Publications

lymphoma presenting as acute-onset dysphagia.	a 61-year-old man with recent bell's palsy developed acute vocal cord paralysis causing severe dysphagia. csf analysis showed elevated protein and a normal cell count; contrast-enhanced mri of the brain was normal. he was treated with ivig for a presumed bulbar-variant aidp and gradually improved. six months later, the patient developed rapidly progressive hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. repeat mri revealed bilateral enhancement of the eighth cranial nerves and a hypercellular mass in t ...	2015	26635982
no evidence that infection alters global recombination rate in house mice.	recombination rate is a complex trait, with genetic and environmental factors shaping observed patterns of variation. although recent studies have begun to unravel the genetic basis of recombination rate differences between organisms, less attention has focused on the environmental determinants of crossover rates. here, we test the effect of one ubiquitous environmental pressure-bacterial infection-on global recombination frequency in mammals. we applied mlh1 mapping to assay global crossover ra ...	2015	26550833
quantification of borrelia burgdorferi membrane proteins in human serum: a new concept for detection of bacterial infection.	the borrelia burgdorferi spirochete is the causative agent of lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease in the united states. the low abundance of bacterial proteins in human serum during infection imposes a challenge for early proteomic detection of lyme disease. to address this challenge, we propose to detect membrane proteins released from bacteria due to disruption of their plasma membrane triggered by the innate immune system. these membrane proteins can be separated from the bulk of ...	2015	26491962
blood-borne candidatus borrelia algerica in a patient with prolonged fever in oran, algeria.	to improve the knowledge base of borrelia in north africa, we tested 257 blood samples collected from febrile patients in oran, algeria, between january and december 2012 for borrelia species using flagellin gene polymerase chain reaction sequencing. a sequence indicative of a new borrelia sp. named candidatus borrelia algerica was detected in one blood sample. further multispacer sequence typing indicated this borrelia sp. had 97% similarity with borrelia crocidurae, borrelia duttonii, and borr ...	2015	26416117
application of nanotrap technology for high sensitivity measurement of urinary outer surface protein a carboxyl-terminus domain in early stage lyme borreliosis.	prompt antibiotic treatment of early stage lyme borreliosis (lb) prevents progression to severe multisystem disease. there is a clinical need to improve the diagnostic specificity of early stage lyme assays in the period prior to the mounting of a robust serology response. using a novel analyte harvesting nanotechnology, nanotrap particles, we evaluated urinary borrelia outer surface protein a (ospa) c-terminus peptide in early stage lb before and after treatment, and in patients suspected of la ...	2015	26537892
nuclear markers reveal predominantly north to south gene flow in ixodes scapularis, the tick vector of the lyme disease spirochete.	ixodes scapularis, the tick vector of the lyme disease spirochete, is distributed over most of the eastern united states, but >80% of all lyme disease cases occur in the northeast. the role that genetic differences between northern and southern tick populations play in explaining this disparate distribution of lyme disease cases is unclear. the present study was conducted with 1,155 snp markers in eight nuclear genes; the 16s mitochondrial gene was examined for comparison with earlier studies. w ...	2015	26536360
a 35-year-old man with a positive lyme test result from a private laboratory.		2015	26323702
lyme disease: how reliable are serologic results?		2015	26323708
spirochetal motility and chemotaxis in the natural enzootic cycle and development of lyme disease.	two-thirds of all bacterial genomes sequenced to-date possess an organelle for locomotion, referred to as flagella, periplasmic flagella or type iv pili. these genomes may also contain a chemotaxis-signaling system which governs flagellar rotation, thus leading a coordinated function for motility. motility and chemotaxis are often crucial for infection or disease process caused by pathogenic bacteria. although motility-associated genes are well-characterized in some organisms, the highly orchest ...	2015	26519910
the fur homologue bosr requires arg39 to activate rpos transcription in borrelia burgdorferi and thereby direct spirochaete infection in mice.	borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of lyme disease. in b. burgdorferi, rpos controls the expression of virulence genes needed for mammalian infection. the fur homologue bosr regulates the transcription of rpos and therefore bosr determines, albeit indirectly, the infection status of the spirochaete. transcription of rpos in b. burgdorferi is complex: rpos can be transcribed either from an rpod-dependent promoter to yield a long transcript or from an rpon-dependent promoter to yield a sh ...	2015	26318670
