Publications

infectivity of the highly transformable bbe02- lp56- mutant of borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease spirochete, via ticks.	infectious borrelia burgdorferi strains that have increased transformability with the shuttle vector pbsv2 were recently constructed by inactivating the gene encoding bbe02, a putative restriction-modification gene product expressed by the linear plasmid lp25 (kawabata et al., infect. immun. 72:7147-7154, 2004). the absence of the linear plasmid lp56, which carries another putative restriction-modification gene, further enhanced transformation rates. the infectivity of these mutants was assessed ...	2006	16714602
the impact of immunosuppression on erythema migrans. a retrospective study of clinical presentation, response to treatment and production of borrelia antibodies in 33 patients.	little is known about the potential influence of immunosuppression on erythema migrans, the hallmark of early lyme borreliosis.	2006	16716151
a life cycle for borrelia spirochetes?	subsequent to schaudinn and hoffman's visualization of treponema pallidum in 1905, many distinguished syphilologists proposed that spirochetes have a life cycle. what is the "essence" of a life cycle? simply put, life cycles are diverse arrays of life forms, which emerge in an ordered sequence; which are "connected" to one another across primary and secondary hosts, and constitute a cycle with "circular" relationship between hosts. fecal-oral life cycles and blood-to-blood life cycles are exempl ...	2006	16716532
production of reactive oxygen species and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in rat isolated kupffer cells stimulated by leptospira interrogans and borrelia burgdorferi.	to evaluate the production of reactive oxygen species (ros) and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (inos) in rat isolated kupffer cells (kcs) stimulated by leptospira interrogans and borrelia burgdorferi.	2006	16718791
subarachnoid hemorrhage due to borrelia burgdorferi-associated vasculitis.	we report the case history of a patient who suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage (sah) in association with early lyme neuroborreliosis. after a tick bite, this patient developed erythema chronicum migrans and complained of stinging radicular pain in both legs. a computed tomography (ct) scan was performed because of acute headache and nuchal rigidity, which revealed an occipital sah. cerebrospinal fluid analysis provided further evidence of acute neuroborreliosis. digital substraction angiography ...	2006	16722982
detection of borrelia burgdorferi gene expression during mammalian infection using transcriptional fusions that produce green fluorescent protein.	a novel, infectious borrelia burgdorferi that expresses green fluorescent protein (gfp) was developed to examine the utility of this marker protein to label live bacteria during infection processes. use of a borrelial erpab promoter to direct gfp transcription supported previous indications that b. burgdorferi expresses erp genes during chronic mammalian infection and during acquisition by feeding ticks. live bacteria fluoresced and were seen to be located extracellularly in infected mice and wi ...	2006	16723206
louse-borne bacterial pathogens in lice (phthiraptera) of rodents and cattle from egypt.	we collected 1,023 lice, representing 5 species, from rats and domestic cattle throughout 13 governorates in egypt and tested these lice for anaplasma marginale, bartonella spp., brucella spp., borrelia recurrentis, coxiella burnetii, francisella tularensis, and rickettsia spp. by pcr amplification and sequencing. five different louse-borne bacterial agents were detected in lice from rodents or cattle, including "bartonella rattimassiliensis", "b. phoceensis", and bartonella sp. near bartonella ...	2006	16729688
detection of relapsing fever in human blood samples from israel using pcr targeting the glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (glpq) gene.	relapsing fever caused by borrelia persica is an acute tick-borne disease infecting people in the middle east. a pcr test targeting the glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (glpq) gene was used to detect infection in the blood of suspected relapsing fever patients. the assay detected infection in all 19 patients from israel who were spirochetemic by blood smear examination and in two additional patients with clinical relapsing fever who were negative by smear examination. patients were positi ...	2006	16729949
stat1 deficiency exacerbates carditis but not arthritis during experimental lyme borreliosis.	activation of the transcription factor stat1 by interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) is an important step in the development of antimicrobial effector mechanisms against many bacterial pathogens. susceptibility to murine lyme arthritis has been correlated with the production of several proinflammatory cytokines, especially ifn-gamma. to determine the role of ifn-mediated effector mechanisms in the development of lyme borreliosis, we infected stat1-deficient mice on both resistant (dba), and susceptible ...	2006	16734559
transient prolonged corrected qt interval in lyme disease.	lyme disease, caused by the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi, has known cardiovascular effects typically manifesting in varying degrees of atrioventricular block. three patients presented with qt interval prolongation associated with lyme disease, a previously unreported manifestation of lyme carditis. implications and a proposed clinical management approach are discussed.	2006	16737890
ixodes scapularis ticks collected by passive surveillance in canada: analysis of geographic distribution and infection with lyme borreliosis agent borrelia burgdorferi.	passive surveillance for the occurrence of the tick ixodes scapularis say (1821) and their infection with the lyme borreliosis spirochaetes borrelia burgdorferi s.l. has taken place in canada since early 1990. ticks have been submitted from members of the public, veterinarians, and medical practitioners to provincial, federal, and university laboratories for identification, and the data have been collated and b. burgdorferi detected at the national microbiology laboratory. the locations of colle ...	2006	16739422
