Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| mini erythema migrans--a sign of early lyme borreliosis. | an erythema migrans (em) remaining smaller than 5 cm in diameter, called mini em by us, has not been addressed in detail. | 2006 | 16484816 |
| comparative proteome analysis of subcellular fractions from borrelia burgdorferi by nephge and ipg. | borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of lyme disease, produces excessive amounts of membrane lipoproteins such as outer surface protein a (ospa) when grown in vitro, and consequently many low or moderately abundant proteins are underrepresented when cell lysates are examined by 2-de. we analyzed the b. burgdorferi b31 proteome computationally and by ipg or modified nephge after subcellular fractionation into membrane-associated and soluble proteins. the b. burgdorferi b31 theoretical proteome is comp ... | 2006 | 16485259 |
| the mystery of morgellons disease: infection or delusion? | morgellons disease is a mysterious skin disorder that was first described more than 300 years ago. the disease is characterized by fiber-like strands extruding from the skin in conjunction with various dermatologic and neuropsychiatric symptoms. in this respect, morgellons disease resembles and may be confused with delusional parasitosis. the association with lyme disease and the apparent response to antibacterial therapy suggest that morgellons disease may be linked to an undefined infectious p ... | 2006 | 16489838 |
| [all physicians must be capable to diagnose borrelia infection. a case report, or how to be a patient]. | 2006 | 16491554 | |
| myd88 deficiency results in tissue-specific changes in cytokine induction and inflammation in interleukin-18-independent mice infected with borrelia burgdorferi. | toll-like receptors (tlrs) play an important role in the control of infection with borrelia burgdorferi. deficiencies in tlr-2 or the shared tlr adapter molecule myd88 have been shown to result in greatly increased bacterial burdens in mice. however, although in vitro studies have shown that the activation of tlr pathways by b. burgdorferi results in the release of inflammatory cytokines, studies in deficient mice have shown either no change or increased rather than decreased inflammation in inf ... | 2006 | 16495516 |
| selective binding of borrelia burgdorferi ospe paralogs to factor h and serum proteins from diverse animals: possible expansion of the role of ospe in lyme disease pathogenesis. | the binding of borrelia burgdorferi ospe, ospf, and family 163 (elp) proteins to factor h/factor h-like protein 1 (fhl-1) and other serum proteins from different animals was assessed. ospe paralogs bound factor h and unidentified serum proteins from a subset of animals, while ospf and elp proteins did not. these data advance our understanding of factor h binding, the host range of the lyme spirochetes, and the expanding role of ospe in pathogenesis. | 2006 | 16495576 |
| mycosis fungoides: is it a borrelia burgdorferi-associated disease? | mycosis fungoides (mf) is the most frequently found cutaneous t-cell lymphoma with an unknown aetiology. several aetiopathogenetic mechanisms have been postulated, including persistent viral or bacterial infections. we looked for evidence of borrelia burgdorferi (bb), the aetiologic agent of lyme disease (ld), in a case study of mf patients from northeastern italy, an area with endemic ld. polymerase chain reaction for the flagellin gene of bb was used to study formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded l ... | 2006 | 16495924 |
| white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) develop spirochetemia following experimental infection with borrelia lonestari. | borrelia lonestari is considered a putative agent of southern tick-associated rash illness (stari) and is known to occur naturally only in lone star ticks (amblyomma americanum) and white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus). we used a low passage isolate of b. lonestari (ls-1) to inoculate white-tailed deer, c3h mice, holstein cattle, and beagles. animals were monitored via examination of giemsa and acridine orange stained blood smears, polymerase chain reaction (pcr), indirect fluorescent anti ... | 2006 | 16459029 |
| within-host dynamics of antigenic variation. | genomes of some parasites contain dozens of alternative and highly diverged surface antigens, of which only a single one is expressed in any cell. individual cells occasionally change expression of their surface antigen, allowing them to escape immune surveillance. these switches appear to occur in a partly random way, creating a diverse set of antigenic variants. in spite of this diversity, the parasitemia develops as a series of outbreaks, in which each outbreak is dominated by relatively few ... | 2006 | 16461018 |
| analysis of immunoglobulin v genes suggests cutaneous marginal zone b-cell lymphomas recognise similar antigens. | extranodal marginal zone b-cell lymphomas (emzl) are thought to develop from reactive infiltrates that represent immune responses to external or auto-antigens. except for gastric emzl, the antigenic triggers of emzl development are mostly unknown, although a subset of cutaneous emzl have been associated with borrelia burgdorferi infections. to further evaluate whether a common antigen may be promoting the development of cutaneous emzl, the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (v(h)) genes from ei ... | 2006 | 16445829 |
| lyme disease: uphill struggle. | 2006 | 16452949 | |
| relapsing fever in a traveller from senegal: determination of borrelia species using molecular methods. | we describe a case of a febrile patient returning from senegal in which haemoscopic and molecular investigation confirmed tick-borne relapsing fever (tbrf), suggesting borrelia crocidurae as the causative agent. this case emphasises the need to include tbrf in the differential diagnosis of fever following a journey from endemic countries, including malarial areas. | 2006 | 16455121 |
| interleukin-6 promotes anti-ospa borreliacidal antibody production in vitro. | determination of the immunological mediators responsible for promoting the production of borreliacidal antibody may facilitate the development of an improved borreliosis vaccine for human and veterinary use. previously, we developed an in vitro assay to determine if borreliacidal antibody production could be augmented by treatment with different cytokines. in this study, in vitro treatment of lymph node cells producing borreliacidal antibody with recombinant interleukin-6 (ril-6) resulted in a f ... | 2006 | 16425995 |
| function and evolution of plasmid-borne genes for pyrimidine biosynthesis in borrelia spp. | the thyx gene for thymidylate synthase of the lyme borreliosis (lb) agent borrelia burgdorferi is located in a 54-kb linear plasmid. in the present study, we identified an orthologous thymidylate synthase gene in the relapsing fever (rf) agent borrelia hermsii, located it in a 180-kb linear plasmid, and demonstrated its expression. the functions of the b. hermsii and b. burgdorferi thyx gene products were evaluated both in vivo, by complementation of a thymidylate synthase-deficient escherichia ... | 2006 | 16428394 |