gianotti-crosti syndrome following immunization in an 18 months old child.	gianotti-crosti syndrome (gcs) is an uncommon dermatological condition characterized by distinct, self-limiting, symmetrical, erythematous, papulovesicular eruptions distributed mainly on the extremities, buttocks and face in young children. although gcs is commonly attributed to viral infections, vaccinations too can rarely precipitate this condition. we report a rare case of gcs following diptheria, pertussis, and tetanus (dpt) and oral polio immunisation in an 18-month-old child along with a ...	2015	26751677
sarcoidosis and the heart: a review of the literature.	sarcoidosis is a chronic multisystem disorder without any defined etiology. cardiac sarcoidosis (cs) is detected in 2-7% of patients with sarcoidosis and more than 20% of the cases of sarcoidosis are clinically silent. cardiac involvement in systemic sarcoidosis (ss) and isolated cardiac sarcoidosis (ics) are associated with arrhythmia and severe heart failure (hf) and have a poor prognosis. early diagnosis of cs and prompt initiation of corticosteroid therapy with or without other immunosuppres ...	2015	26668777
surveillance for borrelia burgdorferi in ixodes ticks and small rodents in british columbia.	to determine the prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi in british columbian ticks, fieldwork was conducted over a 2-year period. in all, 893 ticks (ixodes pacificus, i. angustus, i. soricis, ixodes spp., and dermacentor andersoni) of different life stages were retrieved from 483 small rodents (peromyscus maniculatus, perognathus parvus, and reithrodontomys megalotis). b. burgdorferi dna was detected in 5 out of 359 tick pools, and 41 out of 483 mice were serologically confirmed to have antibodies a ...	2015	26502354
the positive predictive value of lyme elisa for the diagnosis of lyme disease in children.	by using a lyme enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa), we demonstrated that high elisa index values are strongly predictive of lyme disease. in children with clinical presentations consistent with lyme disease, elisa index values ≥3.0 had a positive predictive value of 99.4% (95% confidence interval: 98.1-99.8%) for lyme disease, making a supplemental western immunoblot potentially unnecessary.	2015	26222064
no geographic correlation between lyme disease and death due to 4 neurodegenerative disorders, united states, 2001-2010.	associations between lyme disease and certain neurodegenerative diseases have been proposed, but supportive evidence for an association is lacking. similar geographic distributions would be expected if 2 conditions were etiologically linked. thus, we compared the distribution of lyme disease cases in the united states with the distributions of deaths due to alzheimer disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (als), multiple sclerosis (ms), and parkinson disease; no geographic correlations were iden ...	2015	26488307
major histocompatibility complex class ii dextramers: new tools for the detection of antigen-specific, cd4 t cells in basic and clinical research.	the advent of major histocompatibility complex (mhc) tetramer technology has been a major contribution to t cell immunology, because tetramer reagents permit detection of antigen-specific t cells at the single-cell level in heterogeneous populations by flow cytometry. however, unlike mhc class i tetramers, the utility of mhc class ii tetramers has been less frequently reported. mhc class ii tetramers can be used successfully to enumerate the frequencies of antigen-specific cd4 t cells in cells a ...	2015	26207337
serological survey of borrelia infection of dogs in sapporo, japan, where borrelia garinii infection was previously detected.	a serological survey of borrelia infection of dogs was performed in sapporo, japan, where borrelia garinii infection in dogs was detected in 2011. a total of 314 serum samples were collected from dogs that visited three animal hospitals in sapporo from 2012 to 2014. the two-step evaluation method, involving screening elisa followed by western blot analysis, was used to detect antibodies against borrelia species. a total of 34 samples were positive by elisa. among those 34 samples, 32 were positi ...	2015	26522809
serological survey of borrelia infection of dogs in sapporo, japan, where borrelia garinii infection was previously detected.	a serological survey of borrelia infection of dogs was performed in sapporo, japan, where borrelia garinii infection in dogs was detected in 2011. a total of 314 serum samples were collected from dogs that visited three animal hospitals in sapporo from 2012 to 2014. the two-step evaluation method, involving screening elisa followed by western blot analysis, was used to detect antibodies against borrelia species. a total of 34 samples were positive by elisa. among those 34 samples, 32 were positi ...	2015	26522809