the bba01 protein, a member of paralog family 48 from borrelia burgdorferi, is potentially interchangeable with the channel-forming protein p13.	the borrelia burgdorferi genome exhibits redundancy, with many plasmid-carried genes belonging to paralogous gene families. it has been suggested that certain paralogs may be necessary in various environments and that they are differentially expressed in response to different conditions. the chromosomally located p13 gene which codes for a channel-forming protein belongs to paralog family 48, which consists of eight additional genes. of the paralogous genes from family 48, the bba01 gene has the ...	2006	16740927
borrelia burgdorferi ebfc, a novel, chromosomally encoded protein, binds specific dna sequences adjacent to erp loci on the spirochete's resident cp32 prophages.	all examined isolates of the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi, naturally maintain numerous variants of a prophage family as circular cp32 episomes. each cp32 carries a locus encoding one or two different erp outer membrane, surface-exposed lipoproteins. many of the erp proteins bind a host complement regulator, factor h, which is hypothesized to protect the spirochete from complement-mediated killing. we now describe the isolation and characterization of a novel, chromosomally encod ...	2006	16740939
crystal structure of neurotropism-associated variable surface protein 1 (vsp1) of borrelia turicatae.	vsp surface lipoproteins are serotype-defining antigens of relapsing fever spirochetes that undergo multiphasic antigenic variation to allow bacterial persistence in spite of an immune response. two isogenic serotypes of borrelia turicatae strain oz1 differ in their vsp sequences and in disease manifestations in infected mice: vsp1 is associated with the selection of a neurological niche, while vsp2 is associated with blood and skin infection. we report here crystal structures of the vsp1 dimer ...	2006	16740958
borrelia burgdorferi in ixodes scapularis ticks, chicago area.		2006	16752480
[chrological and physiological age of the tick ixodes ricinus females].	changes of the physiological age in 3 groups of the laboratory reared ixodes ricinus females were investigated over the period of 6-16 months. the longevity was studied in 27 groups of the tick females from a wild population during 2 seasons of the tick activity. physiological age of the tick females was determined at the beginning of the study and then monthly till the end of the study. it was established that physiological ageing takes place during the life of the tick, and the ageing of diffe ...	2006	16755722
[allele variants of borrelia afzelii found by sequencing of the chromosome gene p66].	sequencing of gene p66 fragments of 246-337 p.b. was performed in 45 isolates of aorrelia afzelii isolated from different transmitting agents and reservoir hosts within the habitation area of the spirochaeta. at least seven allele variants of the pathogenic agent were found indifferent natural foci of the disease. the extent of similarity between the nucleotide sequences of the isolates of the same allele variant was 99.9-100%; the extent of similarity between different allele variants was 98.9- ...	2006	16756001
[borreliosis: report of a case of lyme disease].		2006	16756899
is neuroborreliosis a medical emergency?	although lyme disease affects the nervous system in many ways (collectively known as neuroborreliosis), only rarely does it present as a medical emergency. in extreme cases, it may cause (1) encephalitis, (2) a rapidly progressive peripheral neuropathy, or (3) a painful truncal radiculopathy that may be confused with a severe visceral process. knowing when to consider this spirochetosis in the differential diagnosis requires an understanding of its true clinical spectrum, and of an appropriate d ...	2006	16757836
[functional status of peripheral blood monocyte in patients with ixodes tick-borne borreliosis accompanied by opisthorchiasis].	the characteristics of the functional status of peripheral blood monocytes/macrophages in patients with ixodes tick-borne acute borreliosis accompanied by opisthorchiasis invasion were studied. the study revealed a decrease in the phagocytic activity of monocytes and in the level of expression of cell receptors fcgamma with the expression of cell receptors c3beta being normal.	2006	16758907
lyme borreliosis reinfection: might it be explained by a gender difference in immune response?	lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne disease often manifesting as a circular skin lesion. this cutaneous form of the disease is known as erythema migrans. in a 5-year follow-up study in southern sweden, 31 of 708 individuals initially diagnosed with erythema migrans and treated with antibiotics were found to be reinfected with borrelia burgdorferi. although men and women were tick-bitten to the same extent, 27 of the 31 reinfected individuals were women, all of whom were over 44 years of age. the ai ...	2006	16771857
[lyme disease--a relatively new entity].	purpose: to bring in the attention of the medical personnel a relatively new discovered disease with serious consequences, that is often mistaken with a great multitude of miscellaneous syndromes. also we want to highlight that it is not a rare disease taken into account its endemicity in europe and consequently in romania. summary: lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a spirochete named "borrelia burgdorferi" transmitted to humans by a minuscule tick. it is a multi-systemic illness w ...	2006	16773934
comparison of five different immunoassays for the detection of borrelia burgdorferi igm and igg antibodies.	the performances of five commercially available enzyme immunoassays were compared for the detection of borrelia burgdorferi igm and igg antibodies. sensitivity was assessed with european serum samples collected from 45 patients with clinically defined lyme disease in conjunction with a positive immunoblot (n = 44) or other serological test (n = 1). sensitivities for the detection of igm and igg with each test were: dako igm 64%; dako igg 53%; serion igm 89%; and serion igg 88%. the immunetics as ...	2006	16774561
expression and secretion of recombinant outer-surface protein a from the lyme disease agent, borrelia burgdorferi, in nicotiana tabacum suspension cells.	the ospa gene of borrelia burgdorferi codes for an outer membrane lipoprotein, which is a major antigen of the lyme disease agent. recombinant ospa vaccines tested so far were expressed in escherichia coli. in this study, we investigated the expression of a soluble ospa protein in nicotiana tabacum suspension cells and evaluated the secretion of ospa driven by either its own bacterial signal peptide or a plant signal peptide fused to the amino-terminal cysteine of the mature form. in both cases, ...	2006	16779648