| fas ligand deficiency impairs host inflammatory response against infection with the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. | lyme disease represents a complex response to borrelia burgdorferi that involves both bacterial factors as well as host responses. this results in an inflammatory reaction at several sites, including the synovial lining of joints. synovial tissues of inflamed joints contain cells expressing high levels of fas and fas ligand (fasl). although fas stimulation is typically associated with cell death, it can also transmit stimulatory signals to certain cell types. among these are dendritic cells and ... | 2006 | 16428764 |
| an annotated catalog of salivary gland transcripts from ixodes scapularis ticks. | over 8000 expressed sequence tags from six different salivary gland cdna libraries from the tick ixodes scapularis were analyzed. these libraries derive from feeding nymphs infected or not with the lyme disease agent, borrelia burgdorferi, from unfed adults, and from adults feeding on a rabbit for 6-12 h, 18-24 h, and 3-4 days. comparisons of the several libraries led to identification of several significantly differentially expressed transcripts. additionally, over 500 new predicted protein seq ... | 2006 | 16431279 |
| mutations conferring aminoglycoside and spectinomycin resistance in borrelia burgdorferi. | we have isolated and characterized in vitro mutants of the lyme disease agent borrelia burgdorferi that are resistant to spectinomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, or streptomycin, antibiotics that target the small subunit of the ribosome. 16s rrna mutations a1185g and c1186u, homologous to escherichia coli nucleotides a1191 and c1192, conferred >2,200-fold and 1,300-fold resistance to spectinomycin, respectively. a 16s rrna a1402g mutation, homologous to e. coli a1408, conferred >90-fold resistance ... | 2006 | 16436695 |
| serological confirmation of borrelia burgdorferi infection in dogs in the czech republic. | from the epidemiological point of view, dogs are very important since they are considered a suitable indicator of the spread of human borreliosis. serum samples obtained from healthy, asymptomatic military dogs from 12 different areas in the czech republic were examined for igg antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.). the total of 399 serum samples were tested by a whole-cell elisa. specific antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi s.l. were detected in 26 cases (6.5%). in different local ... | 2006 | 16437298 |
| strategies for reducing the risk of lyme borreliosis in north america. | the incidence of lyme borreliosis continues to increase in the united states. in 1991, when lyme borreliosis first became a nationally reportable disease to the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc), a total of 9470 cases were reported; in contrast, by 2002 a total of 23,763 cases were reported, >2.5x the total in 1991. area-wide acaricides can be highly effective in killing nymphal ixodes scapularis, with >95% of nymphs killed in studies using cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, or carbaryl. t ... | 2006 | 16524769 |
| determining the tick scutal index allows assessment of tick feeding duration and estimation of infection risk with borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in a person bitten by an ixodes ricinus nymph. | the risk of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato transmission from an infected vector tick to a host increases with increasing duration of tick feeding. in ixodes ricinus nymphs, the main vector of b. burgdorferi s.l. in most parts of europe, the transmission risk appears low to moderate within the first 24h of feeding but increases to >70% after only 36 h. in this study, the so-called scutal index, the ratio between tick abdominal length and scutum width, a very good measure of the level of tick eng ... | 2006 | 16524770 |
| survey on the subject of equine lyme borreliosis. | according to the results of a questionnaire on equine lyme borreliosis addressing veterinarians in germany, the existence of the disease was confirmed by more than half of the 118 participants. practitioners who regarded borrelia burgdorferi as a pathogen of horses seemed to be more sensitized in terms of the number of annually diagnosed cases as well as the frequency of occurrence of tick infestation with equine patients or prophylactic treatments against ectoparasites by horse owners. chronica ... | 2006 | 16524771 |
| clinical aspects of neuroborreliosis and post-lyme disease syndrome in adult patients. | the diagnostic criteria of active neuroborreliosis include inflammatory changes of the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) and an elevated specific borrelia csf-to-serum antibody index, indicating intrathecal borrelia antibody production. patients with neuroborreliosis are usually treated with intravenous ceftriaxone for 2-3 weeks. in case of allergy, doxycycline may be used. treatment efficacy is detected by the improvement of the neurological symptoms and the normalization of the csf pleocytosis. the me ... | 2006 | 16524775 |
| serological evidence for tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis, and human granulocytic anaplasmosis in mongolia. | five hundred and forty-five serum samples from donors from various parts of mongolia were investigated for antibodies against the tick-borne encephalitis (tbe) virus, borrelia burgdorferi, and anaplasma phagocytophilum. seroprevalence against tbe was 5.1% in the province of selenge and 0.9% in bulgan province, seroprevalence against b. burgdorferi was 1.9% in selenge province and bulgan province, 13.9% in dornogov province, and 3.0% in tov province and ulaanbaatar. seroprevalence against a. phag ... | 2006 | 16524782 |
| lyme disease associated with alzheimer's disease. | this case report discusses a patient with co-occurring neuroborreliosis and alzheimer's disease (ad). although no claim is made for causality nor is there objective evidence that spirochetes are involved in ad, co-infection may exacerbate the symptoms of either neuroborreliosis or ad. much is to be learned about the role of spirochetes in degenerative central nervous system disease. | 2006 | 16528463 |
| role of birds in thuringia, germany, in the natural cycle of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the lyme disease spirochaete. | three hundred and twenty-two birds belonging to 35 species were live-captured in reifenstein, middle germany, from march to october 2004, to investigate their role as hosts of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and its vector ticks. a total of 141 ixodes ricinus ticks collected from 53 birds belonging to eight species was investigated for the prevalence of b. burgdorferi by a pcr-rflp analysis of the ospa gene. three of these bird species, the blackbird (turdus merula), the song thrush (t. philomel ... | 2006 | 16530003 |
