Taussat M, Estrada-Peña A, Potkonjak A, Mihalca AD, Zeller H. A new Borrelia on the block: Borrelia miyamotoi - a human health risk? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 24. [PMID: 31064634 PMCID: PMC6505184 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2019.24.18.1800170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Background Borrelia miyamotoi clusters phylogenetically among relapsing fever borreliae, but is transmitted by hard ticks. Recent recognition as a human pathogen has intensified research into its ecology and pathogenic potential. Aims We aimed to provide a timely critical integrative evaluation of our knowledge on B. miyamotoi, to assess its public health relevance and guide future research. Methods This narrative review used peer-reviewed literature in English from January 1994 to December 2018. Results Borrelia miyamotoi occurs in the world’s northern hemisphere where it co-circulates with B. burgdorferi sensu lato, which causes Lyme disease. The two borreliae have overlapping vertebrate and tick hosts. While ticks serve as vectors for both species, they are also reservoirs for B. miyamotoi. Three B. miyamotoi genotypes are described, but further diversity is being recognised. The lack of sufficient cultivable isolates and vertebrate models compromise investigation of human infection and its consequences. Our understanding mainly originates from limited case series. In these, human infections mostly present as influenza-like illness, with relapsing fever in sporadic cases and neurological disease reported in immunocompromised patients. Unspecific clinical presentation, also occasionally resulting from Lyme- or other co-infections, complicates diagnosis, likely contributing to under-reporting. Diagnostics mainly employ PCR and serology. Borrelia miyamotoi infections are treated with antimicrobials according to regimes used for Lyme disease. Conclusions With co-infection of tick-borne pathogens being commonplace, diagnostic improvements remain important. Developing in vivo models might allow more insight into human pathogenesis. Continued ecological and human case studies are key to better epidemiological understanding, guiding intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Cutler
- School of Health, Sport & Bioscience, University of East London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Agustín Estrada-Peña
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Aleksandar Potkonjak
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Andrei Daniel Mihalca
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Hervé Zeller
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Solna, Sweden
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Binetruy F, Garnier S, Boulanger N, Talagrand-Reboul É, Loire E, Faivre B, Noël V, Buysse M, Duron O. A novel Borrelia species, intermediate between Lyme disease and relapsing fever groups, in neotropical passerine-associated ticks. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10596. [PMID: 32606328 PMCID: PMC7327063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66828-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease (LD) and relapsing fevers (RF) are vector-borne diseases caused by bacteria of the Borrelia genus. Here, we report on the widespread infection by a non-described Borrelia species in passerine-associated ticks in tropical rainforests of French Guiana, South America. This novel Borrelia species is common in two tick species, Amblyomma longirostre and A. geayi, which feed on a broad variety of neotropical mammal and bird species, including migratory species moving to North America. The novel Borrelia species is divergent from the LD and RF species, and is more closely related to the reptile- and echidna-associated Borrelia group that was recently described. Genome sequencing showed that this novel Borrelia sp. has a relatively small genome consisting of a 0.9-Mb-large chromosome and an additional 0.3 Mb dispersed on plasmids. It harbors an RF-like genomic organization but with a unique mixture of LD- and RF-specific genes, including genes used by RF Borrelia for the multiphasic antigen-switching system and a number of immune-reactive protein genes used for the diagnosis of LD. Overall, our data indicate that this novel Borrelia is an intermediate taxon between the LD and RF species that may impact a large host spectrum, including American mammals. The designation "Candidatus Borrelia mahuryensis" is proposed for this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Binetruy
- MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) - Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement (IRD) - Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, France
| | - Stéphane Garnier
- UMR 6282 Biogéosciences, CNRS - Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Nathalie Boulanger
- EA7290, Virulence bactérienne précoce, groupe Borréliose de Lyme, Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- French National Reference Center on Lyme borreliosis, CHRU, Strasbourg, France
| | - Émilie Talagrand-Reboul
- EA7290, Virulence bactérienne précoce, groupe Borréliose de Lyme, Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- French National Reference Center on Lyme borreliosis, CHRU, Strasbourg, France
| | - Etienne Loire
- Unité ASTRE, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), UM, Montferriez-sur-Lez, France
| | - Bruno Faivre
- UMR 6282 Biogéosciences, CNRS - Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Valérie Noël
- MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) - Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement (IRD) - Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, France
| | - Marie Buysse
- MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) - Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement (IRD) - Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, France
| | - Olivier Duron
- MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) - Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement (IRD) - Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, France.
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Interrupted Blood Feeding in Ticks: Causes and Consequences. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8060910. [PMID: 32560202 PMCID: PMC7355616 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8060910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks are obligate hematophagous arthropods and act as vectors for a great variety of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminths. Some tick-borne viruses, such as Powassan virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus, are transmissible within 15–60 min after tick attachment. However, a minimum of 3–24 h of tick attachment is necessary to effectively transmit bacterial agents such as Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., and Rickettsia spp. to a new host. Longer transmission periods were reported for Borrelia spp. and protozoans such as Babesia spp., which require a minimum duration of 24–48 h of tick attachment for maturation and migration of the pathogen. Laboratory observations indicate that the probability of transmission of tick-borne pathogens increases with the duration an infected tick is allowed to remain attached to the host. However, the transmission time may be shortened when partially fed infected ticks detach from their initial host and reattach to a new host, on which they complete their engorgement. For example, early transmission of tick-borne pathogens (e.g., Rickettsia rickettsii, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Babesia canis) and a significantly shorter transmission time were demonstrated in laboratory experiments by interrupted blood feeding. The relevance of such situations under field conditions remains poorly documented. In this review, we explore parameters of, and causes leading to, spontaneous interrupted feeding in nature, as well as the effects of this behavior on the minimum time required for transmission of tick-borne pathogens.