persistent brain infection and disease reactivation in relapsing fever borreliosis.	relapsing fever, an infection caused by borrelia spirochetes, is generally considered a transient, self-limiting disease in humans. the present study reveals that murine infection by borrelia duttonii can be reactivated after an extended time as a silent infection in the brain, with no bacteria appearing in the blood and spirochete load comparable to the numbers in an infected tick. the host cerebral gene expression pattern is indistinguishable from that of uninfected animals, indicating that pe ...	2006	16782384
borrelia burgdorferi induces tlr1 and tlr2 in human microglia and peripheral blood monocytes but differentially regulates hla-class ii expression.	the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi is the agent of lyme disease, which causes central nervous system manifestations in up to 20% of patients. we investigated the response of human brain microglial cells, glial progenitors, neurons, astrocytes, as well as peripheral blood monocytes to stimulation with b. burgdorferi. we used oligoarrays to detect changes in the expression of genes important for shaping adaptive and innate immune responses. we found that stimulation with b. burgdorferi lysate inc ...	2006	16783164
differential effects of alcohols on conformational switchovers in alpha-helical and beta-sheet protein models.	organic solvents may induce non-native structures of proteins that mimic folding intermediates and/or conformations that occur in proximity to biological membranes. here we systematically investigate the effects of simple (i.e., meoh and etoh) and fluorinated (i.e., trifluoroethanol, tfe) alcohols on the secondary structure and thermodynamic stability of two complementary model proteins using a combination of circular dichroism, fluorescence, and fourier transform infrared (ftir) detection metho ...	2006	16784225
identification of a tlr-independent pathway for borrelia burgdorferi-induced expression of matrix metalloproteinases and inflammatory mediators through binding to integrin alpha 3 beta 1.	borrelia burgdorferi stimulates a robust inflammatory response at sites of localization. binding of borrelial lipoproteins to tlr-2 is one pathway important in the host response to b. burgdorferi. however, while tlr-2 is clearly important in control of infection, inflammation is actually worsened in the absence of tlr-2 or the shared tlr adapter molecule, myd88, suggesting that there are alternative pathways regulating inflammation. integrins are cell surface receptors that play an important rol ...	2006	16785564
lyme disease: questions and discussion.	diagnosis of lyme disease is problematic and results in both overtreatment and mistreatment. attention to epidemiology and physical findings will prevent inappropriate investigations and therapies. the disease has tropisms for specific tissues, and medical care should be tailored to the site and severity of infection.	2006	16785577
transcriptional regulation of the borrelia burgdorferi antigenically variable vlse surface protein.	the lyme disease agent borrelia burgdorferi can persistently infect humans and other animals despite host active immune responses. this is facilitated, in part, by the vls locus, a complex system consisting of the vlse expression site and an adjacent set of 11 to 15 silent vls cassettes. segments of nonexpressed cassettes recombine with the vlse region during infection of mammalian hosts, resulting in combinatorial antigenic variation of the vlse outer surface protein. we now demonstrate that sy ...	2006	16788197
serologic proteome analysis of borrelia burgdorferi membrane-associated proteins.	lyme disease, a global health concern, is caused by infection with borrelia burgdorferi, b. afzelii, or b. garinii. the spirochete responsible for the disease in the united states is b. burgdorferi and is spread by the bite of an infected ixodes tick. we utilized multiple two-dimensional gel techniques combined with proteomics to reveal the full humoral immune response of mice and lyme patients to membrane-associated proteins isolated from borrelia burgdorferi. our studies indicated that a subse ...	2006	16790758
relapsing fever spirochetes borrelia recurrentis and b. duttonii acquire complement regulators c4b-binding protein and factor h.	relapsing fever is a rapidly progressive and severe septic disease caused by certain borrelia spirochetes. the disease is divided into two forms, i.e., epidemic relapsing fever, caused by borrelia recurrentis and transmitted by lice, and the endemic form, caused by several borrelia species, such as b. duttonii, and transmitted by soft-bodied ticks. the spirochetes enter the bloodstream by the vector bite and live persistently in plasma even after the development of specific antibodies. this lead ...	2006	16790790
effect of forest clearing on the abundance of ixodes ricinus ticks and the prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi s.l.	questing ixodes ricinus l. (acari: ixodidae) ticks were collected on a forest trail that had been completely cleared of shrubs and ground vegetation in winter 2002 and on a nearby control uncleared forest transect in south moravia (czech republic). samples were collected each may in 2003, 2004 and 2005. nymphal ticks were 3.4 times, 1.9 times and 1.2 times less frequent on cleared forest than on uncleared forest trails in the three respective years, whereas adult tick abundance was 27.2 times, 4 ...	2006	16796612
antigenic variation with a twist--the borrelia story.	a common mechanism of immune evasion in pathogenic bacteria and protozoa is antigenic variation, in which genetic or epigenetic changes result in rapid, sequential shifts in a surface-exposed antigen. in this issue of molecular microbiology, dai et al. provide the most complete description to date of the vlp/vsp antigenic variation system of the relapsing fever spirochaete, borrelia hermsii. this elaborate, plasmid-encoded system involves an expression site that can acquire either variable large ...	2006	16796669
antigenic variation by borrelia hermsii occurs through recombination between extragenic repetitive elements on linear plasmids.	the relapsing fever agent borrelia hermsii undergoes multiphasic antigenic variation through gene conversion of a unique expression site on a linear plasmid by an archived variable antigen gene. to further characterize this mechanism we assessed the repertoire and organization of archived variable antigen genes by sequencing approximately 85% of plasmids bearing these genes. most archived genes shared with the expressed gene a <or= 62 nucleotide (nt) region, the upstream homology sequence (uhs), ...	2006	16796672
