Opsoclonus in a child with neuroborreliosis: Case report and review of the literature

Prevalence of Lyme Disease and Relapsing Fever Borrelia spp. in Vectors, Animals, and Humans within a One Health Approach in Mediterranean Countries

The genus Borrelia has been divided into Borreliella spp., which can cause Lyme Disease (LD), and Borrelia spp., which can cause Relapsing Fever (RF). The distribution of genus Borrelia has broadened due to factors such as climate change, alterations in land use, and enhanced human and animal mobility. Consequently, there is an increasing necessity for a One Health strategy to identify the key components in the Borrelia transmission cycle by monitoring the human-animal-environment interactions. The aim of this study is to summarize all accessible data to increase our understanding and provide a comprehensive overview of Borrelia distribution in the Mediterranean region. Databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Google were searched to determine the presence of Borreliella and Borrelia spp. in vectors, animals, and humans in countries around the Mediterranean Sea. A total of 3026 were identified and screened and after exclusion of papers that did not fulfill the including criteria, 429 were used. After examination of the available literature, it was revealed that various species associated with LD and RF are prevalent in vectors, animals, and humans in Mediterranean countries and should be monitored in order to effectively manage and prevent potential infections.

Eye oscilations with neurological implications in pediatric age

INTRODUCTION

Eye oscillations, both nystagmic and non-nystagic, can occur from birth. Most correspond to infantile nystagmus that dubates in the first six months of life, which include idiopathic, sensory, latent, or overt latent motor nystagmus. Those associated with neurological diseases or syndromes correspond to approximately 33%, their identification and correct evaluation being important given the potential visual and vital complications.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We made a systematic review of the literature on supranuclear gaze control mechanisms and the main ocular oscillations with possible neurological implications, both in childhood. With this, we intend to assess if there are already established clinical-anatomical associations, and to propose a protocol on the complementary studies to be carried out in these cases.

RESULTS

There are still anatomical pathways involved in supranuclear gaze control that are not fully clarified and understood. Besides, except in the case of nystagmus in seesaw and upbeat, we did not find anatomical explanations for their pathogenesis. The need for complete neuro-ophthalmological physical examinations and the request for additional tests in children who present ocular oscillations with neurological characteristics are clear.

CONCLUSIONS

Supranuclear gaze control follows a complex neurological network that still needs to be studied better. With a better dissection of the same we could try to understand why the ocular oscillations that we studied have these specific forms of presentation. As for the complementary requests, the request for neuroimaging tests is practically constant, making the others according to the specific case before which we find ourselves.

Infectious stress triggers a POLG-related mitochondrial disease

A 3-year-old girl presented with severe epilepsy in the context of Borrelia infection. After ceftriaxone/lidocaine administration, she showed secondarily generalized focal crises that led to neurological and motor sequelae. Genetic studies identified in the patient two heterozygous POLG mutations (c.2591A>G; p.Asn864Ser and c.3649G>C; p.Ala1217Pro). Through analysis of POLG activity in cultured fibroblasts, we confirmed that the mutations altered the mtDNA turnover. Moreover, patient fibroblasts were more sensitive than controls in the presence of a mitochondrial replication-affecting drug, the antiretroviral azidothymidine. To test if ceftriaxone treatment could worsen the deleterious effect of the patient mutations, toxicity assays were performed. Cell toxicity, without direct effect on mitochondrial respiratory function, was detected at different antibiotic concentrations. The clinical outcome, together with the different in vitro sensitivity to ceftriaxone among patient and control cells, suggested that the mitochondrial disease symptoms were hastened by the infection and were possibly worsened by the pharmacological treatment. This study underscores the benefit of early genetic diagnosis of the patients with mitochondrial diseases, since they may be a target group of patients especially vulnerable to environmental factors.