| comparison of isolation rate of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in mkp and bsk-ii medium. | different media have been utilized for borrelial cultivation. the aim of the present study was to evaluate the isolation rate of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from two commonly used media, i.e. modified kelly-pettenkofer (mkp) and barbour-stoenner-kelly ii (bsk-ii) medium, and to compare the isolated strains with regard to their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. skin biopsy specimens of 2 x 2 x 4 mm were taken from the peripheral site of human solitary erythema lesions and were divided ... | 2006 | 16530005 |
| risk of culture-confirmed borrelial persistence in patients treated for erythema migrans and possible mechanisms of resistance. | erythema migrans (em) develops at the site of the tick bite in 77-90% of lyme borreliosis (lb) patients and is therefore a common manifestation of early disease. clinical treatment failures have been reported in early lb cases for almost every suitable antimicrobial agent. the exact risk of resistance to antibiotic treatment in patients with em, however, is not known and there are few published cases of culture-proven treatment failure. moreover, currently available diagnostic techniques cannot ... | 2006 | 16530006 |
| borrelia burgdorferi erp genes are expressed at different levels within tissues of chronically infected mammalian hosts. | the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of lyme disease and is transmitted to humans and other vertebrate hosts through the bites of ixodid ticks. b. burgdorferi erp (ospe-f related lipoprotein) family members are encoded on members of the 32 kb circular plasmid-like prophage family (cp32s). many erp proteins serve as receptors for the complement inhibitory factor h molecules of numerous vertebrate hosts, providing one mechanism by which the bacteria potentially evade the inna ... | 2006 | 16530008 |
| structure-function mapping of bbcrasp-1, the key complement factor h and fhl-1 binding protein of borrelia burgdorferi. | borrelia burgdorferi, a spirochaete transmitted to human hosts during feeding of infected ixodes ticks, is the causative agent of lyme disease, the most frequent vector-borne disease in eurasia and north america. sporadically lyme disease develops into a chronic, multisystemic disorder. serum-resistant b. burgdorferi strains bind complement factor h (fh) and fh-like protein 1 (fhl-1) on the spirochaete surface. this binding is dependent on the expression of proteins termed complement-regulator a ... | 2006 | 16530476 |
| functionality of borrelia burgdorferi luxs: the lyme disease spirochete produces and responds to the pheromone autoinducer-2 and lacks a complete activated-methyl cycle. | borrelia burgdorferi produces pfs and luxs enzymes for breakdown of the toxic byproducts of methylation reactions, producing 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (dpd), adenine, and homocysteine. dpd and its spontaneously rearranged derivatives constitute a class of bacterial pheromones named autoinducer-2 (ai-2). we describe that b. burgdorferi produces dpd during laboratory cultivation. furthermore, addition of in vitro synthesized dpd to cultured b. burgdorferi resulted in altered expression levels ... | 2006 | 16530477 |
| prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi s.l. ospa types in ixodes ricinus ticks from selected localities in slovakia and poland. | in this study, 746 questing ixodes (i.) ricinus ticks from eastern slovakia and 187 ticks from southern poland were investigated for infection with borrelia (b.) burgdorferi sensu lato and different outer surface protein a (ospa) types by an improved restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) analysis of the ospa gene. the method enables differentiation of both single and multiple infections with b. burgdorferi s.s. (ospa type 1), b. afzelii (ospa type 2), b. garinii (ospa types 3-8), b. va ... | 2006 | 16530478 |
| etiology of tick-borne febrile illnesses in adult residents of north-eastern poland: report from a prospective clinical study. | febrile tick-borne diseases can be caused by different pathogens. the study objective was to prospectively determine the etiology of infection among adults exposed to tick bite and to detect acute human granulocytic anaplasmosis (hga), a recently emerging infection, in north-eastern poland. we evaluated 68 patients (34 males and 34 females, mean age 44.2+/-15 years) who had fever within 4 weeks after a tick bite. paired sera were tested for antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus, borre ... | 2006 | 16530481 |
| molecular analysis of decorin-binding protein a (dbpa) reveals five major groups among european borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains with impact for the development of serological assays and indicates lateral gene transfer of the dbpa gene. | the borrelia (b.) burgdorferi adhesin dbpa (decorin-binding protein a) is a valuable antigen for serodiagnosis of lyme borreliosis and a promising candidate for a vaccine. to investigate the heterogeneity of dbpa, we aligned dna sequences of 83 different dbpa genes (37 from the database, where the majority of sequences belong to b. burgdorferi sensu stricto and 46 were newly sequenced). analysis of 25 sequences from the species b. burgdorferi s.s., 16 from b. afzelii, 40 from b. garinii, and two ... | 2006 | 16530482 |
| discrimination of cognate and noncognate substrates at the active site of class i lysyl-trna synthetase. | the aminoacyl-trna synthetases are divided into two unrelated structural classes, with lysyl-trna synthetase (lysrs) being the only enzyme represented in both classes. on the basis of the structure of l-lysine complexed with pyrococcus horikoshii class i lysrs (lysrs1) and homology to glutamyl-trna synthetase (glurs), residues implicated in amino acid recognition and noncognate substrate discrimination were systematically replaced in borrelia burgdorferi lysrs1. the catalytic efficiency of stead ... | 2006 | 16533047 |
| immunophenotypic patterns of t-cell activation in neuroinflammatory diseases. | we aimed to gain insights into the pathogen-specific differences in early adaptive immune responses following central nervous system infections with borrelia burgdorferi and viral pathogens by studying the immunophenotypic patterns of t-cell activation. moreover, we wished to determine whether the expression of t-cell activation markers reflects disease activity in multiple sclerosis (ms). | 2006 | 16542164 |
| extension of ixodes ricinus ticks and agents of tick-borne diseases to mountain areas in the czech republic. | along with the shift of the hard tick ixodes ricinus to higher altitudes observed in the czech republic a corresponding shift of tick-borne infections to higher altitudes has been expected. therefore, i. ricinus ticks, mainly nymphs, were investigated for the presence of tick-borne viruses, tick-borne encephalitis (tbe), tribec and eyach, and the spirochaete borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the sumava and krkonose mountains (czech republic). the tbe virus and different genospecies of b. burgdo ... | 2006 | 16545603 |