persistent joint swelling and borrelia-specific antibodies in borrelia garinii-infected mice after eradication of vegetative spirochetes with antibiotic treatment.	we wanted to study the pathogenesis and the long-term manifestations of borrelia garinii infection in sjl and c3h/he mice. we report here that b. garinii a218 causes a persisting infection in these mouse strains. mice infected with intracutaneous inoculation of b. garinii at 4-5 weeks of age developed a disseminated infection and joint swelling within 2 weeks of inoculation and remained infected with joint symptoms until the end of follow-ups of up to 52 weeks. treatment with ceftriaxone or ampi ...	2006	16797205
possible role of tick-borne infection in "cat-scratch disease": comment on the article by giladi et al.		2006	16802385
increased incidence of lyme borreliosis in southern sweden following mild winters and during warm, humid summers.	the aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term incidence rate of lyme borreliosis and, additionally, to determine whether a correlation exists between climatic factors and summer-season variations in the incidence of lyme borreliosis. climatic variability acts directly on tick population dynamics and indirectly on human exposure to lyme borreliosis spirochetes. in this study, conducted in primary healthcare clinics in southeastern sweden, electronic patient records from 1997-2003 ...	2006	16810531
is lyme disease always poly microbial?--the jigsaw hypothesis.	lyme disease is considered to be caused by borrelia species of bacteria but slowly evidence is accumulating which suggests that lyme disease is a far more complex condition than borreliosis alone. this hypothesis suggests that it may be more appropriate to regard lyme disease as a tick borne disease complex. over recent years numerous different microbes have been found in ticks which are known to be zoonotic and can coinfect the human host. the hypothesis suggests that multiple coinfections are ...	2006	16814477
enhanced culture of borrelia garinii and borrelia afzelii strains on a solid bsk-based medium in anaerobic conditions.	the growth of 29 human strains from the three main pathogenic species of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato on a solid bsk-based medium was compared in two culture atmospheres: 3% co(2) air and anaerobiosis. all strains grew under anaerobic conditions, whereas only 13 strains were able to grow in aerobiosis with 3% co(2) (p<0.001). in the latter condition, 75% of the b. burgdorferi sensu stricto strains grew versus 33% of the b. garinii and b. afzelii strains. these data suggest that, especially fo ...	2006	16814991
incidence of tick-borne relapsing fever in west africa: longitudinal study.	the ongoing drought in sub-saharan countries has led to the colonisation of west african savanna by ornithodoros sonrai; this tick acts as a vector for borrelia crocidurae, which causes tick-borne relapsing fever (tbrf). our aim was to ascertain the incidence of tbrf in west africa.	2006	16815378
the pathogenesis of birdshot chorioretinopathy.		2006	16818087
predictive model for lyme meningitis.		2006	16818599
perpetuation of the lyme disease spirochete borrelia lusitaniae by lizards.	to determine whether the lyme disease spirochete borrelia lusitaniae is associated with lizards, we compared the prevalence and genospecies of spirochetes present in rodent- and lizard-associated ticks at a site where this spirochete frequently infects questing ticks. whereas questing nymphal ixodes ricinus ticks were infected mainly by borrelia afzelii, one-half of the infected adult ticks harbored b. lusitaniae at our study site. lyme disease spirochetes were more prevalent in sand lizards (la ...	2006	16820453
borrelia, coxiella, and rickettsia in carios capensis (acari: argasidae) from a brown pelican (pelecanus occidentalis) rookery in south carolina, usa.	argasid ticks are vectors of viral and bacterial agents of humans and animals. carios capensis, a tick of seabirds, infests the nests of brown pelicans, pelecanus occidentalis, and other ground nesting birds along the coast of south carolina. this tick is associated with pelican nest abandonment and could pose a threat to humans visiting pelican rookeries if visitors are exposed to ticks harboring infectious agents. we collected ticks from a pelican rookery on deveaux bank, south carolina and sc ...	2006	16821092
atomic-resolution crystal structure of borrelia burgdorferi outer surface protein a via surface engineering.	outer surface protein a (ospa) from borrelia burgdorferi has an unusual dumbbell-shaped structure in which two globular domains are connected with a "single-layer" beta-sheet (slb). the protein is highly soluble, and it has been recalcitrant to crystallization. only ospa complexes with fab fragments have been successfully crystallized. ospa contains a large number of lys and glu residues, and these "high entropy" residues may disfavor crystal packing because some of them would need to be immobil ...	2006	16823038
regulation and expression of bba66 encoding an immunogenic infection-associated lipoprotein in borrelia burgdorferi.	when borrelia burgdorferi (bb) is transmitted from a tick vector to a mammalian host the spirochaete alters gene expression, allowing for adaptation to the new host. we evaluated the regulation of paralogous gene family (pgf) 54 members in response to environmental cues and focused our efforts on determining the molecular mechanisms influencing bba66 expression. by qrt-pcr, bba65, bba66, bba71 and bba73 displayed regulation similar to ospc under mammalian-like conditions. of the pgf 54 members, ...	2006	16824109
[the patient is worried about tick bite. is it usefull to test for borrelia?].		2006	16826732
[ticks and borreliosis--an underestimated danger].		2006	16826936
spirochetal cyst forms in neurodegenerative disorders,...hiding in plain sight.	here is proposed a hypothesis that a completely unsuspected biology exists for pathogenic spirochetes, namely that the cystic spirochetal forms (long thought to be static and resting or just a dormant cohort) actually are capable of killing mammalian host cells. at least two "lethal" scenarios are proposed; first, the host cell destruction from the "inside out" by small caliber cystic forms invading the host cell cytoplasm, and second host cell destruction by engulfment of entire host cells by l ...	2006	16828236
