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Clinical Medicine (London, England) Jan 2022Leptospirosis is one of the most important zoonotic bacterial diseases worldwide, commonly affecting resource-poor populations and resulting in significant morbidity and... (Review)
Review
Leptospirosis is one of the most important zoonotic bacterial diseases worldwide, commonly affecting resource-poor populations and resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. This article provides an overview of the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of human leptospirosis.
Topics: Humans; Leptospira; Leptospirosis
PubMed: 35078790
DOI: 10.7861/clinmed.2021-0784 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Aug 2021Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is the most common tickborne disease in the United States and Europe. In both locations, Ixodes species ticks transmit the Borrelia... (Review)
Review
Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is the most common tickborne disease in the United States and Europe. In both locations, Ixodes species ticks transmit the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato bacteria species responsible for causing the infection. The diversity of Borrelia species that cause human infection is greater in Europe; the 2 B. burgdorferi s.l. species collectively responsible for most infections in Europe, B. afzelii and B. garinii, are not found in the United States, where most infections are caused by B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. Strain differences seem to explain some of the variation in the clinical manifestations of Lyme disease, which are both minor and substantive, between the United States and Europe. Future studies should attempt to delineate the specific virulence factors of the different species of B. burgdorferi s.l. responsible for these variations in clinical features.
Topics: Animals; Borrelia; Borrelia burgdorferi Group; Europe; Humans; Ixodes; Lyme Disease; United States
PubMed: 34286689
DOI: 10.3201/eid2708.204763 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2020With the increasing number of patients infected with syphilis in the past 20 years, early diagnosis and early treatment are essential to decline syphilis prevalence.... (Review)
Review
With the increasing number of patients infected with syphilis in the past 20 years, early diagnosis and early treatment are essential to decline syphilis prevalence. Owing to its diverse manifestations, which may occur in other infections, the disease often makes clinicians confused. Therefore, a sensitive method for detecting is fundamental for the prompt diagnosis of syphilis. Morphological observation, immunohistochemical assay, rabbit infectivity test, serologic tests, and nucleic acid amplification assays have been applied to the diagnosis of syphilis. Morphological observation, including dark-field microscopy, silver-staining, and direct fluorescent antibody staining for , can be used as a direct detection method for chancre specimens in primary syphilis. Immunohistochemistry is a highly sensitive and specific assay, especially in the lesion biopsies from secondary syphilis. Rabbit infectivity test is considered as a sensitive and reliable method for detecting in clinical samples and used as a historical standard for the diagnosis of syphilis. Serologic tests for syphilis are widely adopted using non-treponemal or treponemal tests by either the traditional or reverse algorithm and remain the gold standard in the diagnosis of syphilis patients. In addition, nucleic acid amplification assay is capable of detecting DNA in the samples from patients with syphilis. Notably, PCR is probably a promising method but remains to be further improved. All of the methods mentioned above play important roles in various stages of syphilis. This review aims to provide a summary of the performance characteristics of detection methods for syphilis.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Laboratories; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rabbits; Serologic Tests; Syphilis; Treponema pallidum
PubMed: 33628742
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.574806 -
Current Issues in Molecular Biology 2021Being able to vizualize a pathogen at a site of interaction with a host is an aesthetically appealing idea and the resulting images can be both informative as well as... (Review)
Review