| molecular analyses of the interaction of borrelia hermsii fhba with the complement regulatory proteins factor h and factor h-like protein 1. | borrelia hermsii, the primary etiological agent of tick-borne relapsing fever in north america, binds the complement regulatory protein factor h (fh) as a means of evading opsonophagocytosis and the alternative complement pathway. the ability of fh-binding protein a (fhba) to bind fh-like protein 1 (fhl-1) has not been assessed previously. in this study, using a whole-cell absorption assay, we demonstrated that b. hermsii absorbs both fh and fhl-1 from human serum. consistent with this, affinity ... | 2006 | 16552029 |
| myd88 deficiency enhances acquisition and transmission of borrelia burgdorferi by ixodes scapularis ticks. | borrelia burgdorferi strains exhibit various degrees of infectivity and pathogenicity in mammals, which may be due to their relative ability to evade initial host immunity. innate immune cells recognize b. burgdorferi by toll-like receptors (tlrs) that use the intracellular molecule myd88 to mediate effector functions. to determine whether impaired tlr signaling enhances ixodes scapularis acquisition of b. burgdorferi, we fed nymphs on wild-type (wt) and myd88-/- mice previously infected with tw ... | 2006 | 16552045 |
| human neutrophil calprotectin reduces the susceptibility of borrelia burgdorferi to penicillin. | borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of lyme disease, is susceptible to killing by a variety of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (pmn) components. some are most effective against metabolically active b. burgdorferi. the abundant pmn cytoplasmic protein calprotectin, elevated 10- to 100-fold in inflammation, inhibits the growth of spirochetes through chelation of the essential cation, zn. since the action of some therapeutic antibiotics depends on bacterial division, we investigated the antibio ... | 2006 | 16552081 |
| sigma factor selectivity in borrelia burgdorferi: rpos recognition of the ospe/ospf/elp promoters is dependent on the sequence of the -10 region. | members of the ospe/ospf/elp lipoprotein gene families of borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease agent, are transcriptionally upregulated in response to the influx of blood into the midgut of an infected tick. we recently have demonstrated that despite the high degree of similarity between the promoters of the ospf (p(ospf)) and ospe (p(ospe)) genes of b. burgdorferi strain 297, the differential expression of ospf is rpos-dependent, while ospe is controlled by sigma(70). herein we used wild-type ... | 2006 | 16553889 |
| a tick b-cell inhibitory protein from salivary glands of the hard tick, hyalomma asiaticum asiaticum. | some studies done to date suggest that b-cell inhibitory factor occurred in tick saliva. in this study, a novel protein having b-cell inhibitory activity was purified and characterized from the salivary glands of the hard tick, hyalomma asiaticum asiaticum. this protein was named b-cell inhibitory factor (bif). the cdna encoding bif was cloned by cdna library screening. the predicted protein from the cdna sequence is composed of 138 amino acids including the mature bif. no similarity was found b ... | 2006 | 16554026 |
| anti-interleukin-15 prevents arthritis in borrelia-vaccinated and -infected mice. | we showed previously that interleukin-17 (il-17) plays a significant role in the induction of arthritis associated with borrelia vaccination and challenge. little information, however, is available about the chain of immunologic events that leads to the release of il-17. the production of il-17 has been linked to stimulation of memory cells by il-15. therefore, we hypothesized that il-15 is involved in the induction of arthritis associated with borrelia vaccination and infection of mice. here we ... | 2006 | 16467340 |
| report refuting value of immune complexes to diagnose lyme disease is invalid. | 2006 | 16467344 | |
| borrelia burgdorferi lipoproteins are secreted to the outer surface by default. | borrelia spirochaetes are unique among diderm bacteria in their abundance of surface-displayed lipoproteins, some of which play important roles in the pathogenesis of lyme disease and relapsing fever. to identify the lipoprotein-sorting signals in borrelia burgdorferi, we generated chimeras between the outer surface lipoprotein ospa, the periplasmic oligopeptide-binding lipoprotein oppaiv and mrfp1, a monomeric red fluorescent reporter protein. localization of ospa and oppaiv point mutants showe ... | 2006 | 16468989 |
| inactivation of the fibronectin-binding adhesin gene bbk32 significantly attenuates the infectivity potential of borrelia burgdorferi. | borrelia burgdorferi, the aetiological agent of lyme disease, utilizes multiple adhesins to interact with both the arthropod vector and mammalian hosts it colonizes. one such adhesive molecule is a surface-exposed fibronectin-binding lipoprotein, designated bbk32. previous characterization of bbk32-mediated fibronectin binding has been limited to biochemical analyses due to the difficulty in mutagenizing infectious isolates of b. burgdorferi. here we report an alternative method to inactivate bb ... | 2006 | 16468997 |
| a serological study of exposure to arthropod-borne pathogens in dogs from northeastern spain. | there is limited information regarding the prevalence of many vector borne pathogens in europe and especially in spanish dogs. we investigated 206 sick and 260 clinically healthy dogs from three different regions in northeastern spain for antibodies to rickettsia conorii (rc), ehrlichia canis (ec), anaplasma phagocytophilum (ap), bartonella henselae (bh), bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (bvb), leishmania infantum (li) and borrelia burgdorferi (bb) and for antigen of dirofilaria immitis (di ... | 2006 | 16472522 |
| broad-range pcr-ttge for the first-line detection of bacterial pathogen dna in ticks. | ticks are known or suspected vectors for a wide range of bacterial pathogens. one of the first steps for tick-borne risk assessment is the detection of these pathogens in their vectors. in the present study, a broad-range pcr amplification of the eubacterial gene encoding the 16s rrna gene combined with temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (ttge) was evaluated as a method allowing the one-step detection of bacterial pathogen dna in ticks. firstly, dna extracts from bacteria known to ... | 2006 | 16472523 |
| the dynamic proteome of lyme disease borrelia. | the proteome of the spirochete bacterium borrelia burgdorferi, the tick-borne agent of lyme disease, has been characterized by two different approaches using mass spectrometry, providing a launching point for future studies on the dramatic changes in protein expression that occur during transmission of the bacterium between ticks and mammals. | 2006 | 16563176 |