[genetic heterogeneity of borrelia afzelii in the natural focus of the middle urals].	as shown by sequencing the spacer rrf (5s)--rrl (23s) in 72 isolates of b. afzelii (one of the causative agents of ixodes tick borne borrelia infections) and the chromosomal gene coding protein p66 in 22 isolates, that in the natural focus located in the middle urals two different genetic subgroups (vs461 and nt28) of this genospecies simultaneously circulate. these subgroups are represented by 5 gene variants (rrf) 5s--(rrl) 23s and 5 allelic variants in gene p66. the latter, similarly to space ...	2006	16830585
primary cutaneous marginal zone b-cell lymphoma.	primary cutaneous marginal zone b-cell lymphoma (pcmzl) is included as one of the major types of primary cutaneous b-cell lymphoma in the revised world health organization-european organization for research and treatment of cancer classification. clinically, pcmzl is an indolent disease and has an excellent prognosis. pcmzl is composed of a polymorphous infiltrate that includes centrocyte-like, monocytoid, and lymphoplasmacytoid lymphocytes and plasma cells. numerous reactive t cells and lymphoi ...	2006	16830956
photochemical treatment of plasma with amotosalen and long-wavelength ultraviolet light inactivates pathogens while retaining coagulation function.	the intercept blood system, a photochemical treatment (pct) process, has been developed to inactivate pathogens in platelet concentrates. these studies evaluated the efficacy of pct to inactivate pathogens in plasma and the effect of pct on plasma function.	2006	16836564
migratory passerine birds as reservoirs of lyme borreliosis in europe.	to define the role of birds as reservoirs and disseminators of borrelia spirochetes, we characterized tick infestation and reservoir competence of migratory passerine birds in sweden. a total of 1,120 immature ixodes ricinus ticks were removed from 13,260 birds and assayed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (pcr) for borrelia, followed by dna sequencing for species and genotype identification. distributions of ticks on birds were aggregated, presumably because of varying encounters with t ...	2006	16836825
postexposure treatment with doxycycline for the prevention of tick-borne relapsing fever.	tick-borne relapsing fever (tbrf) is an acute febrile illness. in israel, tbrf is caused by borrelia persica and is transmitted by ornithodoros tholozani ticks. we examined the safety and efficacy of postexposure treatment to prevent tbrf.	2006	16837678
adhesion of borrelia garinii to neuronal cells is mediated by the interaction of ospa with proteoglycans.	to study pathogenic mechanisms of lyme meningoradiculitis, dorsal root ganglia (drg) cells and two neuronal cell lines (b50, sh-sy5y) were incubated with borrelia garinii, the borrelia species most frequently isolated from csf of lyme neuroborreliosis patients in europe. we demonstrated that (i) ospa-positive b. garinii adhere to neuronal cells, (ii) borrelia adhesion can be blocked by a monoclonal antibody against ospa, (iii) preincubation with proteoglycans interferes with the adhesion process ...	2006	16603253
a decrease in the immunoglobulin g antibody response against the vlse protein of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato correlates with the resolution of clinical signs in antibiotic-treated patients with early lyme disease.	the purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the liaison borrelia screen (diasorin, saluggia, italy), a new automated immunoassay based on the chemiluminescent technology (chemiluminescence immunoassay). to assess whether a decrease in a negative value in the anti-vlse immunoglobulin g (igg) antibody titer was correlated with a positive response to treatment, a group of serially collected serum samples from 67 patients with culture-confirmed erythema migrans was retros ...	2006	16603623
[lyme borreliosis: from the erythema migrans to lyme arthritis].	an outbreak of arthritis (lyme arthritis) initiated the research leading to the description of the lyme disease in the years 1977-78 as a multisystemic tick-borne disease. five years later the spirochete responsible for lyme disease is discovered and will be named borrelia burgdorferi, in honor to its discoverer, dr willy burgdorfer. presently in europe, 6 borrelia species have been described and current knowledge on epidemiology is reported here. practical advises for the diagnostic of lyme art ...	2006	16604874
experimental infection of human body lice with acinetobacter baumannii.	the human body louse is currently recognized as a vector of rickettsia prowazekii, borrelia recurrentis, and bartonella quintana. previous studies have reported the isolation of acinetobacter baumannii from the body lice of homeless patients. to study how the body louse acquires a. baumannii, we infected a rabbit by infusing 2 x 10(6) colony-forming units of the louse strain of a. baumannii. two hundred body lice were infected by feeding on the bacteremic rabbit and compared with 200 uninfected ...	2006	16606978
a modest model explains the distribution and abundance of borrelia burgdorferi strains.	the distribution and abundance of borrelia burgdorferi, including human lyme disease strains, is a function of its interactions with vertebrate species. we present a mathematical model describing important ecologic interactions affecting the distribution and abundance of b. burgdorferi strains, marked by the allele at the outer surface protein c locus, in ixodes scapularis ticks, the principal vector. the frequency of each strain in ticks can be explained by the vertebrate species composition, t ...	2006	16606995
predicting density of ixodes pacificus nymphs in dense woodlands in mendocino county, california, based on geographic information systems and remote sensing versus field-derived data.	ixodes pacificus nymphs are the primary vectors to humans of borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of lyme disease, in california. we used a supervised classification model, based on remote sensing (rs) data from multi-seasonal landsat tm 5 images, to identify the key habitat in mendocino county where humans are exposed to i. pacificus nymphs (woodlands carpeted with leaf litter). the model, based on the normalized difference vegetation index (ndvi), brightness, and wetness, separated the ny ...	2006	16606998
[clinical polymorphism of neuroborreliosis at a late stage of the disease].		2006	16608111
[even in fever, joint pain and erythema: borrelia antibodies do not prove lyme disease].		2006	16612956