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Gaff H, Eisen RJ, Eisen L, Nadolny R, Bjork J, Monaghan AJ. LYMESIM 2.0: An Updated Simulation of Blacklegged Tick (Acari: Ixodidae) Population Dynamics and Enzootic Transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:715-727. [PMID: 32002549 PMCID: PMC9376966 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States, and the number of cases reported each year continues to rise. The complex nature of the relationships between the pathogen (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto), the tick vector (Ixodes scapularis Say), multiple vertebrate hosts, and numerous environmental factors creates challenges for understanding and predicting tick population and pathogen transmission dynamics. LYMESIM is a mechanistic model developed in the late 1990s to simulate the life-history of I. scapularis and transmission dynamics of B. burgdorferi s.s. Here we present LYMESIM 2.0, a modernized version of LYMESIM, that includes several modifications to enhance the biological realism of the model and to generate outcomes that are more readily measured under field conditions. The model is tested for three geographically distinct locations in New York, Minnesota, and Virginia. Model-simulated timing and densities of questing nymphs, infected nymphs, and abundances of nymphs feeding on hosts are consistent with field observations and reports for these locations. Sensitivity analysis highlighted the importance of temperature in host finding for the density of nymphs, the importance of transmission from small mammals to ticks on the density of infected nymphs, and temperature-related tick survival for both density of nymphs and infected nymphs. A key challenge for accurate modeling of these metrics is the need for regionally representative inputs for host populations and their fluctuations. LYMESIM 2.0 is a useful public health tool that downstream can be used to evaluate tick control interventions and can be adapted for other ticks and pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Gaff
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Rebecca J. Eisen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO 80521
| | - Lars Eisen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO 80521
| | - Robyn Nadolny
- Army Public Health Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010
| | - Jenna Bjork
- Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, MN 55164
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Pedersen BN, Jenkins A, Kjelland V. Tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from migratory birds in southern Norway. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230579. [PMID: 32271774 PMCID: PMC7145107 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Birds are important hosts for the first life stages of the Ixodes ricinus tick and they can transport their parasites over long distances. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Rickettsia helvetica in ticks collected from migratory birds in Norway. A total of 815 Ixodes ricinus ticks from 216 birds trapped at Lista Bird Observatory in southern Norway during spring and autumn migration in 2008 were analysed by real-time PCR. B. burgdorferi s. l. was the most prevalent pathogen, detected in 6.1% of the ticks. The prevalence of N. mikurensis, A. phagocytophilum and R. helvetica was 1.2%, 0.9% and 0.4% respectively. In addition, one sample (0.1%) was positive for B. miyamotoi. In total, 8.2% of the ticks were infected with at least one pathogen. Co-infection with B. burgdorferi s. l. and N. mikurensis or A. phagocytophilum was found in 6.0% of the infected ticks. Our results show that all the known major tick-borne bacterial pathogens in Norway are subject to transport by migratory birds, potentially allowing spread to new areas. Our study showed a surprisingly high number of samples with PCR inhibition (57%). These samples had been extracted using standard methodology (phenol-chloroform extraction). This illustrates the need for inhibition controls to determine true prevalence rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikte N. Pedersen
- Department of Natural Science and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway, Gullbringvegen, Norway
- * E-mail: (BNP); (AJ)
| | - Andrew Jenkins
- Department of Natural Science and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway, Gullbringvegen, Norway
- * E-mail: (BNP); (AJ)
| | - Vivian Kjelland
- Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway
- Sørlandet Hospital Health Enterprise, Research Unit, Kristiansand, Norway
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74
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Novel targets and strategies to combat borreliosis. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 104:1915-1925. [PMID: 31953560 PMCID: PMC7222997 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-020-10375-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks and may severely affect many organs and tissues. Nearly four decades have elapsed since the discovery of the disease agent called Borrelia burgdorferi. Although there is a plethora of knowledge on the infectious agent and thousands of scientific publications, an effective way on how to combat and prevent Lyme borreliosis has not been found yet. There is no vaccine for humans available, and only one active vaccine program in clinical development is currently running. A spirited search for possible disease interventions is of high public interest as surveillance data indicates that the number of cases of Lyme borreliosis is steadily increasing in Europe and North America. This review provides a condensed digest of the history of vaccine development up to new promising vaccine candidates and strategies that are targeted against Lyme borreliosis, including elements of the tick vector, the reservoir hosts, and the Borrelia pathogen itself.
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Simmons AE, Manges AB, Bharathan T, Tepe SL, McBride SE, DiLeonardo MQ, Duchamp JE, Simmons TW. Lyme Disease Risk of Exposure to Blacklegged Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) in Pittsburgh Regional Parks. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:273-280. [PMID: 31502636 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness and sixth most commonly reported notifiable infectious disease in the United States. The majority of cases occur in the Northeast and upper-Midwest, and the number and geographic distribution of cases is steadily increasing. The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis Say) is the principal vector of the Lyme disease spirochete (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto) in eastern North America. Although Lyme disease risk has been studied in residential and recreational settings across rural to urban landscapes including metropolitan areas, risk within U.S. cities has not been adequately evaluated despite the presence of natural and undeveloped public parkland where visitors could be exposed to B. burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis. We studied the occurrence of I. scapularis and infection prevalence of B. burgdorferi in four insular regional parks within the city of Pittsburgh to assess Lyme disease risk of exposure to infected adults and nymphs. We found that the density of I. scapularis adults (1.16 ± 0.21 ticks/100 m2) and nymphs (3.42 ± 0.45 ticks/100 m2), infection prevalence of B. burgdorferi in adults (51.9%) and nymphs (19.3%), and density of infected adults (0.60 ticks/100 m2) and nymphs (0.66 ticks/100 m2) are as high in these city parks as nonurban residential and recreational areas in the highly endemic coastal Northeast. These findings emphasize the need to reconsider, assess, and manage Lyme disease risk in greenspaces within cities, especially in high Lyme disease incidence states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison E Simmons
- Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
| | - Anna B Manges
- Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
| | - Tashi Bharathan
- Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
| | - Shannon L Tepe
- Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
| | - Sara E McBride
- Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
| | | | - Joseph E Duchamp
- Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
| | - Thomas W Simmons
- Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
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76
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Thomas CE, Burton ES, Brunner JL. Environmental Drivers of Questing Activity of Juvenile Black-Legged Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae): Temperature, Desiccation Risk, and Diel Cycles. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:8-16. [PMID: 31370063 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Vector feeding behavior can have a profound influence on the transmission of vector-borne diseases. In the case of black-legged ticks, Ixodes scapularis Say, which vectors the agents of Lyme disease, babesiosis, and other pathogens, the timing and propensity of questing can determine which hosts are fed upon as well as the risk of contact with humans. Yet we know little about the controls and constraints on tick host-finding behavior under natural conditions. Ticks must balance the need to quest for blood meal hosts with the risk of desiccation, all on a fixed energy budget. Prior research, primarily in the laboratory, has shown that questing activity varies with conditions (e.g., temperature, relative humidity), light-dark cycles, and energy reserves, but the findings have been idiosyncratic and the dominant factor(s) in nature remains unknown. We measured questing activity of nymphs and larvae throughout the day and night and over several weeks in enclosures across a range of suitable tick habitats within a site in the Northeast. Activity of nymphs increased slightly during dawn and dusk, opposite of larvae, and declined slightly with air temperature and rain, but these patterns were weak and inconsistent among replicate sites. Rather it appears a fraction of ticks were questing most of the time, regardless of conditions. Our study suggests neither climatic conditions or light-dark cycles have appreciable influence on tick questing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily S Burton
- School of Biological Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Jesse L Brunner
- School of Biological Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
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Abstract
Increases in tick-borne disease prevalence and transmission are important public health issues. Efforts to control these emerging diseases are frustrated by the struggle to control tick populations and to detect and treat infections caused by the pathogens that they transmit. This review covers tick-borne infectious diseases of nonrickettsial bacterial, parasitic, and viral origins. While tick surveillance and tracking inform our understanding of the importance of the spread and ecology of ticks and help identify areas of risk for disease transmission, the vectors are not the focus of this document. Here, we emphasize the most significant pathogens that infect humans as well as the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases that they cause. Although detection via molecular or immunological methods has improved, tick-borne diseases continue to remain underdiagnosed, making the scope of the problem difficult to assess. Our current understanding of the incidence of tick-borne diseases is discussed in this review. An awareness of the diseases that can be transmitted by ticks in specific locations is key to detection and selection of appropriate treatment. As tick-transmitted pathogens are discovered and emerge in new geographic regions, our ability to detect, describe, and understand the growing public health threat must also grow to meet the challenge.