| primary biliary cirrhosis: when and why does the disease develop? | primary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic cholestatic liver disease with an autoimmune pathogenesis, that generally develops in adult life, often in perimenopausal age. the clinical features are heterogeneous, ranging from an asymptomatic presentation to end-stage liver disease. primary biliary cirrhosis is unknown in children and its natural history has yet to be elucidated. following a canadian report of primary biliary cirrhosis in two girls (16 and 15 years old), we describe a clinical case dev ... | 2006 | 16567309 |
| differential diagnosis of mesiotemporal lesions: case report of neurosyphilis. | 2006 | 16568298 | |
| ehrlichia infection of the central nervous system. | ehrlichiosis in the united states is caused by three closely related bacterial species (ehrlichia chaffeensis, ehrlichia ewingii, and anaplasma phagocytophilum), all transmitted through tick bite. although there is variation with respect to geography and tick vector, the clinical manifestations are similar, and treatment of these infections is identical. ehrlichiosis can present with a spectrum of neurologic manifestations, ranging in severity from headache to meningoencephalitis. treatment is s ... | 2006 | 16569376 |
| human thyroid autoantigens and proteins of yersinia and borrelia share amino acid sequence homology that includes binding motifs to hla-dr molecules and t-cell receptor. | we previously reported that the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi could trigger autoimmune thyroid diseases (aitd). subsequently, we showed local amino acid sequence homology between all human thyroid autoantigens (human thyrotropin receptor [htsh-r], human thyroglobulin [htg], human thyroperoxidase [htpo], human sodium iodide symporter [hnis]) and borrelia proteins (n = 6,606), and between htsh-r and yersinia enterocolitica (n = 1,153). we have now updated our search of homology with borrelia (n ... | 2006 | 16571084 |
| detection of babesia and anaplasma species in rabbits from texas and georgia, usa. | rabbits have been shown to harbor a suite of zoonotic organisms, including a babesia species, borrelia burgdorferi, and anaplasma phagocytophilum. in this study, we conducted a molecular survey for various tick-borne pathogens in three species of rabbits from texas and georgia. of 18 black-tailed jackrabbits (lepus californicus) tested from texas, six (28%) were polymerase chain reaction (pcr) positive for babesia, and nucleotide sequencing revealed two distinct species or strains. two jackrabbi ... | 2006 | 16584322 |
| a study of the presence of b. burgdorferi, anaplasma (previously ehrlichia) phagocytophilum, rickettsia, and babesia in ixodes ricinus collected within the territory of belluno, italy. | in the years 2000 and 2001, we sampled ticks in order to establish the distribution of ixodes ricinus in the province of belluno; 5987 tick samples from 244 sites throughout the province were gathered, by dragging for a 5-min period. in 40 sites, seasonal variations and cycle stages of the parasites were studied at monthly intervals from march to september. a polymerase chain reaction (pcr) technique was used to identify the tick-infected sites. of 1931 individual ticks, 8.23% were positive for ... | 2006 | 16584324 |
| co-detection of bartonella henselae, borrelia burgdorferi, and anaplasma phagocytophilum in ixodes pacificus ticks from california, usa. | presence of bartonella dna was explored in 168 questing adult ixodes pacificus ticks from santa cruz county, california. bartonella henselae type i dna was amplified from 11 ticks (6.55%); previously, two (1.19%) were found to be infected with borrelia burgdorferi and five (2.98%) with anaplasma phagocytophilum. detection of b. henselae was not dependent on co-infection. the present study offers additional evidence that ixodes spp. ticks may act as hosts and possibly vectors for b. henselae. | 2006 | 16584332 |
| a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay of borrelia burgdorferi 16s rrna for highly sensitive quantification of pathogen load in a vector. | we developed a real-time quantitative detection assay for the pathogen borrelia burgdorferi, a lyme borreliosis (lb) agent, using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) with primers and probe for a borrelia genus-specific region of 16s ribosomal rna. the standard curve of the assay was linear by semi-log plot over more than five orders of magnitude, and the detection limit of the assay was one thousandth of a single cell of b. burgdorferi. the minimum target level for detection ... | 2006 | 16584333 |
| activity of lysosomal exoglycosidases in the serum of patients with chronic lyme arthritis. | to examine the role of lysosomal exoglycosidases in the pathogenesis of lyme arthritis we studied a group of 18 patients aged 18-72 (mean: 46 yr) diagnosed with chronic arthritis in the course of borreliosis. the control group was composed of 20 healthy volunteers (health service employees) aged 25-65 (mean: 45 yr) with no detectable serum anti-borrelia burgdorferi antibodies. we found that n-acetyl-beta-d-hexosaminidase (hex) was significantly increased and beta-galactosidase and alpha-mannosid ... | 2006 | 16584916 |
| antibiotic-refractory lyme arthritis is associated with hla-dr molecules that bind a borrelia burgdorferi peptide. | an association has previously been shown between antibiotic-refractory lyme arthritis, the human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (hla)-dr4 molecule, and t cell recognition of an epitope of borrelia burgdorferi outer-surface protein a (ospa163-175). we studied the frequencies of hla-drb1-dqa1-dqb1 haplotypes in 121 patients with antibiotic-refractory or antibiotic-responsive lyme arthritis and correlated these frequencies with in vitro binding of the ospa163-175 peptide to 14 drb molecules. ... | 2006 | 16585267 |
| delineation of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species by multilocus sequence analysis and confirmation of the delineation of borrelia spielmanii sp. nov. | to evaluate multilocus sequence analysis (mlsa) for taxonomic purposes in the delineation of species within borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, seven relevant loci of various strains for which extensive dna-dna reassociation data were available were sequenced. mlsa delineation proved to be fully concordant with conventional methods. our analysis confirmed the delineation of a novel species, borrelia spielmanii sp. nov., previously known as 'borrelia spielmani' richter et al. 2004, with strain pc-eq ... | 2006 | 16585709 |
| expression of icam-1, icam-2, ncam-1 and vcam-1 by human synovial cells exposed to borrelia burgdorferi in vitro. | the interaction of resident tissue cells with migratory inflammatory cells is essential for the recruitment of immune effector cells to inflammatory sites. the sustained expression of adhesion molecules in the synovium of patients with chronic lyme arthritis seems to contribute to this chronic inflammation. whether cell adhesion molecules influence the early steps of borreliosis is unclear. therefore, we examined the expression of icam-1, icam-2, vcam-1 and ncam-1 in synovial cells exposed to tw ... | 2006 | 16307273 |