poultry body temperature contributes to invasion control through reduced expression of salmonella pathogenicity island 1 genes in salmonella enterica serovars typhimurium and enteritidis.	salmonella enterica serovars typhimurium (s. typhimurium) and enteritidis (s. enteritidis) are foodborne pathogens, and outbreaks are often associated with poultry products. chickens are typically asymptomatic when colonized by these serovars; however, the factors contributing to this observation are uncharacterized. whereas symptomatic mammals have a body temperature between 37°c and 39°c, chickens have a body temperature of 41°c to 42°c. here, in vivo experiments using chicks demonstrated that ...	2015	26386070
treatment options for statin-associated muscle symptoms.	about 4.6 million persons in germany are now taking statins, i.e., drugs that inhibit the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme a (hmgcoa) reductase. statins lower the concentration of low-density lipoproteins (ldl) and thereby lessen the rate of cardiovascular events; the size of this effect depends on the extent of lowering of the ldl cholesterol concentration. muscle symptoms are a clinically relevant side effect of statin treatment.	2015	26575138
primary cutaneous lymphomas: diagnosis and treatment.	primary cutaneous lymphomas (cls) are a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative neoplasms, with lymphatic proliferation limited to the skin with no involvement of lymph nodes, bone marrow or viscera at the diagnosis. cutaneous lymphomas originate from mature t-lymphocytes (65% of all cases), mature b-lymphocytes (25%) or nk cells. histopathological evaluation including immunophenotyping of the skin biopsy specimen is the basis of the diagnosis, which must be complemented with a precise stagin ...	2015	26759546
integration of ixodes ricinus genome sequencing with transcriptome and proteome annotation of the naïve midgut.	in europe, ixodes ricinus ticks are the most important vectors of diseases threatening humans, livestock, wildlife and companion animals. nevertheless, genomic sequence information is missing and functional annotation of transcripts and proteins is limited. this lack of information is restricting studies of the vector and its interactions with pathogens and hosts. here we present and integrate the first analysis of the i. ricinus genome with the transcriptome and proteome of the unfed i. ricinus ...	2015	26510422
analyzing the molecular mechanism of lipoprotein localization in brucella.	bacterial lipoproteins possess diverse structure and functionality, ranging from bacterial physiology to pathogenic processes. as such many lipoproteins, originating from brucella are exploited as potential vaccines to countermeasure brucellosis infection in the host. these membrane proteins are translocated from the cytoplasm to the cell membrane where they are anchored peripherally by a multifaceted targeting mechanism. although much research has focused on the identification and classificatio ...	2015	26579096
preferential production of g-csf by a protein-like lactobacillus rhamnosus gr-1 secretory factor through activating tlr2-dependent signaling events without activation of jnks.	different species and strains of probiotic bacteria confer distinct immunological responses on immune cells. lactobacillus rhamnosus gr-1 (gr-1) is a probiotic bacterial strain found in both the intestinal and urogenital tracts, and has immunomodulatory effects on several cell types including macrophages. however, detailed immunological responses and the signaling mechanism involved in the response are largely unknown.	2015	26502905
evaluation of selected borrelia burgdorferi lp54 plasmid-encoded gene products expressed during mammalian infection as antigens to improve serodiagnostic testing for early lyme disease.	laboratory testing for the diagnosis of lyme disease is performed primarily by serologic assays and is accurate for detection beyond the acute stage of the infection. serodiagnostic assays to detect the early stages of infection, however, are limited in their sensitivity, and improvement is warranted. we analyzed a series of borrelia burgdorferi proteins known to be induced within feeding ticks and/or during mammalian infection for their utility as serodiagnostic markers against a comprehensive ...	2015	26376927
public health impact of strain specific immunity to borrelia burgdorferi.	lyme disease, caused by borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common tick-borne infection in the united states. although humans can be infected by at least 16 different strains of b. burgdorferi, the overwhelming majority of infections are due to only four strains. it was recently demonstrated that patients who are treated for early lyme disease develop immunity to the specific strain of b. burgdorferi that caused their infection. the aim of this study is to estimate the reduction in cases of lyme d ...	2015	26503011
