Publications

expanded diversity among californian borrelia isolates and description of borrelia bissettii sp. nov. (formerly borrelia group dn127).	up to now, the only species in the complex borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato known to cause lyme borreliosis in the united states has been b. burgdorferi sensu stricto. however, some atypical strains closely related to the previously designated genomic group dn127 have been isolated in the united states, mostly in california. to explore the diversity of b. burgdorferi sensu lato group dn127, we analyzed the nucleotide sequences of the rrf-rrl intergenic spacer regions from 19 atypical strains (18 ...	1998	9817861
molecular typing of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato: taxonomic, epidemiological, and clinical implications.	borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the spirochete that causes human lyme borreliosis (lb), is a genetically and phenotypically divergent species. in the past several years, various molecular approaches have been developed and used to determine the phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity within the lb-related spirochetes and their potential association with distinct clinical syndromes. these methods include serotyping, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, dna-dna reassociation analysis, rrna gene restri ...	1999	10515907
new colorimetric microdilution method for in vitro susceptibility testing of borrelia burgdorferi against antimicrobial substances.	a newly developed colorimetric microdilution method was used to analyze the activity of 12 antimicrobial agents against nine borrelia burgdorferi isolates, including all three genospecies pathogenic for humans. in addition, in vitro antimicrobial resistance patterns of borrelia valaisiana and borrelia bissettii tick isolates were investigated. the applied test system is based upon color changes that occur in the presence of phenol red and result from the accumulation of nonvolatile acid produced ...	2000	10706176
colorimetric in vitro susceptibility testing of penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides, streptogramins, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides against borrelia burgdorferi isolates.	the spectrum of antibiotic susceptibility of borrelia burgdorferi has been only partially defined. in the present study the effectiveness of 12 antimicrobials, belonging to six different antibiotic classes have been tested against borrelia burgdorferi s.s. (n=3), borrelia garinii (n=3), borrelia afzelii (n=3), borrelia valaisiana (n=1), and borrelia bissettii (n=1) isolates. these isolates were analysed by a new standardised colorimetric minimal inhibitory concentration (mic) method based upon c ...	2000	10856671
borrelia isolates in northern colorado identified as borrelia bissettii.	previous work described borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group dn127 as a new genospecies, borrelia bissettii, and prompted the present study to identify the borrelia spp. that exist in northern colorado. to determine the genospecies present, we analyzed two specific intergenic spacer regions located between the 5s and 23s and the 16s and 23s ribosomal genes. phylogenetic analysis of the derived sequences clearly demonstrated that these isolates, originating from rodents captured in the foothills ...	2000	10921989
molecular characterization of borrelia spp. isolates from greater metropolitan chicago reveals the presence of borrelia bissettii. preliminary report.	lyme disease in the us is concentrated in three endemic areas: the northeast, the upper mid-west, and the pacific coast. in the mid-west, the range of lyme disease has expanded to include large parts of wisconsin and minnesota. despite its proximity to the mid-western focus, illinois, so far, has not been considered an endemic area. however, more recent data suggest that this situation may be changing. also, the extent of borrelial diversity in the mid-west remains largely unexplored. here, we p ...	2000	11075925
babesia microti and borrelia bissettii transmission by ixodes spinipalpis ticks among prairie voles, microtus ochrogaster, in colorado.	an endemic transmission cycle of babesia microti was discovered in colorado in the foothills of the rocky mountains. b. microti were found by pcr in 4 of 25 ixodes spinipalpis tick pools tested (a 3.2 % minimum infection rate) and in 87% (13 of 15) of microtus ochrogaster (the prairie vole) spleen and blood samples. using naturally infected i. spinipalpis collected from wild-caught m. ochrogaster as vectors, b. microti and borrelia bissettii were successfully transmitted to laboratory-born m. oc ...	2000	11155930
genetic heterogeneity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the southern united states based on restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analysis.	fifty-six strains of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, isolated from ticks and vertebrate animals in missouri, south carolina, georgia, florida, and texas, were identified and characterized by pcr-restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) analysis of rrf (5s)-rrl (23s) intergenic spacer amplicons. a total of 241 to 258 bp of intergenic spacers between tandemly duplicated rrf (5s) and rrl (23s) was amplified by pcr. msei and drai restriction fragment polymorphisms were used to analyze these ...	2001	11427560