| [cytokine cxcl13--a possible early csf marker for neuroborreliosis]. | the definitive diagnosis of acute neuroborreliosis (nb) is based upon the presence of lymphomonocytic csf pleocytosis and intrathecal borrelia burgdorferi (b.b.)-specific antibody production (expressed by an antibody index of >2). however, the latter might be absent in early stages of the disease. now a recently discovered additional csf marker-the cytokine cxcl13-was found to be positive in every initial csf sample from patients with nb and therefore could be a valuable tool for early diagnosis ... | 2006 | 16308679 |
| protective efficacy of an oral vaccine to reduce carriage of borrelia burgdorferi (strain n40) in mouse and tick reservoirs. | lyme disease is caused by the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted through the bite of infected ixodes ticks. vaccination of mice with outer surface protein a (ospa) of b. burgdorferi has been shown to both protect mice against b. burgdorferi infection and reduce carriage of the organism in feeding ticks. here we report the development of a murine-targeted ospa vaccine utilizing vaccinia virus to interrupt transmission of disease in the reservoir hosts, thus reducing incidence o ... | 2006 | 16300863 |
| identification of borrelia burgdorferi outer surface proteins. | several borrelia burgdorferi outer surface proteins have been identified over the past decade that are up-regulated by temperature- and/or mammalian host-specific signals as this spirochete is transmitted from ticks to mammals. given the potential role(s) that these differentially up-regulated proteins may play in b. burgdorferi transmission and lyme disease pathogenesis, much attention has recently been placed on identifying additional borrelial outer surface proteins. to identify uncharacteriz ... | 2006 | 16368984 |
| fibronectin binding protein bbk32 of the lyme disease spirochete promotes bacterial attachment to glycosaminoglycans. | borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of lyme disease, causes a multisystemic illness that can affect the skin, heart, joints, and nervous system and is capable of attachment to diverse cell types. among the host components recognized by this spirochete are fibronectin and glycosaminoglycans (gags). three surface-localized gag-binding bacterial ligands, bgp, dbpa, and dbpb, have been previously identified, but recent studies suggested that at least one additional gag-binding ligand is expressed on the ... | 2006 | 16368999 |
| lipoprotein computational prediction in spirochaetal genomes. | lipoproteins are of great interest in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of spirochaetes. because spirochaete lipobox sequences exhibit more plasticity than those of other bacteria, application of existing prediction algorithms to emerging sequence data has been problematic. in this paper a novel lipoprotein prediction algorithm is described, designated splip, constructed as a hybrid of a lipobox weight matrix approach supplemented by a set of lipoprotein signal peptide rules allowing for ... | 2006 | 16385121 |
| intrathecal antibody production in a mouse model of lyme neuroborreliosis. | intrathecal antibody (itab) production is a common feature of neurological diseases, yet very little is known about its mechanisms. because itab is prominent in human lyme neuroborreliosis (lnb), in the present study we established a mouse model of lnb to study itab production. we injected different strains of borrelia burgdorferi into a variety of mouse strains by the intracerebral (i.c.) route to develop the model. spirochetal infection and itab production were identified by complementary meth ... | 2006 | 16387369 |
| borrelia burgdorferi bb0728 encodes a coenzyme a disulphide reductase whose function suggests a role in intracellular redox and the oxidative stress response. | the cellular responses of borrelia burgdorferito reactive oxygen species (ros) encountered during the different stages of its infective cycle are poorly understood. few enzymes responsible for protecting proteins, dna/rna and lipids from damage by ros have been identified and characterized. data presented here suggest that bb0728 encodes an enzyme involved in this process. biochemical analyses on purified recombinant bb0728 indicated that it functioned as a coenzyme a disulphide reductase (coadr ... | 2006 | 16390443 |
| prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks collected from migratory birds in switzerland. | the prevalence of ticks infected by borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato on birds during their migrations was studied in switzerland. a total of 1,270 birds captured at two sites were examined for tick infestation. ixodes ricinus was the dominant tick species. prevalences of tick infestation were 6% and 18.2% for birds migrating northward and southward, respectively. borrelia valaisiana was the species detected most frequently in ticks, followed by borrelia garinii and borrelia lusitaniae. among bird ... | 2006 | 16391149 |
| neuroborreliosis with progression from pseudotumor cerebri to aseptic meningitis. | we report a patient with an initial diagnosis of lyme-associated pseudotumor cerebri who developed cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis consistent with lyme meningitis. the case illustrates the importance of considering neuroborreliosis in the differential diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri and describes the evolution of cerebrospinal fluid findings in this condition. | 2006 | 16395117 |
| murine glia express the immunosuppressive cytokine, interleukin-10, following exposure to borrelia burgdorferi or neisseria meningitidis. | there is growing appreciation that resident glial cells can initiate and/or regulate inflammation following trauma or infection in the central nervous system (cns). we have previously demonstrated the ability of microglia and astrocytes, resident glial cells of the cns, to respond to bacterial pathogens by rapid production of inflammatory mediators. however, inflammation within the brain parenchyma is notably absent during some chronic bacterial infections in humans and nonhuman primates. in the ... | 2006 | 16419089 |
| no evidence for an association of ocular adnexal lymphoma with chlamydia psittaci in a cohort of patients from the netherlands. | extra-nodal marginal zone b cell lymphomas (mzbcls) of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (malt) arise at sites of chronic antigenic stimulation due to organ-specific autoimmunity or infections, like helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis and borrelia burgdorferi dermatitis. recently, conflicting data have been published regarding a possible association between chlamydia psittaci and ocular adnexal mzbcl. in the present study, we analyzed a cohort of ocular adnexal mzbls from the n ... | 2006 | 16420962 |
| is chronic lymphocytic leukemia a response to infectious agents? | 2006 | 16406017 | |