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78
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Genné D, Sarr A, Rais O, Voordouw MJ. Competition Between Strains of Borrelia afzelii in Immature Ixodes ricinus Ticks Is Not Affected by Season. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:431. [PMID: 31921706 PMCID: PMC6930885 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vector-borne pathogens often consist of genetically distinct strains that can establish co-infections in the vertebrate host and the arthropod vector. Co-infections (or mixed infections) can result in competitive interactions between strains with important consequences for strain abundance and transmission. Here we used the spirochete bacterium, Borrelia afzelii, as a model system to investigate the interactions between strains inside its tick vector, Ixodes ricinus. Larvae were fed on mice infected with either one or two strains of B. afzelii. Engorged larvae were allowed to molt into nymphs that were subsequently exposed to three seasonal treatments (artificial summer, artificial winter, and natural winter), which differed in temperature and light conditions. We used strain-specific qPCRs to quantify the presence and abundance of each strain in the immature ticks. Co-infection in the mice reduced host-to-tick transmission to larval ticks and this effect was maintained in the resultant nymphs at 1 and 4 months after the larva-to-nymph molt. Competition between strains in co-infected ticks reduced the abundance of both strains. This inter-strain competition occurred in the three life stages that we investigated: engorged larvae, recently molted nymphs, and overwintered nymphs. The abundance of B. afzelii in the nymphs declined by 40.5% over a period of 3 months, but this phenomenon was not influenced by the seasonal treatment. Future studies should investigate whether inter-strain competition in the tick influences the subsequent strain-specific transmission success from the tick to the vertebrate host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dolores Genné
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Anouk Sarr
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Rais
- Laboratory of Ecology and Epidemiology of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Maarten J Voordouw
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.,Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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79
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Eisen L. Vector competence studies with hard ticks and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes: A review. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 11:101359. [PMID: 32067949 PMCID: PMC7127979 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.101359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Use of emerging technology allowing for identification of genetic material from pathogens and endosymbionts in ticks collected from humans, domestic animals, wildlife, or the environment has resulted in an avalanche of new data on tick-microorganism associations. This rapidly growing stream of new information is a tremendous resource but also presents challenges, including how detection of pathogen genetic material in ticks should best be interpreted. There is a tendency in the more recent published literature to incorrectly use the term “vector” based on detection of pathogen genetic material from tick species not experimentally confirmed to serve as vectors of the pathogen in question. To serve as a vector of a horizontally maintained pathogen, such as a Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) Lyme borreliosis spirochete, the tick species in question must be capable of acquiring the pathogen while feeding in the larval or nymphal stage on an infectious host, maintaining it transstadially through the molt, and then transmitting the pathogen to a naïve host while feeding in the subsequent nymphal or adult stage. This review examines the experimental evidence for and against species of hard (ixodid) ticks from different genera to serve as vectors of B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochetes. Of the 18 Ixodes species ticks evaluated to date, 13 were experimentally confirmed as vectors of B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochetes. These studies focused primarily on the three major Lyme borreliosis agents: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii. In striking contrast, none of 8 tick species from other genera (1 Amblyomma species, 5 Dermacentor species, and 2 Haemaphysalis species) evaluated to date were unequivocally experimentally confirmed as vectors of B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochetes. The strength of the evidence for or against each tick species to serve as a vector of B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochetes is discussed together with key knowledge gaps and research challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Eisen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States.
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80
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Scott JD, Clark KL, Coble NM, Ballantyne TR. Detection and Transstadial Passage of Babesia Species and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ticks Collected from Avian and Mammalian Hosts in Canada. Healthcare (Basel) 2019; 7:E155. [PMID: 31810270 PMCID: PMC6955799 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare7040155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease and human babesiosis are the most common tick-borne zoonoses in the Temperate Zone of North America. The number of infected patients has continued to rise globally, and these zoonoses pose a major healthcare threat. This tick-host-pathogen study was conducted to test for infectious microbes associated with Lyme disease and human babesiosis in Canada. Using the flagellin (flaB) gene, three members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) complex were detected, namely a Borrelia lanei-like spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bbss), and a distinct strain that may represent a separate Bbsl genospecies. This novel Bbsl strain was detected in a mouse tick, Ixodes muris, collected from a House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, in Quebec during the southward fall migration. The presence of Bbsl in bird-feeding larvae of I. muris suggests reservoir competency in three passerines (i.e., Common Yellowthroat, House Wren, Magnolia Warbler). Based on the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene, three Babesia species (i.e., Babesia divergens-like, Babesia microti, Babesia odocoilei) were detected in field-collected ticks. Not only was B. odocoilei found in songbird-derived ticks, this piroplasm was apparent in adult questing blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, in southern Canada. By allowing live, engorged ticks to molt, we confirm the transstadial passage of Bbsl in I. muris and B. odocoilei in I. scapularis. Bbss and Babesia microti were detected concurrently in a groundhog tick, Ixodes cookei, in Western Ontario. In Alberta, a winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, which was collected from a moose, Alces alces, tested positive for Bbss. Notably, a B. divergens-like piroplasm was detected in a rabbit tick, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris, collected from an eastern cottontail in southern Manitoba; this Babesia species is a first-time discovery in Canada. This rabbit tick was also co-infected with Borrelia lanei-like spirochetes, which constitutes a first in Canada. Overall, five ticks were concurrently infected with Babesia and Bbsl pathogens and, after the molt, could potentially co-infect humans. Notably, we provide the first authentic report of I. scapularis ticks co-infected with Bbsl and B. odocoilei in Canada. The full extent of infectious microorganisms transmitted to humans by ticks is not fully elucidated, and clinicians need to be aware of the complexity of these tick-transmitted enzootic agents on human health. Diagnosis and treatment must be administered by those with accredited medical training in tick-borne zoonosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D. Scott
- International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, 2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-7007, USA
| | - Kerry L. Clark
- Environmental Epidemiology Research Laboratory, Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; (K.L.C.); (N.M.C.); (T.R.B.)
