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Ušanović L, Lasić L, Pojskić N, Destanović D, Hanjalić Kurtović J, Kalamujić Stroil B. The first molecular record of Borrelia afzelii, B. garinii, B. valaisiana, B. burgdorferi s.s. and B. bavariensis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Pathog Glob Health 2024; 118:519-525. [PMID: 39255421 PMCID: PMC11441065 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2024.2399380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex comprises 20 species, from which B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. bavariensis, and B. spielmanii are directly associated with Lyme borreliosis, while B. bissettiae, B. lusitaniae, and B. valaisiana were detected in individual cases. Their main vector in Europe is the hard tick species Ixodes ricinus. To date, two species, B. spielmanii and B. lusitaniae, have been molecularly detected in Bosnia and Herzegovina. To test for the presence of other Borrelia species, we performed nested PCR targeting intergenic region rrf (5S) - rrl (23S) on DNA isolates from 49 ticks collected from vegetation by flagging method and 43 removed from humans in The Center for Emergency Medical Assistance of the Sarajevo Canton and The Healthcare Centers of the Sarajevo Canton. Borrelia species were detected by one-directional Sanger sequencing of the amplified region using the same forward primer as in PCR. Out of six Borrelia species detected in the present study, this is the first record of B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. burgdorferi s.s. B. bavariensis, and B. valaisiana in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lejla Ušanović
- Laboratory for molecular genetics of natural resources, University of Sarajevo-Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Lejla Lasić
- Laboratory for molecular genetics of natural resources, University of Sarajevo-Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Naris Pojskić
- Laboratory for bioinformatics and biostatistics, University of Sarajevo-Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Dalila Destanović
- Laboratory for molecular genetics of natural resources, University of Sarajevo-Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Jasna Hanjalić Kurtović
- Laboratory for molecular genetics of natural resources, University of Sarajevo-Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Belma Kalamujić Stroil
- Laboratory for molecular genetics of natural resources, University of Sarajevo-Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Russell JN, Lee MK, Uyaguari-Diaz MI, Sies AN, Suchan DM, Hsiao W, Fraser E, Morshed MG, Cameron ADS. Whole-genome sequencing of Western Canadian Borrelia spp. collected from diverse tick and animal hosts reveals short-lived local genotypes interspersed with longer-lived continental genotypes. Microb Genom 2024; 10:001276. [PMID: 39093316 PMCID: PMC11296321 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Changing climates are allowing the geographic expansion of ticks and their animal hosts, increasing the risk of Borrelia-caused zoonoses in Canada. However, little is known about the genomic diversity of Borrelia from the west of the Canadian Rockies and from the tick vectors Ixodes pacificus, Ixodes auritulus and Ixodes angustus. Here, we report the whole-genome shotgun sequences of 51 Borrelia isolates from multiple tick species collected on a range of animal hosts between 1993 and 2016, located primarily in coastal British Columbia. The bacterial isolates represented three different species from the Lyme disease-causing Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies complex [Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (n=47), Borrelia americana (n=3) and Borrelia bissettiae (n=1)]. The traditional eight-gene multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) strategy was applied to facilitate comparisons across studies. This identified 13 known Borrelia sequence types (STs), established 6 new STs, and assigned 5 novel types to the nearest sequence types. B. burgdorferi s. s. isolates were further differentiated into ten ospC types, plus one novel ospC with less than 92 % nucleotide identity to all previously defined ospC types. The MLST types resampled over extended time periods belonged to previously described STs that are distributed across North America. The most geographically widespread ST, ST.12, was isolated from all three tick species. Conversely, new B. burgdorferi s. s. STs from Vancouver Island and the Vancouver region were only detected for short periods, revealing a surprising transience in space, time and host tick species, possibly due to displacement by longer-lived genotypes that expanded across North America.This article contains data hosted by Microreact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer N. Russell
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Institute for Microbial Systems and Society, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Min-Kuang Lee
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Public Health Laboratory, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Miguel I. Uyaguari-Diaz
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Public Health Laboratory, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ashton N. Sies
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Institute for Microbial Systems and Society, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Danae M. Suchan
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Institute for Microbial Systems and Society, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - William Hsiao
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Public Health Laboratory, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Erin Fraser
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Muhammad G. Morshed
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Public Health Laboratory, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Andrew D. S. Cameron
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Institute for Microbial Systems and Society, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Lee JT, Li Z, Nunez LD, Katzel D, Perrin Jr. BS, Raghuraman V, Rajyaguru U, Llamera KE, Andrew L, Anderson AS, Hovius JW, Liberator PA, Simon R, Hao L. Development of a sequence-based in silico OspA typing method for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Microb Genom 2024; 10:001252. [PMID: 38787376 PMCID: PMC11165634 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease (LD), caused by spirochete bacteria of the genus Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, remains the most common vector-borne disease in the northern hemisphere. Borrelia outer surface protein A (OspA) is an integral surface protein expressed during the tick cycle, and a validated vaccine target. There are at least 20 recognized Borrelia genospecies, that vary in OspA serotype. This study presents a new in silico sequence-based method for OspA typing using next-generation sequence data. Using a compiled database of over 400 Borrelia genomes encompassing the 4 most common disease-causing genospecies, we characterized OspA diversity in a manner that can accommodate existing and new OspA types and then defined boundaries for classification and assignment of OspA types based on the sequence similarity. To accommodate potential novel OspA types, we have developed a new nomenclature: OspA in silico type (IST). Beyond the ISTs that corresponded to existing OspA serotypes 1-8, we identified nine additional ISTs that cover new OspA variants in B. bavariensis (IST9-10), B. garinii (IST11-12), and other Borrelia genospecies (IST13-17). The IST typing scheme and associated OspA variants are available as part of the PubMLST Borrelia spp. database. Compared to traditional OspA serotyping methods, this new computational pipeline provides a more comprehensive and broadly applicable approach for characterization of OspA type and Borrelia genospecies to support vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan T. Lee
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | - Zhenghui Li
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | - Lorna D. Nunez
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | - Daniel Katzel
- Pfizer Digital, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | | | - Varun Raghuraman
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | - Urvi Rajyaguru
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | - Katrina E. Llamera
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | - Lubomira Andrew
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | | | - Joppe W. Hovius
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), location Academic Medical Center (AMC), Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Paul A. Liberator
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | - Raphael Simon
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
| | - Li Hao
- Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, Inc., Pearl River, NY, 10965, USA
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Kim YS, Kim J, Choi YJ, Kang T, Park HJ, Jang WJ. Molecular Typing on Human Blood Reveals the Borrelia afzelii Infection in Korea. Infect Chemother 2023; 55:500-504. [PMID: 38183394 PMCID: PMC10771942 DOI: 10.3947/ic.2023.0094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection in Korea. Here, clinical samples were collected from a 72-year old patient, with sudden onset of fever on April, 2018. The patient was passed away after 3rd day of doxycycline administration. The molecular diagnostic tests, nested polymerase chain reaction targeting 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (IGS) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), showed positive for Borrelia afzelii from blood. Further, mutations in both 5S - 23S IGS and pepX allele of MLST were determined. Herein, we report the expected first death case by B. afzelii infection in Korea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeon-Sook Kim
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea
| | - Jeoungyeon Kim
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yeon-Joo Choi
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Taeuk Kang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hye-Jin Park
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Won-Jong Jang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