[concentrations of soluble factors participating in regulation of apoptosis of lymphocyte from patients with chronic lyme arthritis (preliminary report)].	lyme borreliosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by borrelia burgdorferi spirochete. the excess and inadequate inflammatory response and even autoimmunity is considered to participate in its pathogenesis. apoptosis (programmed cell death) of activated lymphocytes contributes to regulation of immunological response and terminating the inflammation.	2006	16617735
residual brain infection in relapsing-fever borreliosis.	neurological involvement is common in the spirochetal infection relapsing fever (rf) in both humans and experimental animals. rf is best known for antigenic variation caused by the sequential expression of variable outer membrane lipoproteins of 2 sizes, variable small (vsp) and variable large (vlp) proteins. less understood is the persistence of rf borreliae in the brain after they are cleared from the blood, referred to as residual brain infection (rbi). our goal was to investigate the phenome ...	2006	16619194
borrelia lusitaniae and spotted fever group rickettsiae in ixodes ricinus (acari: ixodidae) in tuscany, central italy.	prevalence of infection by borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae was estimated in host-seeking ticks in an area in tuscany, central italy, where lyme borreliosis was reported in a forestry worker. b. burgdorferi s.l. was identified by polymerase chain reaction in 16.7% (95% ci = 10.3, 24.8) of ixodes ricinus (l.) nymphs and 39.6% (95% ci = 26.5, 54.0) of adults. borrelia lusitaniae accounted for 82.9% of positive samples, followed by borrelia garinii (9.8%), borreli ...	2006	16619594
spatiotemporal patterns of host-seeking ixodes scapularis nymphs (acari: ixodidae) in the united states.	the risk of lyme disease for humans in the eastern united states is dependent on the density of host-seeking ixodes scapularis say nymphal stage ticks infected with borrelia burgdorferi. although many local and regional studies have estimated lyme disease risk using these parameters, this is the first large-scale study using a standardized methodology. density of host-seeking i. scapularis nymphs was measured by drag sampling of closed canopy deciduous forest habitats in 95 locations spaced amon ...	2006	16619595
an avian contribution to the presence of ixodes pacificus (acari: ixodidae) and borrelia burgdorferi on the sutter buttes of california.	birds from 45 species were sampled during three spring seasons from an isolated canyon on the sutter buttes in california for the presence of subadult stages of ixodes pacificus cooley & kohls, and for infection with borrelia burgdorferi johnson, schmid, hyde, steigerwalt & brenner. these birds were found to have an infestation prevalence of 45%, a density of 1.7 ticks per bird, and an intensity of 3.8 ticks per infested bird. there was a significant difference in the i. pacificus infestations b ...	2006	16619623
geographical distribution patterns and habitat suitability models for presence of host-seeking ixodid ticks in dense woodlands of mendocino county, california.	we used drag sampling to examine the geographical distribution patterns of ixodid ticks engaging in open (non-nidicolous) host-seeking behavior in dense woodland habitats of the climatically and ecologically diverse mendocino county in north coastal california. the findings based on this sampling methodology reflect risk of human exposure to host-seeking ticks rather than the true distribution of the ticks. drag sampling in 78 sites yielded 7,860 nymphal or adult ixodes pacificus cooley & kohls, ...	2006	16619628
hepatitis b virus capsid-like particles can display the complete, dimeric outer surface protein c and stimulate production of protective antibody responses against borrelia burgdorferi infection.	hepatitis b virus capsid-like particles (clps), icosahedral assemblies formed by 90 or 120 core protein dimers, hold promise as immune-enhancing vaccine carriers for heterologous antigens. insertions into the immunodominant c/e1 b cell epitope, a surface-exposed loop, are especially immunogenic. however, display of whole proteins, desirable to induce multispecific and possibly neutralizing antibody responses, can be restrained by an unsuitable structure of the foreign protein and by its propensi ...	2006	16621801
borrelia burgdorferi ftsz plays a role in cell division.		2006	16621841
bgp, a secreted glycosaminoglycan-binding protein of borrelia burgdorferi strain n40, displays nucleosidase activity and is not essential for infection of immunodeficient mice.	bgp, one of the surface-localized glycosaminoglycan-binding proteins of the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi, exhibited nucleosidase activity. infection of scid mice with b. burgdorferi strain n40 mutants harboring a targeted insertion in bgp and apparently retaining all endogenous plasmids revealed that bgp is not essential for colonization of immunocompromised mice.	2006	16622242
evidence that the bba68 protein (bbcrasp-1) of the lyme disease spirochetes does not contribute to factor h-mediated immune evasion in humans and other animals.	bba68 (bbcrasp-1) of the lyme disease spirochetes binds human factor h (fh) and fh-like protein 1 (fhl-1). here we assess transcription of the bba68 gene and production of bba68 in infected mice and humans using real-time reverse transcriptase pcr and immunoblotting. the species specificity of fh binding to bba68 was also tested. the data suggest that bba68 does not play an important role in immune evasion in animals.	2006	16622245
molecular analysis of microbial communities identified in different developmental stages of ixodes scapularis ticks from westchester and dutchess counties, new york.	ixodes scapularis ticks play an important role in the transmission of a wide variety of pathogens between various mammalian species, including humans. pathogens transmitted by ticks include borrelia, anaplasma and babesia. although ticks may harbour both pathogenic and non-pathogenic microflora, little is known about how the diversity of the microflora within ticks may influence the transmission of pathogens. to begin addressing this question, we examined the composition of bacterial communities ...	2006	16623735
immunodominant epitope in the c-terminus of a variable major protein in borrelia duttonii, an agent of tick-borne relapsing fever.	borrelia duttonii strain ly was isolated from a child with tick-borne relapsing fever in tanzania. b. duttonii produces variable major proteins (vmps), which undergo antigenic variation. we previously reported transcription of the vmpp gene, which is one of the vmp genes in strain ly, detected in vitro cultivation. in the current study, we purified the recombinant non-lipidated vmpp protein by affinity chromatography and produced vmpp polyclonal antibodies. antigenicity of vmpp was examined by w ...	2006	16625051