| reduced number of interleukin-12 secreting cells in patients with lyme borreliosis previously exposed to anaplasma phagocytophilum. | lyme borreliosis and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis are tick-borne diseases caused by borrelia burgdorferi and anaplasma phagocytophilum, respectively. infection with a. phagocytophilum has been observed to induce immunosuppression and animal studies suggest that the bacteria might also have prolonged inhibitory effects on immune cells. the aim of this study was to investigate the cytokine secretion in patients exposed previously to a. phagocytophilum and currently infected with b. burgdorferi ... | 2006 | 16412057 |
| a retrospective study of cutaneous equine sarcoidosis and its potential infectious aetiological agents. | nine horses from ages 5 to 21 years were diagnosed with cutaneous equine sarcoidosis (es) over an 18-year period. in addition to skin, the lungs were frequently involved, with other organ systems affected less commonly. a predisposition for thoroughbreds and geldings was noted. cutaneous lesions and signs included crusts, scales, alopecia and pruritus. these were found at various sites, particularly the legs/thighs/elbows, thorax, neck, face and ventral abdomen. three horses were euthanized shor ... | 2006 | 16412120 |
| the mhc class i-related fcrn ameliorates murine lyme arthritis. | the identification of the neonatal fcr (fcrn) as an igg homeostasis regulator has led to research aimed at delineating a role for fcrn in humorally mediated disease. fcrn is a class i-related molecule that prolongs the half-life of serum igg by preferentially binding igg at low ph and inhibiting its degradation. its role in protective immunity to infectious organisms is unknown. we investigated the function of fcrn in the murine model of lyme arthritis, caused by infection with borrelia burgdorf ... | 2006 | 16415101 |
| assessment of unspecific near-infrared dyes in laser-induced fluorescence imaging of experimental arthritis. | the aim of the study is to evaluate in vivo fluorescence imaging of experimental inflammatory joint disease by applying two different near-infrared (nir) dyes in a model of borrelia-induced lyme arthritis. | 2006 | 16399028 |
| seropositivity for anti-borrelia igg antibody is independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis. | various infectious agents are associated with atherosclerosis. this analysis was performed to investigate relation between seropositivity for anti-borrelia igg and carotid atherosclerosis. | 2006 | 16326170 |
| functional expression of nod2, a novel pattern recognition receptor for bacterial motifs, in primary murine astrocytes. | there is growing appreciation that resident brain cells can initiate and/or regulate inflammation after trauma or infection in the central nervous system (cns). recent studies from our laboratory have begun to shed light on the mechanisms by which astrocytes perceive bacterial challenges by demonstrating the functional expression of toll-like receptors (tlr) in this cell type. in the present study, we demonstrate that astrocytes also express members of the novel nucleotide-binding oligomerizatio ... | 2006 | 16265673 |
| oral vaccine that breaks the transmission cycle of the lyme disease spirochete can be delivered via bait. | borrelia burgdorferi causes lyme disease, a potentially debilitating human disease for which no vaccine is currently available. we developed an oral bait delivery system for an anti-b. burgdorferi vaccine based in ospa. mice were immunized orally via gavage and bait feeding. challenge was performed via ixodes scapularis field nymphs carrying multiple b. burgdorferi strains. vaccination protected 89% of the mice and the systemic immune response was skewed toward igg2a/2b production. moreover, thi ... | 2006 | 16198456 |
| beta-amyloid deposition and alzheimer's type changes induced by borrelia spirochetes. | the pathological hallmarks of alzheimer's disease (ad) consist of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in affected brain areas. the processes, which drive this host reaction are unknown. to determine whether an analogous host reaction to that occurring in ad could be induced by infectious agents, we exposed mammalian glial and neuronal cells in vitro to borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes and to the inflammatory bacterial lipopolysaccharide (lps). morphological changes analogous to the ... | 2006 | 15894409 |
| seroprevalence study of tick-borne encephalitis, borrelia burgdorferi, dengue and toscana virus in turin province. | tick borne encephalitis virus (tbev) is present in some european countries and it is transmitted by a tick bite. ixodes ricinus is the main vector of the infection in italy, where fortunately clinical neurological manifestations, typical of the more serious phase of the disease, are very rarely observed. this behaviour is different from other endemic euroasiatic areas where numerous cases of encephalitis are described. however tbe transmission has not been widely investigated in italy and availa ... | 2007 | 16312014 |
| co-evolution of the outer surface protein c gene (ospc) and intraspecific lineages of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in the northeastern united states. | clinical and tick isolates of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the bacterial agent of lyme disease, from the northeastern united states were sequenced at 12 loci located on the main chromosome and 7 plasmids (lp54, cp26, cp9, lp17, lp25, lp28-2, and lp38). the outer surface protein c gene (ospc) showed the highest number (12) of major alleles (defined as alleles differing by 5% or more in nucleotide sequence) while other orfs had only two to four major alleles. a non-recombining chromosomal m ... | 2007 | 16684623 |
| laboratory maintenance of borrelia burgdorferi. | this unit describes the propagation of borrelia burgdorferi as well as other "cultivable" borrelia species in barbour-stoenner-kelly-ii (bsk-ii) medium. it supplies a detailed recipe for bsk-ii, as well as protocols for standard liquid culture, the generation of frozen borrelia stocks, and the plating of b. burgdorferi cells in solid bsk-ii medium. | 2007 | 18770608 |
| significance of borrelia infection in development of dilated cardiomypathy (a pilot study). | a heart involvement known as lyme carditis (lc), a consequence of lyme borreliosis (lb), is relatively rare in contrast to the involvement of skin, joints and nervous system; it accounts for < 4% of all these patients in european countries. however, the diagnosis of the disease belongs to the most difficult challenges. while various forms of av blocks dominate in the usa as confirmed by the literature, there is a clear predominance of arrhythmias of various incidence in the czech republic. the a ... | 2007 | 18780646 |
| [ticks bite in foresters]. | the objective of the study is evalutation of the risk for ticks strings on foresters. the sample constituted by 325 foresters belong to messina province as been submitted to medical examination venous tests. whole sample had to answer to a questionnaire to consider. the prevalence of systemic and skin reactions and we have dose immunoglobulines versus brucella melitensis, rickettsie conorii e borrelia burgdorferi. the results showed that the 19% has declared past stings of tick, and 4.9% reporte ... | 2007 | 18409975 |
| the great lyme debate. | 2007 | 19146213 | |