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Lemieux JE, Huang W, Hill N, Cerar T, Freimark L, Hernandez S, Luban M, Maraspin V, Bogovič P, Ogrinc K, Ruzič-Sabljič E, Lapierre P, Lasek-Nesselquist E, Singh N, Iyer R, Liveris D, Reed KD, Leong JM, Branda JA, Steere AC, Wormser GP, Strle F, Sabeti PC, Schwartz I, Strle K. Whole genome sequencing of human Borrelia burgdorferi isolates reveals linked blocks of accessory genome elements located on plasmids and associated with human dissemination. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011243. [PMID: 37651316 PMCID: PMC10470944 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America and Europe. The clinical manifestations of Lyme disease vary based on the genospecies of the infecting Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete, but the microbial genetic elements underlying these associations are not known. Here, we report the whole genome sequence (WGS) and analysis of 299 B. burgdorferi (Bb) isolates derived from patients in the Eastern and Midwestern US and Central Europe. We develop a WGS-based classification of Bb isolates, confirm and extend the findings of previous single- and multi-locus typing systems, define the plasmid profiles of human-infectious Bb isolates, annotate the core and strain-variable surface lipoproteome, and identify loci associated with disseminated infection. A core genome consisting of ~900 open reading frames and a core set of plasmids consisting of lp17, lp25, lp36, lp28-3, lp28-4, lp54, and cp26 are found in nearly all isolates. Strain-variable (accessory) plasmids and genes correlate strongly with phylogeny. Using genetic association study methods, we identify an accessory genome signature associated with dissemination in humans and define the individual plasmids and genes that make up this signature. Strains within the RST1/WGS A subgroup, particularly a subset marked by the OspC type A genotype, have increased rates of dissemination in humans. OspC type A strains possess a unique set of strongly linked genetic elements including the presence of lp56 and lp28-1 plasmids and a cluster of genes that may contribute to their enhanced virulence compared to other genotypes. These features of OspC type A strains reflect a broader paradigm across Bb isolates, in which near-clonal genotypes are defined by strain-specific clusters of linked genetic elements, particularly those encoding surface-exposed lipoproteins. These clusters of genes are maintained by strain-specific patterns of plasmid occupancy and are associated with the probability of invasive infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E. Lemieux
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Weihua Huang
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
- East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nathan Hill
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Tjasa Cerar
- University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Lisa Freimark
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sergio Hernandez
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Matteo Luban
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Vera Maraspin
- University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Petra Bogovič
- University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | | | - Pascal Lapierre
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Erica Lasek-Nesselquist
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Navjot Singh
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Radha Iyer
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Dionysios Liveris
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Kurt D. Reed
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - John M. Leong
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - John A. Branda
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Allen C. Steere
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Gary P. Wormser
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Franc Strle
- University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Pardis C. Sabeti
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ira Schwartz
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| | - Klemen Strle
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Król N, Obiegala A, Imholt C, Arz C, Schmidt E, Jeske K, Ulrich RG, Rentería-Solís Z, Jacob J, Pfeffer M. Diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks and small mammals from different habitats. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:195. [PMID: 35672762 PMCID: PMC9175456 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05326-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ixodid ticks are important vectors for zoonotic pathogens, with Ixodes ricinus being the most important in Europe. Rodents are hosts of immature life stages of I. ricinus ticks and are considered main reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens, e.g. Borrelia burgdorferi. The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence as well as genospecies and sequence type (ST) diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks and small mammals from central Germany and to elaborate on the influence of environmental and/or individual host and vector factors on Borrelia prevalence. METHODS After species identification, 1167 small mammal skin samples and 1094 ticks from vegetation were screened by B. burgdorferi sensu lato real-time polymerase chain reaction, and positive samples were characterized by multilocus sequence typing. Generalized linear (mixed) models were used to estimate how seasonality, small mammal species/tick life stage and habitat affect individual infection status. RESULTS In total, 10 small mammal species and three tick species, Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes inopinatus (both considered members of the I. ricinus complex) and Dermacentor reticulatus, were investigated. Borrelia DNA was detected in eight host species, i.e. the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), the yellow-necked field mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), the water vole (Arvicola amphibius), the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), the field vole (Microtus agrestis), the common vole (Microtus arvalis), and the common shrew (Sorex araneus). Two species were Borrelia negative, the greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) and the pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus). The average prevalence was 6.2%, with two genospecies detected, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii, and at least three STs that had not been previously reported in small mammals. Borrelia prevalence in small mammals did not differ between seasons. Six genospecies of Borrelia-Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia valaisiana, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia lusitaniae, Borrelia spielmanii, and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto-and 25 STs of Borrelia, of which 12 have not been previously described at all and five have not been previously reported in Germany, were detected in 13% of I. ricinus complex ticks. Prevalence was highest in adult females (25.3%) and lowest in nymphs (11.4%). Prevalence was significantly higher in ticks from grassland (16.8%) compared to forests (11.4%). CONCLUSIONS The high level of small mammal diversity in this region of Germany seems to be reflected in a wide variety of genospecies and STs of B. burgdorferi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Król
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Obiegala
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian Imholt
- Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute, Toppheideweg 88, 48161, Münster, Germany
| | - Charlotte Arz
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Schmidt
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kathrin Jeske
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Rainer Günter Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Zaida Rentería-Solís
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 35, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Jacob
- Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute, Toppheideweg 88, 48161, Münster, Germany
| | - Martin Pfeffer
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
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Podbićanin-Ziburt A, Falk TM, Metze D, Böer-Auer A. Diagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis With a Novel, Seminested Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Targeting the 5S-23S Intergenic Spacer Region: Clinical Features, Histopathology, and Immunophenotype in 44 Patients. Am J Dermatopathol 2022; 44:338-347. [PMID: 34966044 DOI: 10.1097/dad.0000000000002119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-borne infection in Europe and North America. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an important tool to confirm the diagnosis, but not always successful, especially when organisms are sparse. We developed a novel, seminested real-time PCR assay [target: 5S-23S intergenic spacer region (IGS)] and compared it with 3 well-established conventional PCR assays (IGS/OspA/real-time IGS) on 596 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded routine skin biopsies. The seminested real-time assay identified 46 cases of borreliosis while 25, 27, and 38 were identified by the 3 other assays, respectively (P 0.01, P 0.02, and P 0.42; significance P < 0.05). Clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic analysis of PCR-positive cases revealed 38 erythema migrans (EM), 6 Borrelia lymphocytomas, and 2 acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA). In the 44 PCR-confirmed cases, plasma cells were present in only a third of EM cases. By contrast, CD123-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells were common (74%) and therefore are unlikely to be helpful in the differential diagnosis between EM and tumid lupus erythematosus. A loss of CD34 in a third of all LB specimens limits its diagnostic value in the differential diagnosis with morphea. Interstitial macrophages were common in cutaneous LB (42/43) forming interstitial granulomas in a third of all cases, and 3/38 EM, 3/6 Borrelia lymphocytomas, and 1/2 ACA were only identified by the new seminested real-time assay, suggesting that it is especially helpful in confirming the diagnosis of Borrelia lymphocytoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dieter Metze
- Department of Dermatology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Almut Böer-Auer
- Dermatologikum Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany ; and
- Department of Dermatology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Citizen Science Provides an Efficient Method for Broad-Scale Tick-Borne Pathogen Surveillance of Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis across the United States. mSphere 2021; 6:e0068221. [PMID: 34585963 PMCID: PMC8550138 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00682-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne diseases have expanded over the last 2 decades as a result of shifts in tick and pathogen distributions. These shifts have significantly increased the need for accurate portrayal of real-time pathogen distributions and prevalence in hopes of stemming increases in human morbidity. Traditionally, pathogen distribution and prevalence have been monitored through case reports or scientific collections of ticks or reservoir hosts, both of which have challenges that impact the extent, availability, and accuracy of these data. Citizen science tick collections and testing campaigns supplement these data and provide timely estimates of pathogen prevalence and distributions to help characterize and understand tick-borne disease threats to communities. We utilized our national citizen science tick collection and testing program to describe the distribution and prevalence of four Ixodes-borne pathogens, Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato, Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti, across the continental United States. IMPORTANCE In the 21st century, zoonotic pathogens continue to emerge, while previously discovered pathogens continue to have changes within their distribution and prevalence. Monitoring these pathogens is resource intensive, requiring both field and laboratory support; thus, data sets are often limited within their spatial and temporal extents. Citizen science collections provide a method to harness the general public to collect samples, enabling real-time monitoring of pathogen distribution and prevalence.