relapsing fever spirochaetes produce a serine protease that provides resistance to oxidative stress and killing by neutrophils.	the spirochaetes that cause tick-borne relapsing fever and lyme disease are closely related human pathogens, yet they differ significantly in their ecology and pathogenicity. genome sequencing of two species of relapsing fever spirochaetes, borrelia hermsii and borrelia turicatae, identified a chromosomal open reading frame, designated bhpa, not present in the lyme disease spirochaete borrelia burgdorferi. the predicted amino acid sequence of bhpa was homologous with the htra serine proteases, w ...	2006	16629672
neuroborreliosis and the pediatric population: a review.	to review the medical literature on neuroborreliosis, in particular its clinical features in both adults and children, and highlight the differences between the two groups, with an emphasis on the pediatric population.	2006	16642458
serological evidence of rickettsia infections in forestry rangers in north-eastern italy.	the prevalence of antibodies to rickettsiae and other tick-borne microrganisms in the sera of 181 forestry rangers from friuli-venezia-giulia, italy, was examined. seven (3.9%) sera were positive for rickettsia conorii and rickettsia helvetica, as single or dual infections; four of these sera had been found previously to be positive for borrelia burgdorferi. antibodies to coxiella burnetii were detected in five (2.8%) sera, four of which were also positive for b. burgdorferi. these findings indi ...	2006	16643531
vlse c6 peptide and igg elisa antibody analysis for clinical diagnosis of lyme borreliosis in an endemic area.		2006	16643532
the ticking time bomb.	a man with orbital myositis and optic neuritis tested positive serologically for multiple tick-borne diseases. erlichiosis, babesiosis, and lyme disease may occur together and affect the eye or orbit.	2006	16644367
atovaquone plus cholestyramine in patients coinfected with babesia microti and borrelia burgdorferi refractory to other treatment.	ten percent of us patients with lyme disease are coinfected with babesia microti. a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial enrolled 25 patients with confirmed borrelia burgdorferi/b microti coinfection, abnormal visual contrast sensitivity (vcs), and persistent symptoms despite prior treatment with atovaquone and azithromycin. patients were randomly assigned to atovaquone suspension or placebo plus cholestyramine for 3 weeks, were crossed over for 3 weeks, and then received open-label ...	2006	16644602
[borreliosis--increasing clinical problem].	lyme disease (ld) is due to infection with borrelia burgdorferi (b. burgdorferi). we analysed some aspects of epidemiology and clinical manifestation of borreliosis. we tried to estimate the efficiency of diagnostic methods and treatment. we analyzed medical documentation of 300 patients with ld treated in our department between 1993-2001. the diagnosis was made according to lyme disease foundation's criteria. patients suffering from ld were divided into 3 groups according to stages of the disea ...	2006	16646287
climate, deer, rodents, and acorns as determinants of variation in lyme-disease risk.	risk of human exposure to vector-borne zoonotic pathogens is a function of the abundance and infection prevalence of vectors. we assessed the determinants of lyme-disease risk (density and borrelia burgdorferi-infection prevalence of nymphal ixodes scapularis ticks) over 13 y on several field plots within eastern deciduous forests in the epicenter of us lyme disease (dutchess county, new york). we used a model comparison approach to simultaneously test the importance of ambient growing-season te ...	2006	16669698
plaques of alzheimer's disease originate from cysts of borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease spirochete.	here is hypothesized a truly revolutionary notion that rounded cystic forms of borrelia burgdorferi are the root cause of the rounded structures called plaques in the alzheimer brain. rounded "plaques' in high density in brain tissue are emblematic of alzheimer's disease (ad). plaques may be conceptualized as rounded "pock mark-like" areas of brain tissue injury. in this century, in brain tissue of ad, plaques are amyloid plaques according to the most up to date textbooks. in the last century, h ...	2006	16675154
a single-run, real-time pcr for detection and identification of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species, based on the hbb gene sequence.	lyme borreliosis is the most important vector-borne disease caused by spirochetes within the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (b. burgdorferi sl) complex. there is strong evidence that different species of this group of genetically diverse spirochetes are involved in distinct clinical manifestations of the disease. in order to differentiate species within this bacterial complex, we developed a real-time-pcr protocol, which targets the hbb gene. we designed a fluorescein-labeled probe specific of ...	2006	16684099
lyme disease: the quest for magic bullets.	lyme disease represents a growing public health threat. recent molecular and genetic studies have confirmed that borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of lyme disease, is one of the most complex bacteria known to man. affinity for multiple cell types and the presence of non-replicating forms of b. burgdorferi have contributed to persistent infection and failure of simple antibiotic regimens. the controversial clinical science of lyme disease has impeded reliable diagnosis and effective tre ...	2006	16498239
an in vitro study of the activity of telithromycin against mobile and cystic forms of borrelia afzelii.	in this study the new ketolide telithromycin was tested in vitro against motile and cystic forms of borrelia afzelii, one of the species of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. acridine orange staining, dark field microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were the techniques used to study the influence of telithromycin on the bacteria. the activity was unexpectedly high, 0.0003 microg/ml < mbc < or = 0.0006 microg/ml for the mobile forms after 7 days of incubation at 34 degrees c. mic was < 0 ...	2006	16501899