| | - Nikki M. Coble
- Environmental Epidemiology Research Laboratory, Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; (K.L.C.); (N.M.C.); (T.R.B.)
| | - Taylor R. Ballantyne
- Environmental Epidemiology Research Laboratory, Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; (K.L.C.); (N.M.C.); (T.R.B.)
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81
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Wedekind-Grunert S, Schröder B, Richter D. Basic reproduction number of Lyme disease spirochaetes – modelling various genospecies-host associations in Central Europe. Ecol Modell 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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82
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Michalik J, Wodecka B, Liberska J, Dabert M, Postawa T, Piksa K, Stańczak J. Diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species in Ixodes ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) associated with cave-dwelling bats from Poland and Romania. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 11:101300. [PMID: 31631051 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.101300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Bats comprise one quarter of the world's mammal species. In Europe, three nidicolous Ixodes tick species, I. vespertilionis, I. simplex and I. ariadnae are specifically associated with cave-dwelling bats, but their role as potential vectors of zoonotic agents is unknown. In this study, we used PCR-based methods to provide the first evidence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) infections in the three bat-associated tick species collected from ten bat species sampled in Poland and Romania. B. burgdorferi s.l. was detected in 24% (64/266) of tick samples, and 40.3% (60/149) of the bats carried infected chiropterophilic ticks. In Poland, the B. burgdorferi s.l. infection prevelance of I. ariadnae ticks parasitizing Myotis species was four times higher compared to the I. vespertilionis ticks derived from Rhinolophus hipposideros bats (44.4% vs.10%, respectively). The observed differences in infection prevalence could be explained by differences in reservoir potential between bat species. Bats from the genus Myotis and Miniopterus schreibersii carried more infected ticks than R. hipposideros regardless of the tick species. Analysis of the flaB gene sequences revealed seven species from the B. burgdorferi s.l. complex (B. afzelii, B. carolinensis, B. garinii, B. lanei, B. spielmanii, B. burgdorferi s.s., and B. valaisiana), of which five are considered as human pathogens. This large diversity of Borrelia species may reflect differences in susceptibility of chiropteran hosts and/or the tick vectors. Generally, mammal-associated B. burgdorferi s.l. species were more common than bird-associated species. Our study provides evidence for new enzootic transmission cycles of B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochetes involving nidicolous Ixodes tick species and cave-dwelling bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerzy Michalik
- Department of Animal Morphology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Beata Wodecka
- Department of General and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Szczecin University, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Justyna Liberska
- Molecular Biology Techniques Lab., Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Mirosława Dabert
- Molecular Biology Techniques Lab., Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Tomasz Postawa
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Piksa
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology and Human Biology, Institute of Biology, Cracow Pedagogical University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Joanna Stańczak
- Department of Tropical Parasitology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Poland
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83
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Cicuttin GL, De Salvo MN, Venzal JM, Nava S. Borrelia spp. in ticks and birds from a protected urban area in Buenos Aires city, Argentina. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 10:101282. [PMID: 31492630 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.101282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
This study was aimed to know epidemiological aspects of Borrelia spp. in a protected urban area of Buenos Aires city, Argentina, where thousands of people visit this area for recreational purposes. Ticks were collected from vegetation, birds and dogs. Three hundred and forty birds belonging to 43 species, 41 genera, 18 families and six orders were captured (90.3% corresponded to the order Passeriformes). One hundred and twenty ticks were collected from 47 birds (13.8%) belonging to 10 species (23.2%), all of them from to the order Passeriformes (Emberizidae, Furnariidae, Parulidae, Thraupidae, Troglodytidae, Turdidae). Ticks were identified as Ixodes auritulus (56 larvae, 44 nymphs and 8 females) and Amblyomma aureolatum (1 larva and 11 nymphs). One thousand and ninety-one ticks collected from vegetation, 100 ticks collected from birds, and 89 ticks from dogs were tested for Borrelia infection by PCR trials targeting the flagellin (fla) and 16S rRNA genes. In addition, 101 blood and 168 tissue samples from birds were analyzed. Nine nymphs of A. aureolatum (2.1%) and four nymphs of I. auritulus (0.7%) collected from vegetation were positive. Five nymphs of A. aureolatum (45.4%), and five pools of larvae (minimum infection rate 13.5%), 18 nymphs (40.9%) and one female (14.3%) of I. auritulus collected on birds were also positive. The remaining samples were negative. The phylogenetic tree generated with fla sequences shows that seven of the eight different haplotypes of Borrelia detected in I. auritulus conform an independent lineage within the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex together with sequences of Borrelia sp. detected in I. auritulus from Canada and Uruguay. The fla sequences of Borrelia obtained from A. aureolatum and one sequence of a single specimen of I. auritulus conform a phylogenetic group with Borrelia turcica, Borrelia sp. isolated from a tortoise in Zambia, Borrelia spp. detected in Amblyomma maculatum from USA and Amblyomma longirostre from Brazil. The epidemiological risk that implies the infection with Borrelia genospecies associated with I. auritulus seems to be low because this tick is not aggressive to humans, but it helps to maintain borrelial spirochetes in the enzootic transmission cycles. The pathogenicity to humans of the Borrelia found in A. aureolatum is unknown; however, adults of this tick species are known to bite humans. This is the first report of the presence of Borrelia in A. aureolatum. Further investigations are necessary to know the risk of transmission of borreliosis by hard ticks in the study area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel L Cicuttin
- Instituto de Zoonosis Luis Pasteur, Av. Díaz Vélez 4821, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - María N De Salvo
- Instituto de Zoonosis Luis Pasteur, Av. Díaz Vélez 4821, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - José M Venzal
- Laboratorio de Vectores y Enfermedades Transmitidas, Facultad de Veterinaria, CENUR Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República, Rivera 1350, CP 50000, Salto, Uruguay
| | - Santiago Nava
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela, and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CC 22, CP 2300, Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina
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84
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Orkun Ö. Molecular investigation of the natural transovarial transmission of tick-borne pathogens in Turkey. Vet Parasitol 2019; 273:97-104. [PMID: 31473450 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2019.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the presence of the natural transovarial transmission of tick-borne pathogens in unfed larvae obtained from engorged female ticks from domestic animals in Turkey. Larvae (n = 4530, 151 pools) obtained from 75 engorged female ticks and female carcasses were screened for the presence of certain tick-borne pathogens by PCR. The presence of transovarial transmission of Babesia occultans was detected in Hyalomma marginatum and Hy. excavatum, while Ba. ovis in Rhipicephalus bursa. Theileria annulata was detected only in Hy. excavatum and Rh. turanicus female carcasses, but not in their examined progenies. Additionally, Rickettsia aeschlimannii and Rickettsia raoultii were detected in Hy. marginatum and Dermacentor marginatus females, respectively, and all their examined larvae. Besides, Ri. slovaca was detected in a De. marginatus female carcass and its one of two examined larvae pools. The presence of mixed Ba. occultans and Ri. aeschlimannii infection was also determined in an Hy. marginatum female and its larvae. This is the first demonstration of transovarial transmission of Ba. occultans in naturally infected Hy. excavatum. These data suggested that Hy. excavatum may act as vector in the natural cycle of Ba. occultans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ömer Orkun
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, 06110 Ankara, Turkey.