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First report of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto detection in a commune genospecies in Apodemus agrarius in Gwangju, South Korea. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18199. [PMID: 34521873 PMCID: PMC8440516 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97411-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is a tick-borne infectious disease caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. However, the distribution of Borrelia genospecies and the tissue detection rate of Borrelia in wild rodents have rarely been investigated. Here, we studied 27 wild rodents (Apodemus agrarius) captured in October and November 2016 in Gwangju, South Korea, and performed nested polymerase chain reaction targeting pyrG and ospA to confirm Borrelia infection. Eight rodents (29.6%) tested positive for Borrelia infection. The heart showed the highest infection rate (7/27; 25.9%), followed by the spleen (4/27; 14.8%), kidney (2/27; 7.4%), and lungs (1/27; 3.7%). The B. afzelii infection rate was 25.9%, with the highest rate observed in the heart (7/27; 25.9%), followed by that in the kidney and spleen (both 2/27; 7.4%). B. garinii and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto were detected only in the spleen (1/27; 3.7%). This is the first report of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto infection in wild rodents in South Korea. The rodent hearts showed a high B. afzelii infection rate, whereas the rodent spleens showed high B. garinii and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto infection rates. Besides B. garinii and B. afzelii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto may cause Lyme disease in South Korea.
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10
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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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11
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Okeyo M, Hepner S, Rollins RE, Hartberger C, Straubinger RK, Marosevic D, Bannister SA, Bormane A, Donaghy M, Sing A, Fingerle V, Margos G. Longitudinal study of prevalence and spatio-temporal distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks from three defined habitats in Latvia, 1999-2010. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:5033-5047. [PMID: 32452153 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) species complex are known to cause human Lyme borreliosis. Because of longevity of some reservoir hosts and the Ixodes tick vectors' life cycle, long-term studies are required to better understand species and population dynamics of these bacteria in their natural habitats. Ticks were collected between 1999 and 2010 in three ecologically different habitats in Latvia. We used multilocus sequence typing utilizing eight chromosomally located housekeeping genes to obtain information about species and population fluctuations and/or stability of B. burgdorferi s.l. in these habitats. The average prevalence over all years was 18.9%. From initial high-infection prevalences of 25.5%, 33.1% and 31.8%, from 2002 onwards the infection rates steadily decreased to 7.3%. Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii were the most commonly found genospecies but striking local differences were obvious. In one habitat, a significant shift from rodent-associated to bird-associated Borrelia species was noted whilst in the other habitats, Borrelia species composition was relatively stable over time. Sequence types (STs) showed a random spatial and temporal distribution. These results demonstrated that there are temporal regional changes and extrapolations from one habitat to the next are not possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercy Okeyo
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Sabrina Hepner
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Robert E Rollins
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Christina Hartberger
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Reinhard K Straubinger
- Bacteriology and Mycology, Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinärstraße 13, 80539, Munich, Germany
| | - Durdica Marosevic
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | | | - Antra Bormane
- Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Infectious Diseases Surveillance and Immunization Unit, Duntes iela 22-4, Riga, LV-1005, Latvia
| | - Michael Donaghy
- Department of Clinical Neurology, Green Templeton College, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andreas Sing
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Volker Fingerle
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Gabriele Margos
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
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12
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Bamm VV, Ko JT, Mainprize IL, Sanderson VP, Wills MKB. Lyme Disease Frontiers: Reconciling Borrelia Biology and Clinical Conundrums. Pathogens 2019; 8:E299. [PMID: 31888245 PMCID: PMC6963551 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is a complex tick-borne zoonosis that poses an escalating public health threat in several parts of the world, despite sophisticated healthcare infrastructure and decades of effort to address the problem. Concepts like the true burden of the illness, from incidence rates to longstanding consequences of infection, and optimal case management, also remain shrouded in controversy. At the heart of this multidisciplinary issue are the causative spirochetal pathogens belonging to the Borrelia Lyme complex. Their unusual physiology and versatile lifestyle have challenged microbiologists, and may also hold the key to unlocking mysteries of the disease. The goal of this review is therefore to integrate established and emerging concepts of Borrelia biology and pathogenesis, and position them in the broader context of biomedical research and clinical practice. We begin by considering the conventions around diagnosing and characterizing Lyme disease that have served as a conceptual framework for the discipline. We then explore virulence from the perspective of both host (genetic and environmental predispositions) and pathogen (serotypes, dissemination, and immune modulation), as well as considering antimicrobial strategies (lab methodology, resistance, persistence, and clinical application), and borrelial adaptations of hypothesized medical significance (phenotypic plasticity or pleomorphy).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Melanie K. B. Wills
- G. Magnotta Lyme Disease Research Lab, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (V.V.B.); (J.T.K.); (I.L.M.); (V.P.S.)
