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FEBS Letters Aug 2020Borreliosis (Lyme disease) is a spirochetal disease caused by the species complex of Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks. Recorded to be the most... (Review)
Review
Borreliosis (Lyme disease) is a spirochetal disease caused by the species complex of Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks. Recorded to be the most common tick-borne disease in the world, the last two decades have seen an increase in disease incidence and distribution, exceeding 360 000 cases in Europe alone. If untreated, infection may cause skin symptoms, arthritis, and neurological or cardiac complications. Borrelia spirochetes have developed strategies to evade the mammalian host immune system. These include the complement system, which is an important first-line defense mechanism against invading microbes. To evade the complement, spirochetes bind soluble complement regulators factor H (FH), factor H-like protein, and C4bp to their outer surfaces. B. burgdorferi spirochetes can inhibit the classical pathway of complement by the outer surface protein (Osp) BBK32, which blocks the activation of the C1 complex, composed of C1q, C1r, and C1s. The FH-binding proteins of borreliae include Osps OspE, CspA, and CspZ. Following repeated infections, antibodies against these proteins develop and may provide functional immunity against borreliosis. This review discusses critical immune evasion strategies, focusing on complement evasion by borreliae.
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial; Bacterial Proteins; Borrelia burgdorferi; Complement System Proteins; Humans; Immune Evasion; Lyme Disease
PubMed: 32748966
DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13894 -
Current Topics in Microbiology and... 2018The spirochetes Borrelia (Borreliella) burgdorferi and Borrelia hermsii, the etiologic agents of Lyme disease and relapsing fever, respectively, cycle in nature between... (Review)
Review
The spirochetes Borrelia (Borreliella) burgdorferi and Borrelia hermsii, the etiologic agents of Lyme disease and relapsing fever, respectively, cycle in nature between an arthropod vector and a vertebrate host. They have extraordinarily unusual genomes that are highly segmented and predominantly linear. The genetic analyses of Lyme disease spirochetes have become increasingly more sophisticated, while the age of genetic investigation in the relapsing fever spirochetes is just dawning. Molecular tools available for B. burgdorferi and related species range from simple selectable markers and gene reporters to state-of-the-art inducible gene expression systems that function in the animal model and high-throughput mutagenesis methodologies, despite nearly overwhelming experimental obstacles. This armamentarium has empowered borreliologists to build a formidable genetic understanding of the cellular physiology of the spirochete and the molecular pathogenesis of Lyme disease.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Borrelia; Borrelia burgdorferi; Genetic Engineering; Lyme Disease; Molecular Biology; Relapsing Fever
PubMed: 28918538
DOI: 10.1007/82_2017_51 -
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Mar 2020In this paper we survey key issues in bacterial taxonomy and review the literature regarding the recent genus separation proposed for the genus Borrelia. We discuss how... (Review)
Review
In this paper we survey key issues in bacterial taxonomy and review the literature regarding the recent genus separation proposed for the genus Borrelia. We discuss how information on members of the genus Borrelia is increasing but detailed knowledge on the relevant features is available only for a small subset of species. The data accumulated here show that there is considerable overlap in ecology, clinical aspects and molecular features between clades that argue against splitting of the genus Borrelia.
Topics: Borrelia; Borrelia Infections; Classification; Life History Traits; Phylogeny
PubMed: 31836459
DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.101335 -
Current Topics in Microbiology and... 2017The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease, a multisystemic disorder affecting primarily skin, nervous system, and joints. If an... (Review)
Review
The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease, a multisystemic disorder affecting primarily skin, nervous system, and joints. If an infection with Borrelia proceeds unchecked, the disease can also enter a chronic stage, leading to the development of neuroborreliosis or cardiac arrhythmia. Successful elimination of B. burgdorferi by the host immune system is thus decisive for the positive outcome of a respective infection. Accordingly, host immune cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells have to be able to efficiently internalize and degrade infecting spirochetes. These processes are based on closely controlled rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton, which enables the spatiotemporally fine-tuned formation of cellular protrusions and compartments that assist in the capturing, immobilization, and uptake of borreliae, as well as their further intracellular processing. Here, we discuss actin-based structures, in particular filopodia and coiling pseudopods that are involved in phagocytosis of B. burgdorferi by macrophages, their regulation by actin-associated proteins such as formins and Arp2/3 complex, as well as the subsequent intracellular processing of borreliae.
Topics: Actins; Animals; Borrelia burgdorferi; Humans; Lyme Disease; Macrophages; Phagocytosis
PubMed: 27744511
DOI: 10.1007/82_2016_26 -
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Mar 2021The genus Borrelia encompasses 50 spirochetal species, several of which are pathogenic and have been detected in a wide range of mammals, especially rodents and cervids....