Being able to vizualize a pathogen at a site of interaction with a host is an aesthetically appealing idea and the resulting images can be both informative as well as enjoyable to view. Moreover, the approaches used to derive these images can be powerful in terms of offering data unobtainable by other methods. In this article, we review three primary modalities for live imaging spirochetes: whole animal imaging, intravital microscopy and live cell imaging. Each method has strengths and weaknesses, which we review, as well as specific purposes for which they are optimally utilized. Live imaging borriliae is a relatively recent development and there was a need of a review to cover the area. Here, in addition to the methods themselves, we also review areas of spirochete biology that have been significantly impacted by live imaging and present a collection of images associated with the forward motion in the field driven by imaging studies.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Borrelia; Humans; Microscopy; Optical Imaging
PubMed: 33310914
DOI: 10.21775/cimb.042.385 -
Microbes and Infection Dec 2019
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Artifacts; Cell Culture Techniques; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Leptospira; Leptospirosis; Models, Biological
PubMed: 31226394
DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2019.06.001 -
Biomolecules Apr 2020Spirochetes can be distinguished from other flagellated bacteria by their long, thin, spiral (or wavy) cell bodies and endoflagella that reside within the periplasmic... (Review)
Review
Spirochetes can be distinguished from other flagellated bacteria by their long, thin, spiral (or wavy) cell bodies and endoflagella that reside within the periplasmic space, designated as periplasmic flagella (PFs). Some members of the spirochetes are pathogenic, including the causative agents of syphilis, Lyme disease, swine dysentery, and leptospirosis. Furthermore, their unique morphologies have attracted attention of structural biologists; however, the underlying physics of viscoelasticity-dependent spirochetal motility is a longstanding mystery. Elucidating the molecular basis of spirochetal invasion and interaction with hosts, resulting in the appearance of symptoms or the generation of asymptomatic reservoirs, will lead to a deeper understanding of host-pathogen relationships and the development of antimicrobials. Moreover, the mechanism of propulsion in fluids or on surfaces by the rotation of PFs within the narrow periplasmic space could be a designing base for an autonomously driving micro-robot with high efficiency. This review describes diverse morphology and motility observed among the spirochetes and further summarizes the current knowledge on their mechanisms and relations to pathogenicity, mainly from the standpoint of experimental biophysics.
Topics: Flagella; Movement; Periplasm; Spirochaetales
PubMed: 32260454
DOI: 10.3390/biom10040550 -
Current Issues in Molecular Biology 2021The genus consists of evolutionarily and genetically diverse bacterial species that cause a variety of diseases in humans and domestic animals. These vector-borne... (Review)
Review
The genus consists of evolutionarily and genetically diverse bacterial species that cause a variety of diseases in humans and domestic animals. These vector-borne spirochetes can be classified into two major evolutionary groups, the Lyme borreliosis clade and the relapsing fever clade, both of which have complex transmission cycles during which they interact with multiple host species and arthropod vectors. Molecular, ecological, and evolutionary studies have each provided significant contributions towards our understanding of the natural history, biology and evolutionary genetics of species; however, integration of these studies is required to identify the evolutionary causes and consequences of the genetic variation within and among species. For example, molecular and genetic studies have identified the adaptations that maximize fitness components throughout the lifecycle and enhance transmission efficacy but provide limited insights into the evolutionary pressures that have produced them. Ecological studies can identify interactions between species and the vertebrate hosts and arthropod vectors they encounter and the resulting impact on the geographic distribution and abundance of spirochetes but not the genetic or molecular basis underlying these interactions. In this review we discuss recent findings on the evolutionary genetics from both of the evolutionarily distinct clades of species. We focus on connecting molecular interactions to the ecological processes that have driven the evolution and diversification of species in order to understand the current distribution of genetic and molecular variation within and between species.