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13
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Allen D, Borgmann-Winter B, Bashor L, Ward J. The Density of the Lyme Disease Vector, Ixodes scapularis (Blacklegged Tick), Differs Between the Champlain Valley and Green Mountains, Vermont. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2019; 26:545-560. [PMID: 31341382 PMCID: PMC6655441 DOI: 10.1656/045.026.0307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease of public health concern in the northeastern United States. The disease's vector, Ixodes scapularis (Say) (Blacklegged Tick), has increased its range in the past twenty years. In its newly endemic northern range there have been few studies of the Blacklegged Tick's habitat associations. From 2016-2018, we sampled for nymphal Blacklegged Ticks in the Champlain Valley and Green Mountains of Addison County, Vermont, and tested them for Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent. We found 10 times more ticks in the Champlain Valley than in the Green Mountains. Nymphal infection prevalence was 0.21 and did not vary by year or region. The difference in tick density reported has public health consequences, as Vermont has one of the highest rates of Lyme disease in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Allen
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753,
| | | | - Laura Bashor
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753,
| | - Jeremy Ward
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753,
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14
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Munro HJ, Ogden NH, Mechai S, Lindsay LR, Robertson GJ, Whitney H, Lang AS. Genetic diversity of Borrelia garinii from Ixodes uriae collected in seabird colonies of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 10:101255. [PMID: 31280947 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The occurrence of Borrelia garinii in seabird ticks, Ixodes uriae, associated with different species of colonial seabirds has been studied since the early 1990s. Research on the population structure of this bacterium in ticks from seabird colonies in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean has revealed admixture between marine and terrestrial tick populations. We studied B. garinii genetic diversity and population structure in I. uriae collected from seabird colonies in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. We applied a multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) scheme to B. garinii found in ticks from four species of seabirds. The B. garinii strains found in this seabird colony ecosystem were diverse. Some were very similar to strains from Asia and Europe, including some obtained from human clinical samples, while others formed a divergent group specific to this region of the Atlantic Ocean. Our findings highlight the genetic complexity of B. garinii circulating in seabird ticks and their avian hosts but also demonstrate surprisingly close connections between B. garinii in this ecosystem and terrestrial sources in Eurasia. Genetic similarities among B. garinii from seabird ticks and humans indicate the possibility that B. garinii circulating within seabird tick-avian host transmission cycles could directly, or indirectly via connectivity with terrestrial transmission cycles, have consequences for human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J Munro
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - Nicholas H Ogden
- Public Health Risk Sciences Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, J2S 2M2, Canada; Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, J2S 2M2, Canada.
| | - Samir Mechai
- Public Health Risk Sciences Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, J2S 2M2, Canada; Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, J2S 2M2, Canada.
| | - L Robbin Lindsay
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3R2, Canada.
| | - Gregory J Robertson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1N 4T3, Canada.
| | - Hugh Whitney
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - Andrew S Lang
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada.
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15
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Lambert JS, Cook MJ, Healy JE, Murtagh R, Avramovic G, Lee SH. Metagenomic 16S rRNA gene sequencing survey of Borrelia species in Irish samples of Ixodes ricinus ticks. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0209881. [PMID: 30986208 PMCID: PMC6464168 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The spirochetal bacterium Borrelia miyamotoi is a human pathogen and has been identified in many countries throughout the world. This study reports for the first time the presence of Borrelia miyamotoi in Ireland, and confirms prior work with the detection of B. garinii and B. valaisiana infected ticks. Questing Ixodes ricinus nymph samples were taken at six localities within Ireland. DNA extraction followed by Sanger sequencing was used to identify the species and strains present in each tick. The overall rate of borrelial infection in the Irish tick population was 5%, with a range from 2% to 12% depending on the locations of tick collection. The most prevalent species detected was B. garinii (70%) followed by B. valaisiana (20%) and B. miyamotoi (10%). Knowledge of Borrelia species prevalence is important and will guide appropriate selection of antigens for serology test kit manufacture, help define the risk of infection, and allow medical authorities to formulate appropriate strategies and guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Borrelia diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S. Lambert
- University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | | | - Gordana Avramovic
- University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sin Hang Lee
- Milford Molecular Diagnostics, Connecticut, United States of America
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16
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Galfsky D, Król N, Pfeffer M, Obiegala A. Long-term trends of tick-borne pathogens in regard to small mammal and tick populations from Saxony, Germany. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:131. [PMID: 30909955 PMCID: PMC6434846 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3382-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rodents are important in the life-cycle of ticks as hosts for immature developmental stages. Both rodents and ticks are of public health interest as they are reservoirs and vectors for different tick-borne pathogens (TBP). The aim of this study was to reassess the prevalence of TBP in previously studied areas of the city of Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). METHODS In the years 2015-2017 rodents and ticks were collected in parks and forest areas in Saxony. DNA was extracted from the rodents, attached and questing ticks. Samples were screened for the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.), "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis" (CNM), Bartonella spp., Hepatozoon spp. and Rickettsia spp. using PCR methods. Rodent, attached nymph and questing tick (nymph and adult) samples were tested individually, while attached larvae were further processed in pools. RESULTS A total of 165 rodents (Apodemus agrarius, n = 1; A. flavicollis, n = 59; Arvicola terrestris, n = 1; Myodes glareolus, n = 104), 1256 attached ticks (Ixodes ricinus, n = 1164; Dermacentor reticulatus, n = 92) and 577 questing ticks (I. ricinus, n = 547; D. reticulatus, n = 30) were collected. The prevalence levels in rodents were 78.2% for Bartonella spp., 58.2% for CNM, 49.1% for B. burgdorferi (s.l.) 29.1% for Rickettsia spp. and 24.2% for Hepatozoon spp. The minimal infection rates (MIR) in attached larvae ticks were 39.8% for Rickettsia spp., 32.7% for Bartonella spp., 7.1% for CNM and 8.8% for B. burgdorferi (s.l.) and the prevalence rates in attached nymphs were 33.7% for Bartonella spp., 52.9% for Rickettsia spp., 13.5% for CNM and 11.3% for B. burgdorferi (s.l.) Both rodents and attached ticks were negative for Babesia spp. The prevalence in questing ticks was 18.2% for Rickettsia spp., 7.3% for CNM, 6.4% for B. burgdorferi (s.l.) and 1.4% for Babesia spp. All tested samples were Anaplasma-negative. Sequencing revealed the occurrence of 14 identified species. CONCLUSIONS This research is the first evaluation of the prevalence for Hepatozoon spp. in rodents from Germany. In comparison to earlier studies, detected pathogens species remained the same; however, the prevalence for particular pathogens differed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Galfsky
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nina Król
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Pfeffer
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Obiegala
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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17
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Genotyping and Quantifying Lyme Pathogen Strains by Deep Sequencing of the Outer Surface Protein C ( ospC) Locus. J Clin Microbiol 2018; 56:JCM.00940-18. [PMID: 30158192 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00940-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A mixed infection of a single tick or host by Lyme disease spirochetes is common and a unique challenge for the diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of Lyme disease. Here, we describe a novel protocol for differentiating Lyme strains on the basis of deep sequencing of the hypervariable outer surface protein C locus (ospC). Improving upon the traditional DNA-DNA hybridization method, the next-generation sequencing-based protocol is high throughput, quantitative, and able to detect new pathogen strains. We applied the method to more than one hundred infected Ixodes scapularis ticks collected from New York State, USA, in 2015 and 2016. An analysis of strain distributions within individual ticks suggests an overabundance of multiple infections by five or more strains, inhibitory interactions among coinfecting strains, and the presence of a new strain closely related to Borreliella bissettiae A supporting bioinformatics pipeline has been developed. The newly designed pair of universal ospC primers target intergenic sequences conserved among all known Lyme pathogens. The protocol could be used for culture-free identification and quantification of Lyme pathogens in wildlife and potentially in clinical specimens.