differentiation of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis.	borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is a multispecies complex of pathogenic spirochetes, causing lyme borreliosis. due to clinical, epidemiological, and taxonomical implications, there is a need for identification of isolated borrelia strains. in the present study, we have optimized tgge for b. burgdorferi sensu lato species differentiation and the results were compared with two reference methods, namely pfge and restriction of 5s-23s intergenic space region pcr product. a differentiation of b. gari ...	2006	16502459
kinetics of borrelia burgdorferi infection in larvae of refractory and competent tick vectors.	the acquisition of borrelia burgdorferi by the larvae of competent and refractory ixodid ticks was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (pcr). larvae were fed on infected mice, and the spirochete loads were determined during feeding and up to 93 d postfeeding. amblyomma americanum (l.) was refractory to b. burgdorferi infection, with almost no detection of spirochete dna during or postfeeding. in contrast, ixodes scapularis say supported high loads of spirochetes (10(3)-10(4) per l ...	2006	16506448
detection of a borrelia miyamotoi sensu lato relapsing-fever group spirochete from ixodes pacificus in california.	we investigated whether host-seeking nymphs and adults of the western blacklegged tick, ixodes pacificus cooley & kohls, the primary vector of lyme disease spirochetes in far-western north america, are infected naturally with relapsing-fever group spirochetes in mendocino county, california. relapsing-fever group borreliae were detected in four (1.7%) of 234 nymphal and two (0.7%) of 282 adult host-seeking i. pacificus ticks by polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis of the 16s rrna and ...	2006	16506458
infectious agents in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type lymphomas: pathogenic role and therapeutic perspectives.	mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (malt) lymphoma probably constitutes the best in vivo model showing how complex interplay between b lymphocytes and the surrounding microenvironment may lead to a neoplastic disorder. after the seminal discovery of the pathogenic association between helicobacter pylori and gastric malt lymphomas, evidence suggests the possible involvement of other infectious agents in the development of malt lymphomas arising at different body sites. although several other bacte ...	2006	16507206
marginal zone lymphoma.	marginal zone lymphomas (mzls) comprise 3 distinct entities: extranodal mzl of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (malt), splenic mzl, and nodal mzl. gastric malt lymphoma is the most common extranodal mzl and often develops as a result of chronic helicobacter pylori gastritis. such cases frequently respond to antibiotics directed against h. pylori. antigen-driven lymphomatous disease can also be seen in the association of borrelia burgdorferi with malt lymphoma of the skin, chlamydia psittaci wi ...	2006	16507274
[erythema migrans due to borrelia afzelii].		2006	16510103
borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto invasiveness is correlated with ospc-plasminogen affinity.	borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the causative agent of lyme borreliosis, is transmitted through tick bite. lyme borreliosis evolves in two stages: a primary red skin lesion called erythema migrans; later on, invasive bacteria disseminate to distant sites inducing secondary manifestations (neuropathies, arthritis, carditis, late skin disorders). it has been previously suggested that the ospc gene could be associated with invasiveness in humans depending on its sequence. here, we confirm the patt ...	2006	16513394
clinical and demographic characteristics of psychiatric patients seropositive for borrelia burgdorferi.	borrelia burgdorferi (bb) infection can affect the central nervous system and possibly lead to psychiatric disorders. we compared clinical and demographic variables in bb seropositive and seronegative psychiatric patients and healthy controls.	2006	16516108
borrelia burgdorferi lipoprotein-mediated tlr2 stimulation causes the down-regulation of tlr5 in human monocytes.	toll-like receptors (tlrs) trigger innate immune responses via the recognition of conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns. lipoproteins from borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of lyme disease, activate inflammatory cells through tlr2 and tlr1. we show that stimulation of human monocytes with b. burgdorferi lysate, lipidated outer surface protein a, and triacylated lipopeptide pam3cysserlys4 results in the up-regulation of both tlr2 and tlr1 but the down-regulation of tlr5, the receptor for ...	2006	16479520
coinfection with borrelia burgdorferi and babesia microti: bad or worse?		2006	16479529
compositional discordance between prokaryotic plasmids and host chromosomes.	most plasmids depend on the host replication machinery and possess partitioning genes. these properties confine plasmids to a limited range of hosts, yielding a close and presumably stable relationship between plasmid and host. hence, it is anticipated that due to amelioration the dinucleotide composition of plasmids is similar to that of the genome of their hosts. however, plasmids are also thought to play a major role in horizontal gene transfer and thus are frequently exchanged between hosts, ...	2006	16480495
transfection "junk" dna - a link to the pathogenesis of alzheimer's disease?	a transfection product incorporates in one molecule of human dna, an inserted segment of dna from another species. this communication addresses the hypothesis that a novel variation of the theme of transfection, namely "junk transfection" for which no protein product and no rna is transcribed, might offer insights into the pathogenesis of alzheimer's disease. it is hypothesized that spirochetal dna gains access to the intracellular compartment of nerve cells during the subclinical latency phase ...	2006	16481123
borrelia burgdorferi ftsz plays a role in cell division.	ftsz is essential for cell division in many microorganisms. in escherichia coli and bacillus subtilis, ftsz plays a role in ring formation at the leading edge of the cell division septum. an ftsz homologue is present in the borrelia burgdorferi genome (ftsz(bbu)). its gene product (ftsz(bbu)) is strongly homologous to other bacterial ftsz proteins, but its function has not been established. because loss-of-function mutants of ftsz(bbu) might be lethal, the tetr/teto system was adapted for regula ...	2006	16484209