do citation trends reflect epidemiologic patterns? assessing mrsa, emerging and re-emerging pathogens, 1963-2014.	a rapid rise in pubmed citations on methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) occurred after 2000, but the relationship of trends in citation to epidemiologic trends for infectious disease is not known.	2015	26502873
haematologic complications from human babesiosis: a case report.	formerly known as nantucket fever, babesiosis is increasing in incidence across the northeastern united states. because of its emerging health risk globally, it is important to be aware of its various presenting manifestations. we present the case of a middle-aged man with haemolytic anaemia from babesia microti infection.	2015	27257494
analysis of codon usage patterns in herbaceous peony (paeonia lactiflora pall.) based on transcriptome data.	codon usage bias, which exists in many genomes, is mainly determined by mutation and selection. to elucidate the genetic features and evolutionary history of herbaceous peony (paeonia lactiflora), a well-known symbol of prosperity in china, we examined synonymous codon usage in 24,216 reconstructed genes from the p. lactiflora transcriptome. the mean gc content was 44.4%, indicating that the nucleotide content of p. lactiflora genes is slightly at rich and gc poor. the p. lactiflora genome has a ...	2015	26506393
dengue virus infection of aedes aegypti requires a putative cysteine rich venom protein.	dengue virus (denv) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes serious human disease and mortality worldwide. there is no specific antiviral therapy or vaccine for denv infection. alterations in gene expression during denv infection of the mosquito and the impact of these changes on virus infection are important events to investigate in hopes of creating new treatments and vaccines. we previously identified 203 genes that were ≥5-fold differentially upregulated during flavivirus infection of the ...	2015	26491875
annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum: a case report.	erythema annulare centrifugum is a rare cutaneous disease characterized by erythematous and violaceous annular plaques that usually involved the thighs and the legs. the eruption may be associated with an underlying disease and its accompanying characteristic symptoms. for these reasons, a full physical examination should be conducted to exclude underlying disorders. annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum is a rare and peculiar variant of erythema annulare centrifugum with the same cli ...	2015	26496986
vaccination with the variable tick protein of the relapsing fever spirochete borrelia hermsii protects mice from infection by tick-bite.	tick-borne relapsing fevers of humans are caused by spirochetes that must adapt to both warm-blooded vertebrates and cold-blooded ticks. in western north america, most human cases of relapsing fever are caused by borrelia hermsii, which cycles in nature between its tick vector ornithodoros hermsi and small mammals such as tree squirrels and chipmunks. these spirochetes alter their outer surface by switching off one of the bloodstream-associated variable major proteins (vmps) they produce in mamm ...	2015	26490040
control of gene expression in leptospira spp. by transcription activator-like effectors demonstrates a potential role for liga and ligb in leptospira interrogans virulence.	leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that affects ∼1 million people annually, with a mortality rate of >10%. currently, there is an absence of effective genetic manipulation tools for targeted mutagenesis in pathogenic leptospires. transcription activator-like effectors (tales) are a recently described group of repressors that modify transcriptional activity in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells by directly binding to a targeted sequence within the host genome. to determine the applicability of tal ...	2015	26341206
borrelia burgdorferi htra: evidence for twofold proteolysis of outer membrane protein p66.	in prokaryotes, members of the high temperature requirement a (htra) family of serine proteases function in the periplasm to degrade damaged or improperly folded membrane proteins. borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of lyme disease, codes for a single htra homolog. two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis of b. burgdorferi b31a3 and a strain that overexpresses htra (a3htraoe) identified a downregulated protein in a3htraoe with a mass, pi and maldi-tof spectrum consistent with outer membrane protein ...	2015	26370492