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18
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Gallais F, De Martino SJ, Sauleau EA, Hansmann Y, Lipsker D, Lenormand C, Talagrand-Reboul E, Boyer PH, Boulanger N, Jaulhac B, Schramm F. Multilocus sequence typing of clinical Borreliella afzelii strains: population structure and differential ability to disseminate in humans. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:374. [PMID: 29954419 PMCID: PMC6027761 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2938-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lyme borreliosis in humans results in a range of clinical manifestations, thought to be partly due to differences in the pathogenicity of the infecting strain. This study compared European human clinical strains of Borreliella afzelii (previously named Borrelia afzelii) using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to determine their spatial distribution across Europe and to establish whether there are associations between B. afzelii genotypes and specific clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis. For this purpose, typing was performed on 63 strains, and data on a further 245 strains were accessed from the literature. RESULTS All 308 strains were categorized into 149 sequence types (STs), 27 of which are described here for the first time. Phylogenetic and goeBURST analyses showed short evolutionary distances between strains. Although the main STs differed among the countries with the largest number of strains of interest (Germany, the Netherlands, France and Slovenia), the B. afzelii clinical strains were less genetically structured than those previously observed in the European tick population. Two STs were found significantly more frequently in strains associated with clinical manifestations involving erythema migrans, whereas another ST was found significantly more frequently in strains associated with disseminated manifestations, especially neuroborreliosis. CONCLUSIONS The MLST profiles showed low genetic differentiation between B. afzelii strains isolated from patients with Lyme borreliosis in Europe. Also, clinical data analysis suggests the existence of lineages with differential dissemination properties in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floriane Gallais
- EA7290 Early Bacterial Virulence: Lyme borreliosis Group, FMTS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Sylvie J De Martino
- EA7290 Early Bacterial Virulence: Lyme borreliosis Group, FMTS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,French National Reference Center for Borrelia, University Hospital Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Groupe d'Étude de la Borréliose de Lyme (GEBLY), Strasbourg, France
| | - Erik A Sauleau
- Public Health, Methods in Clinical Research Team, University Hospital Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Yves Hansmann
- EA7290 Early Bacterial Virulence: Lyme borreliosis Group, FMTS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Groupe d'Étude de la Borréliose de Lyme (GEBLY), Strasbourg, France.,Infectious Disease Department, University Hospital Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Dan Lipsker
- Groupe d'Étude de la Borréliose de Lyme (GEBLY), Strasbourg, France.,Dermatology Department, University Hospital Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Cédric Lenormand
- EA7290 Early Bacterial Virulence: Lyme borreliosis Group, FMTS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Groupe d'Étude de la Borréliose de Lyme (GEBLY), Strasbourg, France.,Dermatology Department, University Hospital Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Emilie Talagrand-Reboul
- EA7290 Early Bacterial Virulence: Lyme borreliosis Group, FMTS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre H Boyer
- EA7290 Early Bacterial Virulence: Lyme borreliosis Group, FMTS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Nathalie Boulanger
- EA7290 Early Bacterial Virulence: Lyme borreliosis Group, FMTS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,French National Reference Center for Borrelia, University Hospital Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Benoît Jaulhac
- EA7290 Early Bacterial Virulence: Lyme borreliosis Group, FMTS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,French National Reference Center for Borrelia, University Hospital Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Groupe d'Étude de la Borréliose de Lyme (GEBLY), Strasbourg, France
| | - Frédéric Schramm
- EA7290 Early Bacterial Virulence: Lyme borreliosis Group, FMTS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
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19
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Nader J, Król N, Pfeffer M, Ohlendorf V, Marklewitz M, Drosten C, Junglen S, Obiegala A. The diversity of tick-borne bacteria and parasites in ticks collected from the Strandja Nature Park in south-eastern Bulgaria. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:165. [PMID: 29554928 PMCID: PMC5859726 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2721-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Ticks are important carriers of many different zoonotic pathogens. To date, there are many studies about ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBP), but only a few were carried out in Bulgaria. The present study intends to detect the prevalence of tick-borne bacteria and parasites occurring at the Black Sea in Bulgaria to evaluate the zoonotic potential of the tick-borne pathogens transmitted by ticks in this area. Methods In total, cDNA from 1541 ticks (Dermacentor spp., Haemaphysalis spp., Hyalomma spp., Ixodes spp. and Rhipicephalus spp.) collected in Bulgaria by flagging method or from hosts was tested in pools of ten individuals each for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.), Rickettsia spp. and “Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis” via conventional and quantitative real-time PCR. Subsequently, samples from positive pools were tested individually and a randomized selection of positive PCR samples was purified, sequenced, and analyzed. Results Altogether, 23.2% of ticks were infected with at least one of the tested pathogens. The highest infection levels were noted in nymphs (32.3%) and females (27.5%). Very high prevalence was detected for Rickettsia spp. (48.3%), followed by A. phagocytophilum (6.2%), Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) (1.7%), Babesia spp. (0.4%) and “Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis” (0.1%). Co-infections were found in 2.5% of the tested ticks (mainly Ixodes spp.). Sequencing revealed the presence of Rickettsia monacensis, R. helvetica, and R. aeschlimannii, Babesia microti and B. caballi, and Theileria buffeli and Borrelia afzelli. Conclusion This study shows very high prevalence of zoonotic Rickettsia spp. in ticks from Bulgaria and moderate to low prevalence for all other pathogens tested. One should take into account that tick bites from this area could lead to Rickettsia infection in humans and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Nader
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nina Król
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Pfeffer
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Valerie Ohlendorf
- Institute of Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Free University Berlin, Humboldt-University Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Marklewitz
- Institute of Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Free University Berlin, Humboldt-University Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Drosten
- Institute of Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Free University Berlin, Humboldt-University Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Sandra Junglen
- Institute of Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Free University Berlin, Humboldt-University Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Obiegala
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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Graham CB, Maes SE, Hojgaard A, Fleshman AC, Sheldon SW, Eisen RJ. A molecular algorithm to detect and differentiate human pathogens infecting Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae). Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 9:390-403. [PMID: 29258802 PMCID: PMC6452875 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The incidence and geographic range of tick-borne illness associated with Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus have dramatically increased in recent decades. Anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Borrelia spirochete infections, including Lyme borreliosis, account for tens of thousands of reported cases of tick-borne disease every year. Assays that reliably detect pathogens in ticks allow investigators and public health agencies to estimate the geographic distribution of human pathogens, assess geographic variation in their prevalence, and evaluate the effectiveness of prevention strategies. As investigators continue to describe new species within the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex and to recognize some Ixodes-borne Borrelia species as human pathogens, assays are needed to detect and differentiate these species. Here we describe an algorithm to detect and differentiate pathogens in unfed I. scapularis and I. pacificus nymphs including Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia mayonii, and Borrelia miyamotoi. The algorithm comprises 5 TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction assays and 3 sequencing protocols. It employs multiple targets for each pathogen to optimize specificity, a gene target for I. scapularis and I. pacificus to verify tick-derived DNA quality, and a pan-Borrelia target to detect Borrelia species that may emerge as human disease agents in the future. We assess the algorithm's sensitivity, specificity, and performance on field-collected ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine B Graham
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States.