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85
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Detection of Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes nipponensis in Korea. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0220465. [PMID: 31356600 PMCID: PMC6663023 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This study investigated Borrelia species prevalence in ticks from vegetation, through a molecular method, in Gwangju Metropolitan City, South Korea. Methodology/Principal findings A total of 484 ticks were collected through flagging and dragging in a suburban area of Gwangju Metropolitan City, South Korea, in 2014. These ticks were morphologically identified and subjected to nested PCR, targeting Borrelia–specific CTP synthase (pyrG), outer surface protein A (ospA) and flagellin (flaB) genes. Molecular biological species identification of Borrelia-positive ticks was conducted via 16S rRNA PCR assays. Of the 484 ticks collected, 417 (86.2%) were identified as Haemaphysalis longicornis, 42 (8.7%) as H. flava, and 25 (5.2%) as Ixodes nipponensis. All the ixodid ticks containing Borrelia species bacteria were confirmed to be I. nipponensis adults, by both morphological and molecular methods. Of the 25 I. nipponensis ticks collected, four (16%) were positive for Borrelia species, three of which were B. afzelii and one B. miyamotoi. Conclusions/Significance Our study has shown the harboring of B. miyamotoi by I. nipponensis in South Korea. Morphological and molecular genetic analyses revealed that, in South Korea, I. nipponensis could potentially transmit B. miyamotoi to humans.
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86
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Beckmann S, Freund R, Pehl H, Rodgers A, Venegas T. Rodent species as possible reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferi in a prairie ecosystem. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 10:1162-1167. [PMID: 31248821 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States and Europe. It is caused by a group of spirochete bacteria belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. These pathogens are transmitted among vertebrate reservoir hosts through the bite of hard-bodied ticks. While the enzootic cycle of Borrelia transmission is well understood in its primary reservoir, the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, far less is known about other reservoir hosts, particularly in grassland ecosystems. This study assessed the prevalence of B. burgdorferi s. l. among four non-Peromyscus rodents in a prairie ecosystem in the Midwestern United States over a four-year period. We found high prevalences of the bacteria in all four species studied. Our results help to support the roles of Microtus species as reservoirs of B. burgdorferi and add to the literature that suggests Zapus hudsonius may also be a reservoir. Additionally, we identified a previously unknown possible reservoir, Ictidomys tridecemlineatus. Our study also identifies the need to study the dynamics of Lyme borreliosis in habitats and areas outside of the typical range of P. leucopus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Beckmann
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Rockford University, 5050 East State Street, Rockford, Illinois, 61108, USA; Department of Biology, Stetson University, 421 North Woodland Boulevard, DeLand, FL, 32723, USA.
| | - Rhonda Freund
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Rockford University, 5050 East State Street, Rockford, Illinois, 61108, USA
| | - Hayden Pehl
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Rockford University, 5050 East State Street, Rockford, Illinois, 61108, USA
| | - Ashley Rodgers
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Rockford University, 5050 East State Street, Rockford, Illinois, 61108, USA
| | - Taggart Venegas
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Rockford University, 5050 East State Street, Rockford, Illinois, 61108, USA
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87
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Gomez-Chamorro A, Battilotti F, Cayol C, Mappes T, Koskela E, Boulanger N, Genné D, Sarr A, Voordouw MJ. Susceptibility to infection with Borrelia afzelii and TLR2 polymorphism in a wild reservoir host. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6711. [PMID: 31040326 PMCID: PMC6491475 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43160-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of polymorphic immune genes in host populations is critical for understanding genetic variation in susceptibility to pathogens. Controlled infection experiments are necessary to separate variation in the probability of exposure from genetic variation in susceptibility to infection, but such experiments are rare for wild vertebrate reservoir hosts and their zoonotic pathogens. The bank vole (Myodes glareolus) is an important reservoir host of Borrelia afzelii, a tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme disease. Bank vole populations are polymorphic for Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), an innate immune receptor that recognizes bacterial lipoproteins. To test whether the TLR2 polymorphism influences variation in the susceptibility to infection with B. afzelii, we challenged pathogen-free, lab-born individuals of known TLR2 genotype with B. afzelii-infected ticks. We measured the spirochete load in tissues of the bank voles. The susceptibility to infection with B. afzelii following an infected tick bite was very high (95%) and did not differ between TLR2 genotypes. The TLR2 polymorphism also had no effect on the spirochete abundance in the tissues of the bank voles. Under the laboratory conditions of our study, we did not find that the TLR2 polymorphism in bank voles influenced variation in the susceptibility to B. afzelii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Claire Cayol
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Tapio Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Esa Koskela
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Nathalie Boulanger
- Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Dolores Genné
- Institut de Biologie, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Anouk Sarr
- Institut de Biologie, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Maarten Jeroen Voordouw
- Institut de Biologie, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
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88
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Scott JD, Clark KL, Durden LA. Presence of Babesia odocoilei and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto in a Tick and Dual Parasitism of Amblyomma inornatum and Ixodes scapularis on a Bird in Canada. Healthcare (Basel) 2019; 7:healthcare7010046. [PMID: 30897803 PMCID: PMC6473902 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare7010046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild birds transport ticks into Canada that harbor a diversity of zoonotic pathogens. However, medical practitioners often question how these zoonotic pathogens are present in their locality. In this study, we provide the first report of an Amblyomma inornatum tick cofeeding with a blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, which parasitized a Veery, Catharus fuscescens—a neotropical songbird. Using the flagellin (flaB) gene of the Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, and the 18S rRNA gene of the Babesia piroplasm, a malaria-like microorganism, we detected Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Babesia odocoilei, respectively, in an I. scapularis nymph. After the molt, these ticks can bite humans. Furthermore, this is the first documentation of B. odocoilei in a tick parasitizing a bird. Our findings substantiate the fact that migratory songbirds transport neotropical ticks long distances, and import them into Canada during northward spring migration. Health care practitioners need to be aware that migratory songbirds transport pathogen-laden ticks into Canada annually, and pose an unforeseen health risk to Canadians.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Scott
- International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, 2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700, Chevy Chase, MD 20185-7007, USA.