in vitro activities of fluoroquinolones against the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi.	little is known to date about the in vitro activity of fluoroquinolones against borrelia species. our study aimed at determining the in vitro activities of 15 quinolones against nine isolates of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex in addition to one borrelia valaisiana and one borrelia bissettii tick isolate. for the determination of mics, a standardized colorimetric microdilution method was applied. determination of minimal borreliacidal concentrations providing 100% killing of the fina ...	2001	11502519
use of a sentinel host system to study the questing behavior of ixodes spinipalpis and its role in the transmission of borrelia bissettii, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, and babesia microti.	ixodes spinipalpis maintains borrelia bissettii spirochetes in colorado in a cycle involving wood rats and deer mice. this tick has been described as nidicolous, remaining either attached to its rodent hosts or in the rodent nest. nidicolous ticks pose little risk of pathogen transmission to humans if they do not actively quest for hosts. to investigate the questing potential of i. spinipalpis, sentinel mice were placed in an area where i. spinipalpis had been commonly found on wood rats and dee ...	2001	11693872
novel potential reservoirs for borrelia sp. and the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in colorado.	previous work demonstrated that ixodes spinipalpis ticks maintained an enzootic cycle of borrelia bissettii and the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (aohge) within woodrats (neotoma mexicana) and deer mice (peromyscus maniculatus) in northern colorado (usa). because i. spinipalpis is the only known vector of b. bissettii and aohge in colorado, this study was designed to determine the reservoir status of other hosts of i. spinipalpis in five distinct ecological zones along the front range ...	2002	12038153
vector competence of ixodes pacificus and i. spinipalpis (acari: ixodidae), and reservoir competence of the dusky-footed woodrat (neotoma fuscipes) and the deer mouse (peromyscus maniculatus), for borrelia bissettii.	we investigated the experimental vector competence of ixodes pacificus cooley and kohls and ixodes spinipalpis hadwen and nuttall, and the reservoir competence of the dusky-footed woodrat (neotoma fuscipes baird) and the deer mouse (peromyscus maniculatus [wagner]), for borrelia bissettii postic, marti ras, lane, hendson, and baranton. both rodent species are capable reservoirs for b. bissettii; infection rates for i. pacificus or i. spinipalpis nymphs fed as larvae on infected animals ranged fr ...	2003	12943110
an enzootic transmission cycle of lyme borreliosis spirochetes in the southeastern united states.	lyme borreliosis, or lyme disease (ld), is a tick-borne zoonotic infection of biomedical significance, caused by borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) spirochetes and transmitted by ixodes species ticks. it usually circulates among wildlife vertebrate reservoirs and vector ticks but may infect humans, causing multisystem problems. in far western and northern north america, the host reservoirs, tick vectors, and genospecies of borrelia are well known but not so in the southern u.s., where there ...	2003	14500917
bacteriolytic activity of selected vertebrate sera for borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and borrelia bissettii.	an in vitro assay to evaluate the bacteriolytic activity of the complement pathway was applied to 2 strains of borrelia bissettii, co501 and dn127, and compared with that of b. burgdorferi sensu stricto b31. sera from mule deer (odocoileus hemionus) and the western fence lizard (sceloporus occidentalis) were completely borreliacidal for b. burgdorferi and for both strains of b. bissettii. serum from bobwhite quail (colinus virginianus) was nonlytic for b. burgdorferi and partially lytic for b. b ...	2003	14740924
detection and characterization of borrelia bissettii in rodents from the central california coast.	this is the first report of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in rodents from san luis obispo county, with most isolates obtained from a previously unreported host, neotoma lepida thomas. b. burgdorferi sensu lato was identified in seven rodent species, including the california vole, microtus californicus peale; dusky-footed woodrat, neotoma fuscipes baird; desert woodrat, neotoma lepida thomas; brush mouse, peromyscus boylii baird; california mouse, peromyscus californicus gambel; deer mouse, per ...	2004	15311469
borrelia species in host-seeking ticks and small mammals in northern florida.	the aim of this study was to improve understanding of several factors related to the ecology and environmental risk of borrelia infection in northern florida. small mammals and host-seeking adult ticks were collected at several sites, and specimens were tested for the presence of borrelia species, primarily by pcr amplification. tissues from some vertebrates and ticks were initially cultured in bsk-h medium to isolate spirochetes, but none were recovered. however, comparison of partial flagellin ...	2004	15528699