| | - Sarah E Maes
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
| | - Andrias Hojgaard
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
| | - Amy C Fleshman
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
| | - Sarah W Sheldon
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
| | - Rebecca J Eisen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
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Margos G, Notter I, Fingerle V. Species Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Using Molecular Biological Methods. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1690:13-33. [PMID: 29032533 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7383-5_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial species identification is required in different disciplines and-depending on the purpose-levels of specificity or resolution of typing may vary. Nowadays, molecular methods are the mainstay for bacterial identification and sequence-based analyses are of ever-growing importance. For diagnostics, immediate results are needed and often real-time PCR of one or two loci is the method of choice while for epidemiological or evolutionary studies sequence data of several loci improve phylogenetic resolution to required levels. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and multilocus sequence analyses (MLSA) utilize sequences information of several housekeeping loci (eight for Borrelia) to distinguish between species. This method has been widely used for bacterial species and strain identification and will be described in this chapter.As more and more diversity is being detected in the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex, the importance of accurate species and strain typing has come to the fore. This is particularly significant with a view of differentiating human pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains or species and understanding the epidemiology, ecology, population structure, and evolution of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Margos
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, National Reference Center for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany.
| | - Isabell Notter
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, National Reference Center for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Volker Fingerle
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, National Reference Center for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleissheim, Germany
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22
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Johnson TL, Graham CB, Boegler KA, Cherry CC, Maes SE, Pilgard MA, Hojgaard A, Buttke DE, Eisen RJ. Prevalence and Diversity of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Nymphal Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in Eastern National Parks. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 54:742-751. [PMID: 28028138 PMCID: PMC5657145 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjw213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Tick-borne pathogens transmitted by Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae), also known as the deer tick or blacklegged tick, are increasing in incidence and geographic distribution in the United States. We examined the risk of tick-borne disease exposure in 9 national parks across six Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States and the District of Columbia in 2014 and 2015. To assess the recreational risk to park visitors, we sampled for ticks along frequently used trails and calculated the density of I. scapularis nymphs (DON) and the density of infected nymphs (DIN). We determined the nymphal infection prevalence of I. scapularis with a suite of tick-borne pathogens including Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti. Ixodes scapularis nymphs were found in all national park units; DON ranged from 0.40 to 13.73 nymphs per 100 m2. Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, was found at all sites where I. scapularis was documented; DIN with B. burgdorferi ranged from 0.06 to 5.71 nymphs per 100 m2. Borrelia miyamotoi and A. phagocytophilum were documented at 60% and 70% of the parks, respectively, while Ba. microti occurred at just 20% of the parks. Ixodes scapularis is well established across much of the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States, and our results are generally consistent with previous studies conducted near the areas we sampled. Newly established I. scapularis populations were documented in two locations: Washington, D.C. (Rock Creek Park) and Greene County, Virginia (Shenandoah National Park). This research demonstrates the potential risk of tick-borne pathogen exposure in national parks and can be used to educate park visitors about the importance of preventative actions to minimize tick exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammi L Johnson
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521 (; ; ; ; ; ; )
| | - Christine B Graham
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521 (; ; ; ; ; ; )
| | - Karen A Boegler
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521 (; ; ; ; ; ; )
| | - Cara C Cherry
- Biological Resources Division, Wildlife Health Branch and Office of Public Health, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Dr., Suite 200, Fort Collins, CO 80525 ( ; )
- Epidemic Intelligence Service, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services
- Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30329-4027
| | - Sarah E Maes
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521 (; ; ; ; ; ; )
| | - Mark A Pilgard
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521 (; ; ; ; ; ; )
| | - Andrias Hojgaard
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521 (; ; ; ; ; ; )
| | - Danielle E Buttke
- Biological Resources Division, Wildlife Health Branch and Office of Public Health, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Dr., Suite 200, Fort Collins, CO 80525 (; )
| | - 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, 3156 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521 (; ; ; ; ; ; )
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Obiegala A, Król N, Oltersdorf C, Nader J, Pfeffer M. The enzootic life-cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) and tick-borne rickettsiae: an epidemiological study on wild-living small mammals and their ticks from Saxony, Germany. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:115. [PMID: 28285593 PMCID: PMC5346851 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2053-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) and rickettsiae of the spotted fever group are zoonotic tick-borne pathogens. While small mammals are confirmed reservoirs for certain Borrelia spp., little is known about the reservoirs for tick-borne rickettsiae. Between 2012 and 2014, ticks were collected from the vegetation and small mammals which were trapped in Saxony, Germany. DNA extracted from ticks and the small mammals' skin was analyzed for the presence of Rickettsia spp. and B. burgdorferi (s.l.) by qPCR targeting the gltA and p41 genes, respectively. Partial sequencing of the rickettsial ompB gene and an MLST of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) were conducted for species determination. RESULTS In total, 673 small mammals belonging to eight species (Apodemus agrarius, n = 7; A. flavicollis, n = 214; Microtus arvalis, n = 8; Microtus agrestis, n = 1; Mustela nivalis, n = 2; Myodes glareolus, n = 435; Sorex araneus, n = 5; and Talpa europaea, n = 1) were collected and examined. In total, 916 questing ticks belonging to three species (Ixodes ricinus, n = 741; Dermacentor reticulatus, n = 174; and