Topics: Animals; Borrelia; Evolution, Molecular; Genetic Fitness; Genetic Variation; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Lyme Disease
PubMed: 33289682
DOI: 10.21775/cimb.042.097 -
Virulence Dec 2023Infection with often triggers pathophysiologic perturbations that are further augmented by the inflammatory responses of the host, resulting in the severe clinical... (Review)
Review
Infection with often triggers pathophysiologic perturbations that are further augmented by the inflammatory responses of the host, resulting in the severe clinical conditions of Lyme disease. While our apprehension of the spatial and temporal integration of the virulence determinants during the enzootic cycle of is constantly being improved, there is still much to be discovered. Many of the novel virulence strategies discussed in this review are undetermined. Lyme disease spirochaetes must surmount numerous molecular and mechanical obstacles in order to establish a disseminated infection in a vertebrate host. These barriers include borrelial relocation from the midgut of the feeding tick to its body cavity and further to the salivary glands, deposition to the skin, haematogenous dissemination, extravasation from blood circulation system, evasion of the host immune responses, localization to protective niches, and establishment of local as well as distal infection in multiple tissues and organs. Here, the various well-defined but also possible novel strategies and virulence mechanisms used by to evade obstacles laid out by the tick vector and usually the mammalian host during colonization and infection are reviewed.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Borrelia burgdorferi; Virulence; Lyme Disease; Virulence Factors; Mammals
PubMed: 37814488
DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2023.2265015 -
Cells Feb 2022Leptospirosis is a zoonotic and waterborne disease worldwide. It is a neglected infectious disease caused by spp., as well as a reemerging disease and global public... (Review)
Review
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic and waterborne disease worldwide. It is a neglected infectious disease caused by spp., as well as a reemerging disease and global public health problem with respect to morbidity and mortality both in humans and animals. Leptospirosis emerges as a leading cause of acute febrile illness along with hepatorenal injury in many countries, including Thailand. While most affected persons are symptomatic in acute disease, which is always difficult to differentiate from other tropical diseases, there is growing evidence of subtle manifestations that cause unrecognized chronic symptoms. The kidney is one of the common organs affected by Leptospires. Although acute kidney injury in the spectrum of interstitial nephritis is a well-described characteristic in severe leptospirosis, chronic kidney disease from leptospirosis is widely discussed. Early recognition of severe leptospirosis leads to reduce morbidity and mortality. Thus, in this review, we highlight the spectrum of characteristics involved in leptospirosis kidney disease and the use of serologic and molecular methods, as well as the treatments of severe leptospirosis.
Topics: Acute Kidney Injury; Animals; Kidney; Leptospira; Leptospirosis; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
PubMed: 35203344
DOI: 10.3390/cells11040698 -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2021Pathogenic is the causative agent of leptospirosis, an emerging zoonotic disease affecting animals and humans worldwide. The risk of host infection following... (Review)
Review
Pathogenic is the causative agent of leptospirosis, an emerging zoonotic disease affecting animals and humans worldwide. The risk of host infection following interaction with environmental sources depends on the ability of to persist, survive, and infect the new host to continue the transmission chain. may coexist with other pathogens, thus providing a suitable condition for the development of other pathogens, resulting in multi-pathogen infection in humans. Therefore, it is important to better understand the dynamics of transmission by these pathogens. We conducted Boolean searches of several databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, SciELO, and ScienceDirect, to identify relevant published data on and coinfection with other pathogenic bacteria. We review the role of the host-microbiota in determining the synanthropic interaction of sp. with other bacteria, thus creating a suitable condition for the leptospira to survive and persist successfully. We also discuss the biotic and abiotic factors that amplify the viability of in the environment. The coinfection of leptospira with pathogenic bacteria has rarely been reported, potentially contributing to a lack of awareness. Therefore, the occurrence of leptospirosis coinfection may complicate diagnosis, long-lasting examination, and mistreatment that could lead to mortality. Identifying the presence of leptospirosis with other bacteria through metagenomic analysis could reveal possible coinfection. In conclusion, the occurrence of leptospirosis with other diseases should be of concern and may depend on the success of the transmission and severity of individual infections. Medical practitioners may misdiagnose the presence of multiple infections and should be made aware of and receive adequate training on appropriate treatment for leptospirosis patients. Physicians could undertake a more targeted approach for leptospirosis diagnosis by considering other symptoms caused by the coinfected bacteria; thus, more specific treatment could be given.
Topics: Animals; Coinfection; Humans; Leptospira; Leptospirosis; Zoonoses
PubMed: 34502012
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179411