molecular characterization of borrelia isolates from ticks and mammals from the southern united states.	fifty borrelia isolates from ticks and rodents from several geographic regions of the southern united states were analyzed by genomic macrorestriction analysis. significant genetic diversity was observed among them. these isolates segregated into 4 major clusters and 10 subclusters, which are correlated with the genospecies distribution. nineteen pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge) types were recognized among the isolates. the genospecies borrelia andersonii and borrelia bissettii consisted ...	2004	15715220
diversity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in russian far east.	thirty strains of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato have been isolated from ixodes persulcatus ticks and from skin lesions of lyme disease patients in the russian far east from 1997 to 2003. we amplified full-length outer surface protein a (ospa) gene of all strains. blast search and following phylogenetic analysis showed that strains form four well-defined groups. four strains belong to borrelia afzelii species. other strains distributed into tree major groups, identified as borrelia garinii. ind ...	2005	15781992
molecular identification and analysis of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in lizards in the southeastern united states.	lyme borreliosis (lb) group spirochetes, collectively known as borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, are distributed worldwide. wild rodents are acknowledged as the most important reservoir hosts. ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of b. burgdorferi sensu lato in the eastern united states, and in the southeastern united states, the larvae and nymphs mostly parasitize certain species of lizards. the primary aim of the present study was to determine whether wild lizards in the southeastern united ...	2005	15870353
presence of borrelia burgdorferi (spirochaetales: spirochaetaceae) in southern kettle moraine state forest, wisconsin, and characterization of strain w97f51.	lyme disease, caused by borrelia burgdorferi johnson, schmidt, hyde, steigerwalt & brenner; babesiosis, caused by babesia microti franca; and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, caused by anaplasma phagocytophilum bakken & dumler have been reported in wisconsin, mainly in the endemic areas of the northwestern part of the state. people exposed to blacklegged ticks, ixodes scapularis say, from this region can potentially contract one or all of these diseases concurrently. within the past several year ...	2005	15962800
three multiplex assays for detection of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and borrelia miyamotoi sensu lato in field-collected ixodes nymphs in north america.	two hundred fifty new jersey field-collected ixodes scapularis say ticks and 17 colorado ixodes spinipalpis hadwen & nuttall ticks were tested using three separate multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assays. one assay targets the rrs-rrla igs region of borrelia spp. to detect borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and borrelia miyamotoi s.l. the second assay targets the ospa region of b. burgdorferi s.l. to detect b. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), borrelia bissettii, and borre ...	2005	16465748
sylvatic maintenance of borrelia burgdorferi (spirochaetales) in northern california: untangling the web of transmission.	lyme borreliosis is associated with several genospecies of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) (spirochaetales), but human disease has been associated only with borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) johnson, schmid, hyde, steigerwalt & brenner in the western united states. restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) analysis of rrf-rrl amplicons from 124 tick and mammalian isolates from various habitats yielded 13 rflp patterns. of these patterns, six were patterns previously associat ...	2006	16892634
refractoriness of the western fence lizard (sceloporus occidentalis) to the lyme disease group spirochete borrelia bissettii.	the western fence lizard, sceloporus occidentalis, is refractory to experimental infection with borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, one of several lyme disease spirochetes pathogenic for humans. another member of the lyme disease spirochete complex, borrelia bissettii, is distributed widely throughout north america and a similar, if not identical, spirochete has been implicated as a human pathogen in southern europe. to determine the susceptibility of s. occidentalis to b. bissettii, 6 naïve liz ...	2006	16995383
anti-p19 antibody treatment exacerbates lyme arthritis and enhances borreliacidal activity.	considerable effort has been made to elucidate the mechanism of lyme arthritis. we focused on p19, a cell cycle-regulating molecule, because it is known to inhibit cell cycle division of t lymphocytes which may be responsible for the induction of arthritis. we show that anti-p19 antibody treatment enhances the inflammatory response normally detected at the tibiotarsal joints of borrelia burgdorferi-vaccinated and borrelia bissettii-challenged mice. specifically, anti-p19 antibody treatment augme ...	2007	17360856