I. trianguliceps, n = 1) were collected. Of these, 474 ticks were further investigated. The prevalence for Rickettsia spp. and B. burgdorferi (s.l.) in the investigated small mammals was 25.3 and 31.2%, respectively. The chance of encountering Rickettsia spp. in M. glareolus was seven times higher for specimens infested with D. reticulatus than for those which were free of D. reticulatus (OR: 7.0; 95% CI: 3.3-14.7; P < 0.001). In total, 11.4% of questing I. ricinus and 70.5% of D. reticulatus were positive for Rickettsia spp. DNA of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) was detected only in I. ricinus (5.5%). Sequence analysis revealed 9 R. helvetica, 5 R. raoultii, and 1 R. felis obtained from 15 small mammal samples. CONCLUSION Small mammals may serve as reservoirs for Rickettsia spp. and B. burgdorferi (s.l.). While the prevalence for Rickettsia spp. in M. glareolus is most likely depending on the abundance of attached D. reticulatus, the prevalence for B. burgdorferi (s.l.) in small mammals is independent of tick abundance. Dermacentor reticulatus may be the main vector of certain Rickettsia spp. but not for Borrelia spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Obiegala
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nina Król
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Microbial Ecology and Environmental Protection, Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Carolin Oltersdorf
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julian Nader
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Pfeffer
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Current laboratory testing of Lyme borreliosis mostly relies on serological methods with known limitations. Diagnostic modalities enabling direct detection of pathogen at the onset of the clinical signs could overcome some of the limitations. Molecular methods detecting borrelial DNA seem to be the ideal solution, although there are some aspects that need to be considered. Areas covered: This review represent summary and discussion of the published data obtained from literature searches from PubMed and The National Library of Medicine (USA) together with our own experience on molecular diagnosis of Lyme disease. Expert commentary: Molecular methods are promising and currently serve as supporting diagnostic testing in Lyme borreliosis. Since the field of molecular diagnostics is under rapid development, molecular testing could become an important diagnostic modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Ružić-Sabljić
- a Institute of Microbiology ansd Immunology, Faculty of Medicine , University of Ljubljana , Ljubljana , Slovenia
| | - Tjaša Cerar
- a Institute of Microbiology ansd Immunology, Faculty of Medicine , University of Ljubljana , Ljubljana , Slovenia
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Norte AC, Araújo PM, da Silva LP, Tenreiro PQ, Ramos JA, Núncio MS, Zé-Zé L, de Carvalho IL. Characterization Through Multilocus Sequence Analysis of Borrelia turdi Isolates from Portugal. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2016; 72:831-839. [PMID: 26311126 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-015-0660-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Borrelia turdi is a spirochete from the Borrelia burgdorferi complex, first reported in Japan, that has been increasingly detected in Europe. This genospecies is mostly associated with avian hosts and their ornithophilic ticks such as Ixodes frontalis. In this study, we isolated B. turdi from five I. frontalis feeding on Turdus merula, Turdus philomelos, Parus major and Troglodytes troglodytes, and one Ixodes ricinus feeding on a T. merula in Portugal. These isolates were genetically characterised according to their 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer, 16S rRNA and through typing of seven housekeeping genes (multilocus sequence typing). Multilocus sequence analyses revealed that the strains isolated in our study, although belonging to B. turdi genospecies, are not identical to the B. turdi reference strain Ya501. Instead, our strains are separated into a clear defined group, suggesting that the European samples diverged genetically from the strain originally detected in Japan. Population analysis of 5S-23S rRNA sequences can further resolve subpopulations within B. turdi, but more samples from a large geographical scale and host range would be needed to assess potential phylogeographical patterns within this genospecies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cláudia Norte
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal.
- Centre for Vector and Infectious Diseases Research, National Institute of Health, Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Águas de Moura, Portugal.
| | - Pedro Miguel Araújo
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Luís Pascoal da Silva
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Paulo Quadros Tenreiro
- DCNFC-DGOV, Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, IP, Mata Nacional do Choupal, 3000-611, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Jaime A Ramos
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Maria Sofia Núncio
- Centre for Vector and Infectious Diseases Research, National Institute of Health, Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Águas de Moura, Portugal
| | - Líbia Zé-Zé
- Centre for Vector and Infectious Diseases Research, National Institute of Health, Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Águas de Moura, Portugal
- Faculty of Sciences, BioISI-Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Isabel Lopes de Carvalho
- Centre for Vector and Infectious Diseases Research, National Institute of Health, Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Águas de Moura, Portugal
- Emergence Response and Biopreparedness Unit, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
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Borrelia burgdorferi induces a type I interferon response during early stages of disseminated infection in mice. BMC Microbiol 2016; 16:29. [PMID: 26957120 PMCID: PMC4784397 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-016-0644-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lyme borrelia genotypes differ in their capacity to cause disseminated disease. Gene array analysis was employed to profile the host transcriptome induced by Borrelia burgdorferi strains with different capacities for causing disseminated disease in the blood of C3H/HeJ mice during early infection. RESULTS B. burgdorferi B515, a clinical isolate that causes disseminated infection in mice, differentially regulated 236 transcripts (P < 0.05 by ANOVA, with fold change of at least 2). The 216 significantly induced transcripts included interferon (IFN)-responsive genes and genes involved in immunity and inflammation. In contrast, B. burgdorferi B331, a clinical isolate that causes transient skin infection but does not disseminate in C3H/HeJ mice, stimulated changes in only a few genes (1 induced, 4 repressed). Transcriptional regulation of type I IFN and IFN-related genes was measured by quantitative RT-PCR in mouse skin biopsies collected from the site of infection 24 h after inoculation with B. burgdorferi. The mean values for transcripts of Ifnb, Cxcl10, Gbp1, Ifit1, Ifit3, Irf7, Mx1, and Stat2 were found to be significantly increased in B. burgdorferi strain B515-infected mice relative to the control group. In contrast, transcription of these genes was not significantly changed in response to B. burgdorferi strain B331 or B31-4, a mutant that is unable to disseminate. CONCLUSIONS These results establish a positive association between the disseminating capacity of B. burgdorferi and early type I IFN induction in a murine model of Lyme disease.