The genus Borrelia encompasses 50 spirochetal species, several of which are pathogenic and have been detected in a wide range of mammals, especially rodents and cervids. Although the order Chiroptera is the second most diverse mammalian order, and borreliosis represents a human and veterinary health problem in endemic countries, few studies have previously reported infections of Borrelia in these flying mammals. For this reason, the aim of the present study was to detect the presence of, and to analyze the diversity of Borrelia species in several bat species from Mexico. A total of 69 bats belonging to 11 species were collected and molecular detection of Borrelia was performed by amplifying three genes using specific primers. Only five individuals of four bat species (Saccopteryxbilineata, Choeroniscus godmani, Sturnira parvidens and Lasiurus cinereus) tested positive for Borrelia DNA. We now show the first Borrelia record in Mexican bats from two different ecosystems, where previously several potential vector species of the genus Ixodes and Ornithodoros had been reported. The Borrelia sequences obtained from the bats revealed two new putative lineages, one from the relapsing fever group and the second one belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. complex, both of which are related to zoonotic species. These results highlight the importance of bats as potential hosts of Borrelia, and the imperative need of active surveillance in flying mammals in order to understand their potential role in the life cycle of this bacteria genus.
Topics: Animals; Borrelia; Chiroptera; Female; Male; Mexico; Phylogeny; Prevalence
PubMed: 33388557
DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101642 -
PloS One 2022Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi are tick-vectored zoonotic pathogens maintained in wildlife species. Tick populations are establishing in new areas globally...
Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi are tick-vectored zoonotic pathogens maintained in wildlife species. Tick populations are establishing in new areas globally in response to climate change and other factors. New Brunswick is a Canadian maritime province at the advancing front of tick population establishment and has seen increasing numbers of ticks carrying B. burgdorferi, and more recently B. miyamotoi. Further, it is part of a region of Atlantic Canada with wildlife species composition differing from much of continental North America and little information exists as to the presence and frequency of infection of Borrelia spp. in wildlife in this region. We used a citizen science approach to collect a wide range of animals including migratory birds, medium-sized mammals, and small mammals. In total we tested 339 animals representing 20 species for the presence of B. burgdorferi and B. miyamotoi. We have developed new nested PCR primers and a protocol with excellent specificity for detecting both of these Borrelia species, both single and double infections, in tissues and organs of various wildlife species. The positive animals were primarily small non-migratory mammals, approximately twice as many were infected with B. burgdorferi than B. miyamotoi and one animal was found infected with both. In addition to established reservoir species, the jumping mouse (Napaeozapus insignis) was found frequently infected; this species had the highest infection prevalence for both B. burgdorferi and B. miyamotoi and has not previously been identified as an important carrier for either Borrelia species. Comprehensive testing of tissues found that all instances of B. burgdorferi infection were limited to one tissue within the host, whereas two of the five B. miyamotoi infections were diffuse and found in multiple systems. In the one coinfected specimen, two fetuses were also recovered and found infected with B. miyamotoi. This presumptive transplacental transmission suggests that vertical transmission in mammals is possible. This finding implies that B. miyamotoi could rapidly spread into wildlife populations, as well as having potential human health implications.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Wild; Birds; Borrelia; Borrelia burgdorferi; Canada; DNA, Bacterial; Disease Vectors; Fetus; Lyme Disease; Mice; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction
PubMed: 35061805
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262229 -
Borrelia duttonii-like spirochetes parasitize Meriones persicus in East Azerbaijan Province of Iran.Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Nov 2021In Iran, Borrelia persica and Borrelia microti/microti-like borreliae have been established as causative agents of tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF). However, the...
In Iran, Borrelia persica and Borrelia microti/microti-like borreliae have been established as causative agents of tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF). However, the epidemiology of two previously described species, Borrelia balthazardi and Borrelia latyschewii (latychevi), has remained elusive for many years. We investigated Borrelia infection in various rodents and small mammals in the TBRF endemic East Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran, where B. perisca and B. balthazardi might coexist. Among trapped animals (n=210), a 16S real-time PCR detected Borrelia DNA in 11 Meriones persicus. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) using six different loci, including four coding regions (flaB, glpQ, groEL, p66) and two non-coding (rrs, IGS) followed by phylogeny revealed considerable sequence identity between the borreliae detected, B. microti, and East African Borrelia duttonii, and Borrelia recurrentis. Our results indicate that B. microti and microti-like borreliae, including the specimens previously characterized in the south of Iran and the present study, are different ecotypes of B. duttonii, i.e., exhibiting a single species/entity or descendants of a recent common ancestor. Our findings also suggest that the species we had long coined as B. balthazardi and the microti-like borreliae detected herein might be the same.