borrelia bissettii isolates induce pathology in a murine model of disease.	the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi is a tick-borne pathogen that causes lyme disease. although b. burgdorferi sensu lato is a diverse group of bacteria, only three genospecies, b. burgdorferi sensu stricto, borrelia afzelii, and borrelia garinii, are known to be pathogenic and commonly recognized to cause human disease. to assess the potential of another common genospecies, borrelia bissettii, to induce disease, a mouse model was employed. two colorado isolates of b. bissettii (co-bb) induced l ...	2008	18454594
role of il-17, transforming growth factor-beta, and il-6 in the development of arthritis and production of anti-outer surface protein a borreliacidal antibodies in borrelia-vaccinated and -challenged mice.	we showed recently that the adaptive immune events leading to the development of arthritis in borrelia burgdorferi isolate 297-vaccinated and borrelia bissettii-challenged mice involve il-17. here, we show in borrelia-vaccinated and -challenged mice that two cytokines known to induce the production of il-17, il-6 and transforming growth factor (tgf)-beta, are also involved in the development of arthritis. vaccinated and challenged mice administered either anti-tgf-beta or anti-il-6 antibodies de ...	2008	18522647
interleukin-23 is required for development of arthritis in mice vaccinated and challenged with borrelia species.	we recently hypothesized that t helper 17 (th17) cells and their associated cytokines are involved in the development of arthritis following infection with borrelia burgdorferi. here, we show that interleukin-23 (il-23), a survival factor for th17 cells, is required for the induction of arthritis in mice vaccinated with b. burgdorferi strain 297 and challenged with "borrelia bissettii." when borrelia-vaccinated and -challenged mice were given antibodies to the p19 subunit of il-23, they failed t ...	2008	18579699
characterization of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after mlui restriction of genomic dna.	at least three borrelia species (borrelia afzelii, borrelia garinii and borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto) cause disease in humans, but borrelia spielmanii, borrelia valaisiana, borrelia lusitaniae and borrelia bissettii have also been reported to be rare or potential causes of human disease in europe. pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after mlui restriction of the genomic dna (mlui large restriction fragment patterns, lrfps) represents one of several approaches that have been used to assess bor ...	2008	18586084
detection of borrelia bissettii in cardiac valve tissue of a patient with endocarditis and aortic valve stenosis in the czech republic.	molecular analysis of a clinical sample confirmed the presence of borrelia bissettii dna in cardiac valve tissue from a patient with endocarditis and aortic valve stenosis. this evidence strongly supports the involvement of b. bissettii in lyme disease in europe.	2008	18650352
borrelia carolinensis sp. nov., a new (14th) member of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex from the southeastern region of the united states.	approximately 118 borrelia isolates were cultured from a variety of rodents, birds, and ticks collected in the southern united states. in addition to a highly diverse group of borrelia bissettii strains and a homogenous group of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto strains, a group of 16 isolates with unusual characteristics was found. the isolates were cultured from ear biopsy samples of the rodents peromyscus gossypinus and neotoma floridana trapped at five localities in south carolina. a multil ...	2009	19020062
molecular detection of borrelia bissettii dna in serum samples from patients in the czech republic with suspected borreliosis.	until recently, three spirochete genospecies were considered to be the causative agents of lyme borreliosis (lb) in europe: borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, borrelia afzelii and borrelia garinii. however, the dna of borrelia valaisiana, borrelia lusitaniae, borrelia spielmanii and borrelia bissettii has already been detected in samples of human origin, or the spirochetes were isolated from the patients with symptoms of lb. molecular analysis of 12 selected serum samples collected in the regio ...	2009	19187198
delineation of a new species of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, borrelia americana sp. nov.	analysis of borrelia isolates collected from ticks, birds, and rodents from the southeastern united states revealed the presence of well-established populations of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, borrelia bissettii, borrelia carolinensis, and borrelia sp. nov. multilocus sequence analysis of five genomic loci from seven samples representing borrelia sp. nov. isolated from nymphal ixodes minor collected in south carolina showed their close relatedness to california strains known as genomospec ...	2009	19846628
transmission cycles of borrelia burgdorferi and b. bissettii in relation to habitat type in northwestern california.	this study was undertaken to determine which rodent species serve as primary reservoirs for the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi in commonly occurring woodland types in inland areas of northwestern california, and to examine whether chaparral or grassland serve as source habitats for dispersal of b. burgdorferi- or b. bissettii-infected rodents into adjacent woodlands. the western gray squirrel (sciurus griseus) was commonly infected with b. burgdorferi in oak woodlands, whereas exam ...	2009	20514140