borrelia burgdorferi htra: evidence for twofold proteolysis of outer membrane protein p66.	in prokaryotes, members of the high temperature requirement a (htra) family of serine proteases function in the periplasm to degrade damaged or improperly folded membrane proteins. borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of lyme disease, codes for a single htra homolog. two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis of b. burgdorferi b31a3 and a strain that overexpresses htra (a3htraoe) identified a downregulated protein in a3htraoe with a mass, pi and maldi-tof spectrum consistent with outer membrane protein ...	2015	26370492
gender differences in childhood lyme neuroborreliosis.	many neurological diseases show differences between genders. we studied gender differences in childhood lyme neuroborreliosis (lnb) in an endemic area of lyme borreliosis in norway.	2015	26576072
flagellar motility of the pathogenic spirochetes.	bacterial pathogens are often classified by their toxicity and invasiveness. the invasiveness of a given bacterium is determined by how capable the bacterium is at invading a broad range of tissues in its host. of mammalian pathogens, some of the most invasive come from a group of bacteria known as the spirochetes, which cause diseases, such as syphilis, lyme disease, relapsing fever and leptospirosis. most of the spirochetes are characterized by their distinct shapes and unique motility. they a ...	2015	26481969
correction: the borrelia burgdorferi rela/spot homolog and stringent response regulate survival in the tick vector and global gene expression during starvation.		2015	26474045
leptomeningeal contrast enhancement and blood-csf barrier dysfunction in aseptic meningitis.	to investigate the blood-csf barrier (bcsfb) dysfunction in aseptic meningitis.	2015	26516629
cerebral small vessel disease: capillary pathways to stroke and cognitive decline.	cerebral small vessel disease (svd) gives rise to one in five strokes worldwide and constitutes a major source of cognitive decline in the elderly. svd is known to occur in relation to hypertension, diabetes, smoking, radiation therapy and in a range of inherited and genetic disorders, autoimmune disorders, connective tissue disorders, and infections. until recently, changes in capillary patency and blood viscosity have received little attention in the aetiopathogenesis of svd and the high risk ...	2015	26661176
cerebral small vessel disease: capillary pathways to stroke and cognitive decline.	cerebral small vessel disease (svd) gives rise to one in five strokes worldwide and constitutes a major source of cognitive decline in the elderly. svd is known to occur in relation to hypertension, diabetes, smoking, radiation therapy and in a range of inherited and genetic disorders, autoimmune disorders, connective tissue disorders, and infections. until recently, changes in capillary patency and blood viscosity have received little attention in the aetiopathogenesis of svd and the high risk ...	2015	26661176
mandibular bone mineral density in patients with behçet's disease.	behçet's disease (bd) is a chronic, recurring vasculitis of unknown etiology. patients with bd may use a lot of medications associated with the clinical symptoms. drugs that are used in the treatment of bd may cause bone loss. the aims of the current study were to compare the bone mineral density (bmd) values between bd and healthy volunteers and describe the effect of disease duration on mandibular bmd.	2015	26508868
brachyspira suanatina sp. nov., an enteropathogenic intestinal spirochaete isolated from pigs and mallards: genomic and phenotypic characteristics.	the genus brachyspira currently encompasses seven valid species that colonize the intestines of mammals and birds. in a previous study a group of strongly haemolytic isolates from pigs and mallards was provisionally described as a new species within genus brachyspira, "b. suanatina", and enteropathogenic properties were demonstrated in a porcine challenge model.	2015	26458507
pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms: role and mechanisms of chronic inflammation.	myeloproliferative neoplasms (mpns) are a heterogeneous group of clonal diseases characterized by the excessive and chronic production of mature cells from one or several of the myeloid lineages. recent advances in the biology of mpns have greatly facilitated their molecular diagnosis since most patients present with mutation(s) in the jak2, mpl, or calr genes. yet the roles played by these mutations in the pathogenesis and main complications of the different subtypes of mpns are not fully eluci ...	2015	26538820