Topics: Animals; Borrelia; Gerbillinae; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Iran; Lyme Disease
PubMed: 34536770
DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101825 -
Seminars in Neurology Mar 1997This article reviews the natural history, taxonomy, physical structure, growth requirements, and molecular structure of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the causative... (Review)
Review
This article reviews the natural history, taxonomy, physical structure, growth requirements, and molecular structure of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the causative agent of Lyme disease. These spirochetal bacteria are maintained in nature through an infectious cycle between wild mammals and ticks. Borreliae are fastidious, slow-growing bacteria, found only in association with their arthropod or mammalian hosts in nature, and propagatable in the laboratory in a rich growth medium. The characteristic shape of borreliae is imposed by periplasmic flagella, located beneath the outer membrane and attached to the protoplasmic cylinder. The outer membrane of borreliae contains a number of abundant lipoproteins that are of serodiagnostic utility and currently under consideration as vaccine targets. The borrelial genome is unique in structure, organization, and copy number. Recent experiments demonstrate the feasibility of specific gene inactivation as a means with which to study the biology of borreliae and the pathogenesis of Lyme disease.
Topics: Animals; Borrelia burgdorferi Group; Humans
PubMed: 9166953
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1040906 -
Current Rheumatology Reviews 2022Although fibromyalgia is a common cause of chronic musculoskeletal pain, its aetiology and pathophysiology are uncertain. It has recently been suggested that...
BACKGROUND
Although fibromyalgia is a common cause of chronic musculoskeletal pain, its aetiology and pathophysiology are uncertain. It has recently been suggested that fibromyalgia symptomatology represents a T lymphocyte-mediated immune response to pathogens, which are known risk factors for autoimmune diseases. One major suggested candidate pathogen is the bacterial genus Borrelia. However, to date, this hypothesis has not been tested.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to carry out the first test of this hypothesis by comparing Borrelia-specific T lymphocyte reactivity in fibromyalgia patients and matched controls.
METHODS
The enzyme-linked immunospot assay was used to detect T-lymphocyte reactivity to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (full antigen), outer surface protein (Osp) A from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii, native OspC plus decorin binding protein A recombinant and lymphocyte function antigen-1 (shared epitope) in 27 patients who fulfilled the revised diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia of the American College of Rheumatology and in 26 control subjects. The assays were carried out blind to the group status of the participants.
RESULTS
The two groups did not differ by age, sex or ethnicity. They did not differ significantly in respect of T lymphocyte reactivity to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (full antigen) (p = 0.847), Osp mix (p = 0.709) or lymphocyte function antigen-1 (p = 0.367).
CONCLUSION
This novel controlled study provides no evidence of an association between fibromyalgia and Borrelia-specific T lymphocytes.
Topics: Borrelia; Borrelia burgdorferi; Borrelia burgdorferi Group; Fibromyalgia; Humans; T-Lymphocytes; United States
PubMed: 34561988
DOI: 10.2174/1573397117666210924152636 -
Parasites & Vectors Sep 2019Small mammals play an important role in the life-cycle of ticks and are reservoirs for several zoonotic pathogens. The aim of this study was to provide epidemiological...
BACKGROUND
Small mammals play an important role in the life-cycle of ticks and are reservoirs for several zoonotic pathogens. The aim of this study was to provide epidemiological data regarding the presence of Borrelia spp. in tissues of small mammals from Romania.
METHODS
We examined 401 individuals belonging to 11 small mammal species collected in Romania. Collections cover the largest effort to survey these reservoirs in the country. Tissue samples were analyzed by multiplex qPCR targeting the ospA gene of Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) and a part of the flaB gene of B. miyamotoi. Positive samples were further analysed by conventional PCR and sequenced.
RESULTS
The overall prevalence of infection with Borrelia spp. in small mammal tissues was 4.9%. The most commonly detected species were B. afzelii, followed by B. garinii/B. bavariensis, B. miyamotoi and B. burgdorferi (s.s.). To our knowledge, we report for the first time the detection of Borrelia spp. in Crocidura leucodon and C. suaveolens, and B. miyamotoi in the liver of Myodes glareolus.
CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, our study evaluates for the first time the occurrence of Borrelia spp. in small mammals in Romania, contributing to a better knowledge of the distribution of these bacteria. This survey upgrades previous data on the spatial distribution of the pathogens and reveals the importance of animal surveillance regarding Lyme borreliosis and relapsing fever caused by B. miyamotoi.
Topics: Animals; Borrelia; Borrelia Infections; Prevalence; Rodent Diseases; Rodentia; Romania
PubMed: 31551069
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3713-3