multilocus sequence analysis of borrelia bissettii strains from north america reveals a new borrelia species, borrelia kurtenbachii.	using multilocus sequence analyses (mlsa), we investigated the phylogenetic relationship of spirochaete strains from north america previously assigned to the genospecies borrelia bissettii. we amplified internal fragments of 8 housekeeping genes (clpa, clpx, nifs, pepx, pyrg, recg, rplb, and uvra) located on the main linear chromosome by polymerase chain reaction. phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequences of the 8 loci showed that the b. bissettii clade consisted of 4 closely related clust ...	2010	21157575
the expanding lyme borrelia complex--clinical significance of genomic species?	ten years after the discovery of spirochaetes as agents of lyme disease in 1982 in the usa, three genomic species had diverged from the phenotypically heterogeneous strains of borrelia burgdorferi isolated in north america and europe: borrelia afzelii, b. burgdorferi sensu stricto (further b. burgdorferi), and borrelia garinii. whereas b. burgdorferi remained the only human pathogen in north america, all three species are aetiological agents of lyme borreliosis in europe. another seven genospeci ...	2011	21414082
whole-genome sequences of borrelia bissettii, borrelia valaisiana, and borrelia spielmanii.	it has been known for decades that human lyme disease is caused by the three spirochete species borrelia burgdorferi, borrelia afzelii, and borrelia garinii. recently, borrelia valaisiana, borrelia spielmanii, and borrelia bissettii have been associated with lyme disease. we report the complete genome sequences of b. valaisiana vs116, b. spielmanii a14s, and b. bissettii dn127.	2012	22207749
comparative study of binding of ovine complement factor h with different borrelia genospecies.	this study presents the binding of ovine factor h (fh) by various serotypes of borrelia and simultaneously correlates their complement resistance to sheep serum. affinity ligand binding assay was employed to study the binding of borrelial proteins to ovine recombinant fh and its truncated forms (short consensus repeat, scr 7 and scrs 19-20). from a repertoire of 17 borrelial strains, only two strains showed affinity to sheep fh. a ~28-kda protein of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (b. burgdor ...	2012	22367885
detection of human bacterial pathogens in ticks collected from louisiana black bears (ursus americanus luteolus).	there are 4 major human-biting tick species in the northeastern united states, which include: amblyomma americanum, amblyomma maculatum, dermacentor variabilis, and ixodes scapularis. the black bear is a large mammal that has been shown to be parasitized by all the aforementioned ticks. we investigated the bacterial infections in ticks collected from louisiana black bears (ursus americanus subspecies luteolus). eighty-six ticks were collected from 17 black bears in louisiana from june 2010 to ma ...	2013	23415850
borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes in wild birds in northwestern california: associations with ecological factors, bird behavior and tick infestation.	although borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) are found in a great diversity of vertebrates, most studies in north america have focused on the role of mammals as spirochete reservoir hosts. we investigated the roles of birds as hosts for subadult ixodes pacificus ticks and potential reservoirs of the lyme disease spirochete b. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) in northwestern california. overall, 623 birds representing 53 species yielded 284 i. pacificus larvae and nymphs. we used generalized l ...	2015	25714376
borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and co-infections with anaplasma phagocytophilum and rickettsia spp. in ixodes ricinus in hamburg, germany.	to obtain initial data on borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (spirochaetales: spirochaetaceae) in ixodes ricinus (ixodida: ixodidae) ticks in hamburg, germany, 1400 questing ticks were collected by flagging at 10 different public recreation areas in 2011 and analysed using probe-based quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. the overall rate of infection with b. burgdorferi s.l. was 34.1%; 30.0% of adults were infected (36.7% of females and 26.0% of males), as were 34.5% of nymphs. signifi ...	2015	26096626
similarities in murine infection and immune response to borrelia bissettii and borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.	in 1982, borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (ss) was identified as the aetiological agent of lyme disease. since then an increasing number of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (sl) species have been isolated in the united states. to date, many of these species remain understudied despite mounting evidence associating them with human illness. borrelia bissettii is a spirochaete closely related to b. burgdorferi that has been loosely associated with human illness. using an experimental murine infect ...	2015	26419825