| | - Kerry L Clark
- Environmental Epidemiology Research Laboratory, Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
| | - Lance A Durden
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA.
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89
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Vertical transmission rates of Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes scapularis collected from white-tailed deer. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 10:682-689. [PMID: 30846418 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Borrelia miyamotoi is a relapsing fever spirochete transmitted by ticks in the Ixodes ricinus complex. In the eastern United States, B. miyamotoi is transmitted by I. scapularis, which also vectors several other pathogens including B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. In contrast to Lyme borreliae, B. miyamotoi can be transmitted vertically from infected female ticks to their progeny. Therefore, in addition to nymphs and adults, larvae can vector B. miyamotoi to wildlife and human hosts. Two widely varying filial infection prevalence (FIP) estimates - 6% and 73% - have been reported previously from two vertically infected larval clutches; to our knowledge, no other estimates of FIP or transovarial transmission (TOT) rates for B. miyamotoi have been described in the literature. Thus, we investigated TOT and FIP of larval clutches derived from engorged females collected from hunter-harvested white-tailed deer in 2015 (n = 664) and 2016 (n = 599) from Maine, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. After engorged females oviposited in the lab, they (n = 492) were tested for B. miyamotoi infection by PCR. Subsequently, from each clutch produced by an infected female, larval pools, as well as 100 individual eggs or larvae, were tested. The TOT rate of the 11 infected females was 90.9% (95% CI; 57.1-99.5%) and the mean FIP of the resulting larval clutches was 84.4% (95% CI; 68.1-100%). Even though the overall observed vertical transmission rate (the product of TOT and FIP; 76.7%, 95% CI; 44.6-93.3%) was high, additional horizontal transmission may be required for enzootic maintenance of B. miyamotoi based on the results of a previously published deterministic model. Further investigation of TOT and FIP variability and the underlying mechanisms, both in nature and the laboratory, will be needed to resolve this question. Meanwhile, studies quantifying the acarological risk of Borrelia miyamotoi disease need to consider not only nymphs and adults, but larval I. scapularis as well.
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90
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Wormser GP, Shapiro ED, Fish D. Borrelia miyamotoi: An Emerging Tick-Borne Pathogen. Am J Med 2019; 132:136-137. [PMID: 30144406 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2018.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gary P Wormser
- Division of Infectious Diseases, New York Medical College,Valhalla.
| | - Eugene D Shapiro
- Department of Pediatrics,Yale School of Medicine,Yale University, New Haven, Conn; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University New Haven, Conn
| | - Durland Fish
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University New Haven, Conn
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91
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Lynn GE, Breuner NE, Eisen L, Hojgaard A, Replogle AJ, Eisen RJ. An immunocompromised mouse model to infect Ixodes scapularis ticks with the relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia miyamotoi. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 10:352-359. [PMID: 30503357 PMCID: PMC11392017 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The hard tick-borne relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia miyamotoi, has recently gained attention as a cause of human illness, but fundamental aspects of its enzootic maintenance are still poorly understood. Challenges to experimental studies with B. miyamotoi-infected vector ticks include low prevalence of infection in field-collected ticks and seemingly inefficient horizontal transmission from infected immunocompetent rodents to feeding ticks. To reliably produce large numbers of B. miyamotoi-infected ticks in support of experimental studies, we developed an animal model where immunocompromised Mus musculus SCID mice were used as a source of B. miyamotoi-infection for larval and nymphal Ixodes scapularis ticks. Following needle inoculation with 1 × 105 spirochetes, the SCID mice developed a high spirochetemia (greater than 1 × 107 copies of B. miyamotoi purB per mL of blood) that persisted for at least 30 d after inoculation. In comparison, immunocompetent M. musculus CD-1 mice developed transient infections, detectable for only 2-8 d within the first 16 d after needle inoculation, with a brief, lower peak spirochetemia (8.5 × 104 - 5.6 × 105purB copies per mL of blood). All larval or nymphal ticks fed on infected SCID mice acquired B. miyamotoi, but frequent loss of infection during the molt led to the proportion infected ticks of the resulting nymphal or adult stages declining to 22-29%. The ticks that remained infected after the molt had well-disseminated infections which then persisted through successive life stages, including transmission to larval offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lars Eisen
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States
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92
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Stanek G, Strle F. Lyme borreliosis-from tick bite to diagnosis and treatment. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2018; 42:233-258. [PMID: 29893904 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fux047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is caused by certain genospecies of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, which are transmitted by hard ticks of the genus Ixodes. The most common clinical manifestation is erythema migrans, an expanding skin redness that usually develops at the site of a tick bite and eventually resolves even without antibiotic treatment. The infecting pathogens can spread to other tissues and organs, resulting in manifestations that can involve the nervous system, joints, heart and skin. Fatal outcome is extremely rare and is due to severe heart involvement; fetal involvement is not reliably ascertained. Laboratory support-mainly by serology-is essential for diagnosis, except in the case of typical erythema migrans. Treatment is usually with antibiotics for 2 to 4 weeks; most patients recover uneventfully. There is no convincing evidence for antibiotic treatment longer than 4 weeks and there is no reliable evidence for survival of borreliae in adequately treated patients. European Lyme borreliosis is a frequent disease with increasing incidence. However, numerous scientifically questionable ideas on its clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment may confuse physicians and lay people. Since diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis should be based on appropriate clinical signs, solid knowledge of clinical manifestations is essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerold Stanek
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Franc Strle
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1525 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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93
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Cordeiro MD, Bahia M, Magalhães-Matos PC, Cepeda MB, Guterres A, Fonseca AH. Morphological, molecular and phylogenetic characterization of Borrelia theileri in Rhipicephalus microplus. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PARASITOLOGIA VETERINARIA 2018; 27:555-561. [DOI: 10.1590/s1984-296120180083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract This study aimed to perform a morphological, molecular and phylogenetic characterization of Borrelia theileri obtained from infected Rhipicephalus microplus in Brazil. Fifty engorged R. microplus females from cattle in the municipality of Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, were analyzed for spirochetes by hemolymph smear. Macerated eggs and positive ticks, as well as blood from the bovine infested by these ticks, were analyzed the glpQ, flaB and hpt genes by PCR. The PCR products were purified and sequenced for analysis and construction of a phylogenetic tree. Only 2% (1/50) of the ticks generated a positive result by both smear and PCR. The spiral forms (n = 50) had (media ± SD) a mean length of 19.17 ± 4.12 µm, diameter of 0.2935 ± 0.0469 and number of turns 8.44 ± 2.59. Sequence alignments of the three evaluated genes exhibited 98% similarity to B. theileri isolates, occurring in a clade highly related to B. theileri strain KAT. Egg maceration samples were positive for the three evaluated genes, whereas bovine blood was negative by PCR. This is the most detailed characterization of B. theileri in the Americas to-date, presenting morphological, molecular and phylogenetic data, including the transovarial transmission of the spirochete in the host tick.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michele Bahia
- Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
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94
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Scott JD, Clark KL, Foley JE, Anderson JF, Bierman BC, Durden LA. Extensive Distribution of the Lyme Disease Bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato, in Multiple Tick Species Parasitizing Avian and Mammalian Hosts across Canada. Healthcare (Basel) 2018; 6:healthcare6040131. [PMID: 30424543 PMCID: PMC6315338 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare6040131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease, caused by the spirochetal bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl), is typically transmitted by hard-bodied ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). Whenever this tick-borne zoonosis is mentioned in medical clinics and emergency rooms, it sparks a firestorm of controversy. Denial often sets in, and healthcare practitioners dismiss the fact that this pathogenic spirochetosis is present in their area. For distribution of Bbsl across Canada, we conducted a 4-year, tick–host study (2013–2016), and collected ticks from avian and mammalian hosts from Atlantic Canada to the West Coast. Overall, 1265 ticks representing 27 tick species belonging to four genera were collected. Of the 18 tick species tested, 15 species (83%) were positive for Bbsl and, of these infected ticks, 6 species bite humans. Overall, 13 of 18 tick species tested are human-biting ticks. Our data suggest that a 6-tick, enzootic maintenance cycle of Bbsl is present in southwestern B.C., and five of these tick species bite humans. Biogeographically, the groundhog tick, Ixodes cookei, has extended its home range from central and eastern Canada to southwestern British Columbia (B.C.). We posit that the Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca, is a reservoir-competent host for Bbsl. The Bay-breasted Warbler, Setophaga castanea, and the Tennessee Warbler, Vermivora peregrina, are new host records for the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. We provide the first report of a Bbsl-positive Amblyomma longirostre larva parasitizing a bird; this bird parasitism suggests that a Willow Flycatcher is a competent reservoir of Bbsl. Our findings show that Bbsl is present in all provinces, and that multiple tick species are implicated in the enzootic maintenance cycle of this pathogen. Ultimately, Bbsl poses a serious public health contagion Canada-wide.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Scott
- International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD 20827, USA.
| | - Kerry L Clark
- Environmental Epidemiology Research Laboratory, Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
| | - Janet E Foley
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - John F Anderson
- Department of Entomology, Center for Vector Ecology and Zoonotic Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT 06504, USA.
| | - Bradley C Bierman
- Environmental Epidemiology Research Laboratory, Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
| | - Lance A Durden
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA.
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95
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Eisen RJ, Feirer S, Padgett KA, Hahn MB, Monaghan AJ, Kramer VL, Lane RS, Kelly M. Modeling Climate Suitability of the Western Blacklegged Tick in California. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 55:1133-1142. [PMID: 29697837 PMCID: PMC6119120 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjy060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Ixodes pacificus Cooley & Kohls (Acari: Ixodidae), the primary vector of Lyme disease spirochetes to humans in the far-western United States, is broadly distributed across Pacific Coast states, but its distribution is not uniform within this large, ecologically diverse region. To identify areas of suitable habitat, we assembled records of locations throughout California where two or more I. pacificus were collected from vegetation from 1980 to 2014. We then employed ensemble species distribution modeling to identify suitable climatic conditions for the tick and restricted the results to land cover classes where these ticks are typically encountered (i.e., forest, grass, scrub-shrub, riparian). Cold-season temperature and rainfall are particularly important abiotic drivers of suitability, explaining between 50 and 99% of the spatial variability across California among models. The likelihood of an area being classified as suitable increases steadily with increasing temperatures >0°C during the coldest quarter of the year, and further increases when precipitation amounts range from 400 to 800 mm during the coldest quarter, indicating that areas in California with relatively warm and wet winters typically are most suitable for I. pacificus. Other consistent predictors of suitability include increasing autumn humidity, temperatures in the warmest month between 23 and 33°C, and low-temperature variability throughout the year. The resultant climatic suitability maps indicate that coastal California, especially the northern coast, and the western Sierra Nevada foothills have the highest probability of I. pacificus presence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J. Eisen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Shane Feirer
- Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Davis, CA
| | - Kerry A. Padgett
- Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA
| | - Micah B. Hahn
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO
- Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, University of Alaska-Anchorage, Anchorage, AK
| | - Andrew J. Monaghan
- Research Applications Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO
- Research Computing, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
| | - Vicki L. Kramer
- Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA
| | - Robert S. Lane
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA
| | - Maggi Kelly
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA
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96
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Cohen C, Shemesh M, Garrido M, Messika I, Einav M, Khokhlova I, Tasker S, Hawlena H. Haemoplasmas in wild rodents: Routes of transmission and infection dynamics. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3714-3726. [PMID: 30074652 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The way that some parasites and pathogens persist in the hostile environment of their host for long periods remains to be resolved. Here, longitudinal field surveys were combined with laboratory experiments to investigate the routes of transmission and infection dynamics of such a pathogen-a wild rodent haemotropic bacterium, specifically a Mycoplasma haemomuris-like bacterium. Fleaborne transmission, direct rodent-to-rodent transmission and vertical transmission from fleas or rodents to their offspring were experimentally quantified, and indications were found that the main route of bacterial transmission is direct, although its rate of successful transmission is low (~20%). The bacterium's temporal dynamics was then compared in the field to that observed under a controlled infection experiment in field-infected and laboratory-infected rodents, and indications were found, under all conditions, that the bacterium reached its peak infection level after 25-45 days and then decreased to low bacterial loads, which persist for the rodent's lifetime. These findings suggest that the bacterium relies on persistency with low bacterial loads for long-term coexistence with its rodent host, having both conceptual and applied implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmit Cohen
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Merav Shemesh
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Mario Garrido
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Irit Messika
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Monica Einav
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Irina Khokhlova
- Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Séverine Tasker