| molecular and serological diagnosis of borrelia burgdorferi infection among patients with diagnosed erythema migrans. | the aim of the study was to assess the frequency of borrelia burgdorferi dna detection in the blood and urine of patients diagnosed with erythema migrans, and compare the results of pcr-based methods with elisa methodology. the latter was used to detect serum antibodies against borrelia burgdorferi of the igm and igg classes, before and after antibiotic therapy. the study included 86 patients hospitalized in the department of infectious diseases and neuroinfections in the medical academy in biał ... | 2007 | 18247452 |
| borrelia burgdorferi infection and cutaneous lyme disease, mexico. | four patients who had received tick bites while visiting forests in mexico had skin lesions that met the case definition of erythema migrans, or borrelial lymphocytoma. clinical diagnosis was supported with histologic, serologic, and molecular tests. this study suggests the borrelia burgdorferi infection is in mexico. | 2007 | 18258006 |
| co-circulating microorganisms in questing ixodes scapularis nymphs in maryland. | ixodes scapularis can be infected with borrelia burgdorferi, anaplasma phagocytophilum, bartonella spp., babesia microti, and rickettsia spp., including spotted-fever group rickettsia. as all of these microorganisms have been reported in maryland, the potential for these ticks to have concurrent infections exists in this region. to assess the frequency of these complex infections, 348 i. scapularis nymphs collected in 2003 were screened for these microorganisms by pcr with positives being confir ... | 2007 | 18260514 |
| host-seeking behavior of ixodes pacificus (acari: ixodidae) nymphs in relation to environmental parameters in dense-woodland and woodland-grass habitats. | in the far-western united states, the bacteria that cause lyme disease (borrelia burgdorferi, bb) and human granulocytic anaplasmosis (anaplasma phagocytophilum, ap) are transmitted by the western black-legged tick (ixodes pacificus). in a dense woodland, human behaviors involving contact with wood were recently found to pose greater risk for encountering i. pacificus nymphs than behaviors entailing exclusive exposure to leaf litter. a four-year follow-up study was undertaken in the same woodlan ... | 2007 | 18260527 |
| [unusual clinical manifestation of lyme disease--report of 2 cases]. | unusual clinical manifestation of lyme borreliosis in two children has been presented. we discuss patient from borrelia-endemic area who presented with persistent headache, weakness and fever. the second patient experienced acute flu-like signs with associated neck pain and stiffness (probable diagnosis). after two weeks lasting antibiotic therapy (ceftriaxone, ampicillin) nonspecific symptoms and signs decreased. | 2007 | 18595510 |
| [occurrence of borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in selected ixodes ricinus populations within nadbuzański landscape park]. | the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ixodes ricinus ticks within nadbuzański landscape park (central-eastern mazovian province, poland). material and | 2007 | 18441877 |
| cloning and expression of recombinant flagellar protein flab from borrelia burgdorferi. | lyme borreliosis is an arthropod transmitted infection caused by some species of the borrelia genus. current diagnosis employs serological testing and detection of borrelia-specific antibodies. using recombinant borrelia burgdorferi antigens may improve assay specificity and sensitivity. one of the immunodominant borrelia antigens that elicit a strong and early immune response is flab, making it appropriate for recombinant protein based serological diagnostic tests. | 2007 | 18504936 |
| mercury exposure as a model for deviation of cytokine responses in experimental lyme arthritis: hgcl2 treatment decreases t helper cell type 1-like responses and arthritis severity but delays eradication of borrelia burgdorferi in c3h/hen mice. | lyme borreliosis is a complex infection, where some individuals develop so-called 'chronic borreliosis'. the pathogenetic mechanisms are unknown, but the type of immune response is probably important for healing. a strong t helper cell type 1 (th1)-like response has been suggested as crucial for eradication of borrelia and for avoiding development of chronic disease. many studies aimed at altering the th1/th2 balance in lyme arthritis employed mice deficient in cytokine genes, but the outcome ha ... | 2007 | 17672870 |
| [concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines ifn-gamma, il-6, il-12 and il-15 in serum and cerebrospinal fluid in patients with neuroborreliosis undergoing antibiotic treatment]. | pathogenesis of lyme disease, including neuroborreliosis, remains unclear. however, pro-inflammatory cytokines seem to be involved and might be used to monitor the course of the disease. it has been also shown that b. burgdorferi protects itself from elimination by modulating function of the host's immune system. | 2007 | 17684925 |
| [lyme arthritis]. | lyme disease is a multi-system inflammatory disease caused by spirochetes of the borrelia burgdorferi. among multiplicity manifestations of lyme disease, musculoskeletal symptoms also occur. in the following article authors present epidemiology of lyme disease, pathogenesis of antibiotic-refractory lyme arthritis, symptoms, diagnosis and management of lyme arthritis based on recent guidelines prepared by an expert panel of the infectious diseases society of america. | 2007 | 17892043 |
| immunity in borreliosis with special emphasis on the role of complement. | 2007 | 17892213 | |
| borrelia lusitaniae ospa gene heterogeneity in mediterranean basin area. | in this study, borrelia lusitaniae dna extracted from ticks and lizards was used to amplify the outer surface protein a (ospa) gene in order to increase knowledge about sequence variability in the mediterranean basin area, to better understand how borrelia lusitaniae has evolved and how its distribution has expanded. phylogenetic trees including italian and reference sequences showed a clear separation of b. lusitaniae ospa strains in two different major clades. north african isolates form a cla ... | 2007 | 17896068 |
| identification of salp15 homologues in ixodes ricinus ticks. | the 15-kda ixodes scapularis salivary gland protein salp15 protects borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto from antibody-mediated killing and facilitates infection of the mammalian host. in addition, salp 15 has been shown to inhibit t-cell activation. we determined whether ixodes ricinus, the major vector for lyme borreliosis in western europe, also express salp15-related genes. we show that engorged i. ricinus express salp15 and we have identified three salp15 homologues within these ticks by reve ... | 2007 | 17896872 |
| morphoea: a manifestation of infection with borrelia species? | morphoea or localized scleroderma is a cutaneous inflammatory disease with still unknown aetiology. borrelia burgdorferi as causative agent has been discussed controversially. | 2007 | 17941947 |