patterns of tick infestation and their borrelia burgdorferi s.l. infection in wild birds in portugal.	wild birds may act as reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens and may be mechanical carriers of pathogen infected vector ticks through long distances during migration. the aim of this study was to assess tick infestation patterns in birds in portugal and the prevalence of tick infection by borrelia burgdorferi s.l. using pcr techniques. seven tick species were collected from birds including haemaphysalis punctata, hyalomma spp., ixodes acuminatus, ixodes arboricola, ixodes frontalis, ixodes ricinus an ...	2015	26159798
molecular epidemiological surveillance to assess emergence and re-emergence of tick-borne infections in tick samples from china evaluated by nested pcrs.	an investigation was performed to detect eight pathogens in ticks collected from grass tips or animals in the southern, central and northeast regions of china. dna samples extracted from ticks were collected from ten different locations in eight provinces of china and subjected to screening for tick-borne pathogens, including borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, ehrlichia spp., rickettsia spp., babesia/theileria spp., ehrlichia ruminantium, coxiella burnetii, and francisella tularensis, using nested ...	2016	26943995
isolation of live borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochaetes from patients with undefined disorders and symptoms not typical for lyme borreliosis.	lyme borreliosis is a multisystem disorder with a diverse spectrum of clinical manifestations, caused by spirochaetes of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. it is an infectious disease that can be successfully cured by antibiotic therapy in the early stages; however, the possibility of the appearance of persistent signs and symptoms of disease following antibiotic treatment is recognized. it is known that lyme borreliosis mimics multiple diseases that were never proven to have a spiroch ...	2016	26673735
borrelia bissettiae sp. nov. and borrelia californiensis sp. nov. prevail in diverse enzootic transmission cycles.	two borrelia species, borrelia bissettiae sp. nov. and borrelia californiensis sp. nov., were first described by postic and co-workers (postic et al., 2007; postic et al., 1998) based on genetic analyses of several loci. multilocus sequence analysis (mlsa) of eight housekeeping loci confirmed that these two borrelia genospecies are distinct members of the b. burgdorferi s. l. complex (margos et al., 2010). b. bissettiae sp. nov. initially was described in transmission cycles involving neotoma fu ...	2016	26813420
trans-atlantic exchanges have shaped the population structure of the lyme disease agent borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.	the origin and population structure of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), the agent of lyme disease, remain obscure. this tick-transmitted bacterial species occurs in both north america and europe. we sequenced 17 european isolates (representing the most frequently found sequence types in europe) and compared these with 17 north american strains. we show that trans-atlantic exchanges have occurred in the evolutionary history of this species and that a european origin of b. burgdorferi s. ...	2016	26955886
a divergent spirochete strain isolated from a resident of the southeastern united states was identified by multilocus sequence typing as borrelia bissettii.	out of 20 spirochete species from borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex recognized to date some are considered to have a limited distribution, while others are worldwide dispersed. among those are borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) and borrelia bissettii which are distributed both in north america and in europe. while b. burgdorferi s.s. is recognized as a cause of lyme borreliosis worldwide, involvement of b. bissettii in human lyme disease was not so definite yet.	2016	26846867
lyme disease risk in southern california: abiotic and environmental drivers of ixodes pacificus (acari: ixodidae) density and infection prevalence with borrelia burgdorferi.	tick-borne diseases, particularly lyme disease, are emerging across the northern hemisphere. in order to manage emerging diseases and predict where emergence will likely occur, it is necessary to understand the factors influencing the distribution, abundance and infection prevalence of vector species. in north america, lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease and is transmitted by blacklegged ticks. this study aimed to explore the abiotic and environmental drivers of density and infe ...	2017	28057067
borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ixodes longiscutatus ticks from brazilian pampa.	borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex includes the agents of lyme disease/borreliosis in north america, europe, and asia, such borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, borrelia afzelii, borrelia garinii, borrelia bavariensis, borrelia spielmanii, borrelia bissettiae, and borrelia mayonii. in 2013 b. burgdorferi s.l. was reported for the first time in the neotropical region, from ixodes aragaoi ticks in uruguayan pampa. in addition, from 2011 to 2016, 17 suspected human cases of borreliosis-l ...	2017	28847698