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Pritt BS, Mead PS, Johnson DKH, Neitzel DF, Respicio-Kingry LB, Davis JP, Schiffman E, Sloan LM, Schriefer ME, Replogle AJ, Paskewitz SM, Ray JA, Bjork J, Steward CR, Deedon A, Lee X, Kingry LC, Miller TK, Feist MA, Theel ES, Patel R, Irish CL, Petersen JM. Identification of a novel pathogenic Borrelia species causing Lyme borreliosis with unusually high spirochaetaemia: a descriptive study. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2016; 16:556-564. [PMID: 26856777 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(15)00464-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 219] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2015] [Revised: 11/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lyme borreliosis is the most common tick-borne disease in the northern hemisphere. It is a multisystem disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies and characterised by tissue localisation and low spirochaetaemia. In this study we aimed to describe a novel Borrelia species causing Lyme borreliosis in the USA. METHODS At the Mayo clinic, from 2003 to 2014, we tested routine clinical diagnostic specimens from patients in the USA with PCR targeting the oppA1 gene of B burgdorferi sensu lato. We identified positive specimens with an atypical PCR result (melting temperature outside of the expected range) by sequencing, microscopy, or culture. We collected Ixodes scapularis ticks from regions of suspected patient tick exposure and tested them by oppA1 PCR. FINDINGS 100 545 specimens were submitted by physicians for routine PCR from Jan 1, 2003 to Sept 30, 2014. From these samples, six clinical specimens (five blood, one synovial fluid) yielded an atypical oppA1 PCR product, but no atypical results were detected before 2012. Five of the six patients with atypical PCR results had presented with fever, four had diffuse or focal rash, three had symptoms suggestive of neurological inclusion, and two were admitted to hospital. The sixth patient presented with knee pain and swelling. Motile spirochaetes were seen in blood samples from one patient and cultured from blood samples from two patients. Among the five blood specimens, the median oppA1 copy number was 180 times higher than that in 13 specimens that tested positive for B burgdorferi sensu stricto during the same time period. Multigene sequencing identified the spirochaete as a novel B burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies. This same genospecies was detected in ticks collected at a probable patient exposure site. INTERPRETATION We describe a new pathogenic Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies (candidatus Borrelia mayonii) in the upper midwestern USA, which causes Lyme borreliosis with unusually high spirochaetaemia. Clinicians should be aware of this new B burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies, its distinct clinical features, and the usefulness of oppA1 PCR for diagnosis. FUNDING US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (ELC) Cooperative Agreement and Mayo Clinic Small Grant programme.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul S Mead
- Division of Vector Borne Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | | | - Laurel B Respicio-Kingry
- Division of Vector Borne Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | | | | | - Martin E Schriefer
- Division of Vector Borne Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Adam J Replogle
- Division of Vector Borne Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Julie A Ray
- Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Minnesota Department of Health, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Jenna Bjork
- Minnesota Department of Health, St Paul, MN, USA
| | | | - Alecia Deedon
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Xia Lee
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Luke C Kingry
- Division of Vector Borne Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jeannine M Petersen
- Division of Vector Borne Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Jungnick S, Margos G, Rieger M, Dzaferovic E, Bent SJ, Overzier E, Silaghi C, Walder G, Wex F, Koloczek J, Sing A, Fingerle V. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Borrelia afzelii : Population structure and differential pathogenicity. Int J Med Microbiol 2015; 305:673-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2015.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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Abstract
In North America, Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-borne zoonosis caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, which is maintained by wildlife. Tick vectors and bacteria are currently spreading into Canada and causing increasing numbers of cases of LD in humans and raising a pressing need for public health responses. There is no vaccine, and LD prevention depends on knowing who is at risk and informing them how to protect themselves from infection. Recently, it was found in the United States that some strains of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto cause severe disease, whereas others cause mild, self-limiting disease. While many strains occurring in the United States also occur in Canada, strains in some parts of Canada are different from those in the United States. We therefore recognize a need to identify which strains specific to Canada can cause severe disease and to characterize their geographic distribution to determine which Canadians are particularly at risk. In this review, we summarize the history of emergence of LD in North America, our current knowledge of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto diversity, its intriguing origins in the ecology and evolution of the bacterium, and its importance for the epidemiology and clinical and laboratory diagnosis of LD. We propose methods for investigating associations between B. burgdorferi sensu stricto diversity, ecology, and pathogenicity and for developing predictive tools to guide public health interventions. We also highlight the emergence of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto in Canada as a unique opportunity for exploring the evolutionary aspects of tick-borne pathogen emergence.
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Borrelia persica: In vitro cultivation and characterization via conventional PCR and multilocus sequence analysis of two strains isolated from a cat and ticks from Israel. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2015; 6:751-7. [PMID: 26169028 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 06/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Borrelia persica, one of the pathogenic agents of tick-borne relapsing fever, is transmitted by the soft tick Ornithodoros tholozani. It causes infections in humans as well as in animals. In this study, we developed a medium, termed Pettenkofer/LMU Bp, for reliable in vitro cultivation. Cell densities up to 5.2×10(7) viable cells/ml were achieved over at least 40 passages. The cultivable B. persica strain isolated from a cat was further analyzed by amplification of the flaB gene using conventional PCR. In addition, seven housekeeping genes (clpA, clpX, pepX, pyrG, recG, rplB and uvrA) of this B. persica strain and a second strain isolated out of pooled ticks from Israel were amplified and the phylogenetic relationships among Borrelia species were analyzed. The results of the conventional PCR and the multilocus sequence analysis confirmed our isolates as B. persica.
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Margos G, Binder K, Dzaferovic E, Hizo-Teufel C, Sing A, Wildner M, Fingerle V, Jolley KA. PubMLST.org--The new home for the Borrelia MLSA database. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2015; 6:869-71. [PMID: 26115778 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2015] [Revised: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Margos
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany; German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Germany.
| | - Katrin Binder
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany.
| | - Eldina Dzaferovic
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany.
| | - Cecilia Hizo-Teufel
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany; German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany.
| | - Andreas Sing
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany.
| | - Manfred Wildner
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Germany.
| | - Volker Fingerle
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany; German National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Veterinärstr 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany.
| | - Keith A Jolley
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, United Kingdom.
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Mukhacheva TA, Salikhova II, Kovalev SY. Multilocus spacer analysis revealed highly homogeneous genetic background of Asian type of Borrelia miyamotoi. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2015; 31:257-62. [PMID: 25697887 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2015.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Revised: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Borrelia miyamotoi, a member of the relapsing fever group borreliae, was first isolated in Japan and subsequently found in Ixodes ticks in North America, Europe and Russia. Currently, there are three types of B. miyamotoi: Asian or Siberian (transmitted mainly by Ixodes persulcatus), European (Ixodesricinus) and American (Ixodesscapularis and Ixodespacificus). Despite the great genetic distances between B. miyamotoi types, isolates within a type are characterised by an extremely low genetic variability. In particular, strains of B. miyamotoi of Asian type, isolated in Russia from the Baltic sea to the Far East, have been shown to be identical based on the analysis of several conventional genetic markers, such as 16S rRNA, flagellin, outer membrane protein p66 and glpQ genes. Thus, protein or rRNA - coding genes were shown not to be informative enough in studying genetic diversity of B. miyamotoi within a type. In the present paper, we have attempted to design a new multilocus technique based on eight non-coding intergenic spacers (3686bp in total) and have applied it to the analysis of intra-type genetic variability of В. miyamotoi detected in different regions of Russia and from two tick species, I. persulcatus and Ixodespavlovskyi. However, even though potentially the most variable loci were selected, no genetic variability between studied DNA samples was found, except for one nucleotide substitution in two of them. The sequences obtained were identical to those of the reference strain FR64b. Analysis of the data obtained with the GenBank sequences indicates a highly homogeneous genetic background of B. miyamotoi from the Baltic Sea to the Japanese Islands. In this paper, a hypothesis of clonal expansion of B. miyamotoi is discussed, as well as possible mechanisms for the rapid dissemination of one B. miyamotoi clone over large distances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana A Mukhacheva
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Biology, Ural Federal University, Lenin Avenue 51, Yekaterinburg 620000, Russia
| | - Irina I Salikhova
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Biology, Ural Federal University, Lenin Avenue 51, Yekaterinburg 620000, Russia
| | - Sergey Y Kovalev
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Biology, Ural Federal University, Lenin Avenue 51, Yekaterinburg 620000, Russia.
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