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, UK
| | - Hadas Hawlena
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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97
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Flores FS, Muñoz-Leal S, Diaz A, Labruna MB. Wild birds as host of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in northwestern Argentina. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 9:1586-1589. [PMID: 30104124 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s. l.) spirochetes are associated with a wide range of vectors and hosts. Birds are important hosts in the ecology of some hard ticks (Ixodidae) in northwestern Argentina, where B. burgdorferi s.l. have been detected in Ixodes pararicinus. We evaluated Borrelia infection in ticks collected from wild birds by molecular analysis through the presence of Borrelia DNA (by nested-PCR targeting the fla gene). A total of 381 ticks (357 larvae and 24 nymphs) belonging to four species (I. pararicinus, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris and Amblyomma sp.) were collected. Partial sequences of the fla gene of Borrelia (100% identical to Borrelia sp. haplotype I from Argentina) were detected in 9 of 70 tick pools (6 pools of larvae and 1 pool of nymphs of I. pararicinus, and in 2 pools of H. juxtakochi larvae) collected on Turdus rufiventris, Syndactila rufosuperciliata and Troglodytes aedon. The results of this study suggest that resident birds have reservoir capacity for Borrelia sp. haplotype I.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando S Flores
- Instituto de Virología "Dr. J. M. Vanella", CONICET, Facultad Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Enfermera Gordillo Gomez s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - Sebastián Muñoz-Leal
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-270, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Adrián Diaz
- Instituto de Virología "Dr. J. M. Vanella", CONICET, Facultad Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Enfermera Gordillo Gomez s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina; Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas, CONICET- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Marcelo B Labruna
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-270, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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98
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Coipan CE, van Duijvendijk GLA, Hofmeester TR, Takumi K, Sprong H. The genetic diversity of Borrelia afzelii is not maintained by the diversity of the rodent hosts. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:454. [PMID: 30081938 PMCID: PMC6090804 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3006-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Small mammals are essential in the enzootic cycle of many tick-borne pathogens (TBP). To understand their contribution to the genetic diversity of Borrelia afzelii, the most prevalent TBP in questing Ixodes ricinus, we compared the genetic variants of B. afzelii at three distinct genetic loci. We chose two plasmid loci, dbpA and ospC, and a chromosomal one, IGS. RESULTS While the larvae that fed on shrews (Sorex sp.) tested negative for B. afzelii, those fed on bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) showed high infection prevalences of 0.13 and 0.27, respectively. Despite the high genetic diversity within B. afzelii, there was no difference between wood mice and bank voles in the number and types of B. afzelii haplotypes they transmit. CONCLUSIONS The genetic diversity in B. afzelii cannot be explained by separate enzootic cycles in wood mice and bank voles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia E Coipan
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. .,Centre for Epidemiology and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Gilian L A van Duijvendijk
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Applied Biology, HAS University of Applied Sciences, 's Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
| | - Tim R Hofmeester
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Katsuhisa Takumi
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Hein Sprong
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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99
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Scott JD, Clark KL, Foley JE, Bierman BC, Durden LA. Far-Reaching Dispersal of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato-Infected Blacklegged Ticks by Migratory Songbirds in Canada. Healthcare (Basel) 2018; 6:E89. [PMID: 30044388 PMCID: PMC6164468 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare6030089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease has been documented in northern areas of Canada, but the source of the etiological bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) has been in doubt. We collected 87 ticks from 44 songbirds during 2017, and 24 (39%) of 62 nymphs of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, were positive for Bbsl. We provide the first report of Bbsl-infected, songbird-transported I. scapularis in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Newfoundland and Labrador; north-central Manitoba, and Alberta. Notably, we report the northernmost account of Bbsl-infected ticks parasitizing a bird in Canada. DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and DNA sequencing reveal that these Bbsl amplicons belong to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bbss), which is pathogenic to humans. Based on our findings, health-care providers should be aware that migratory songbirds widely disperse B. burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis in Canada's North, and local residents do not have to visit an endemic area to contract Lyme disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Scott
- International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD 20827, USA.
| | - Kerry L Clark
- Epidemiology & Environmental Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
| | - Janet E Foley
- Vector-borne Disease Epidemiology and Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Bradley C Bierman
- Epidemiology & Environmental Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
| | - Lance A Durden
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA.
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100
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Roome A, Spathis R, Hill L, Darcy JM, Garruto RM. Lyme Disease Transmission Risk: Seasonal Variation in the Built Environment. Healthcare (Basel) 2018; 6:healthcare6030084. [PMID: 30029458 PMCID: PMC6163686 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare6030084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal variation in spatial distribution and pathogen prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) influences human population risk of Lyme disease in peri-urban built environments. Parks, gardens, playgrounds, school campuses and neighborhoods represent a significant risk for Lyme disease transmission. From June 2012 through May 2014, ticks were collected using 1 m2 corduroy cloths dragged over low-lying vegetation parallel to walkways with high human foot traffic. DNA was extracted from ticks, purified and presence of B. burgdorferi assessed by polymerase chain reaction amplification. Summer is reported as the time of highest risk for Lyme disease transmission in the United States and our results indicate a higher tick density of 26.0/1000 m2 in summer vs. 0.2/1000 m2 to 10.5/1000 m2 in spring and fall. However, our findings suggest that tick infection rate is proportionally higher during the fall and spring than summer (30.0–54.7% in fall and 36.8–65.6% in spring vs. 20.0–28.2% in summer). Seasonal variation in infected tick density has significant implications for Lyme disease transmission as people are less likely to be aware of ticks in built environments, and unaware of increased infection in ticks in spring and fall. These factors may lead to more tick bites resulting in Lyme infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Roome
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
| | - Rita Spathis
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
| | - Leah Hill
- Quality Control, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Albany, NY 12144, USA.
| | - John M Darcy
- US Clinical Development & Medical Affairs in the Division of Immunology, Hepatology and Dermatology, Novartis, East Hanover, NJ 07936, USA.
| | - Ralph M Garruto
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
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