a fast cross-validation method for alignment of electron tomography images based on beer-lambert law.	in electron tomography, accurate alignment of tilt series is an essential step in attaining high-resolution 3d reconstructions. nevertheless, quantitative assessment of alignment quality has remained a challenging issue, even though many alignment methods have been reported. here, we report a fast and accurate method, tomoaligneval, based on the beer-lambert law, for the evaluation of alignment quality. our method is able to globally estimate the alignment accuracy by measuring the goodness of l ...	2015	26455556
the centriolar protein cpap g-box: an amyloid fibril in a single domain.	centrioles are evolutionarily conserved cylindrical cell organelles with characteristic radial symmetry. despite their considerable size (400 nm × 200 nm, in humans), genetic studies suggest that relatively few protein components are involved in their assembly. we recently characterized the molecular architecture of the centrosomal p4.1-associated protein (cpap), which is crucial for controlling the centriolar cylinder length. here, we review the remarkable architecture of the c-terminal domain ...	2015	26517891
crossing of the epithelial barriers by bacillus anthracis: the known and the unknown.	anthrax, caused by bacillus anthracis, a gram-positive spore-forming bacterium, is initiated by the entry of spores into the host body. there are three types of human infection: cutaneous, inhalational, and gastrointestinal. for each form, b. anthracis spores need to cross the cutaneous, respiratory or digestive epithelial barriers, respectively, as a first obligate step to establish infection. anthrax is a toxi-infection: an association of toxemia and rapidly spreading infection progressing to ...	2015	26500645
evaluating pathogenic dementia variants in posterior cortical atrophy.	posterior cortical atrophy (pca) is an understudied visual impairment syndrome most often due to "posterior alzheimer's disease (ad)" pathology. case studies detected mutations in psen1, psen2, grn, mapt, and prnp in subjects with clinical pca. to detect the frequency and spectrum of mutations in known dementia genes in pca, we screened 124 european-american subjects with clinical pca (n = 67) or posterior ad neuropathology (n = 57) for variants in genes implicated in ad, frontotemporal dementia ...	2015	26507310
evaluating pathogenic dementia variants in posterior cortical atrophy.	posterior cortical atrophy (pca) is an understudied visual impairment syndrome most often due to "posterior alzheimer's disease (ad)" pathology. case studies detected mutations in psen1, psen2, grn, mapt, and prnp in subjects with clinical pca. to detect the frequency and spectrum of mutations in known dementia genes in pca, we screened 124 european-american subjects with clinical pca (n = 67) or posterior ad neuropathology (n = 57) for variants in genes implicated in ad, frontotemporal dementia ...	2015	26507310
molecular detection of anaplasma phagocytophilum and borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies in red foxes (vulpes vulpes) from romania.	red foxes (vulpes vulpes) are one of the most widespread wild carnivores in the world, being recognized to harbor and transmit a wide range of vector-borne diseases. anaplasma phagocytophilum and borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato are zoonotic tick-borne pathogens causing emerging diseases. wild animals play an essential role in the transmission of diseases and pathogens maintenance in nature. epidemiological studies regarding the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in red foxes are of public health ...	2015	26449360
development of a multiantigen panel for improved detection of borrelia burgdorferi infection in early lyme disease.	the current standard for laboratory diagnosis of lyme disease in the united states is serologic detection of antibodies against borrelia burgdorferi. the centers for disease control and prevention recommends a two-tiered testing algorithm; however, this scheme has limited sensitivity for detecting early lyme disease. thus, there is a need to improve diagnostics for lyme disease at the early stage, when antibiotic treatment is highly efficacious. we examined novel and established antigen markers ...	2015	26447113
structural and computational biology in the design of immunogenic vaccine antigens.	vaccination is historically one of the most important medical interventions for the prevention of infectious disease. previously, vaccines were typically made of rather crude mixtures of inactivated or attenuated causative agents. however, over the last 10-20 years, several important technological and computational advances have enabled major progress in the discovery and design of potently immunogenic recombinant protein vaccine antigens. here we discuss three key breakthrough approaches that h ...	2015	26526043
escherichia coli lipoprotein binds human plasminogen via an intramolecular domain.	escherichia coli lipoprotein (lpp) is a major cellular component that exists in two distinct states, bound-form and free-form. bound-form lpp is known to interact with the periplasmic bacterial cell wall, while free-form lpp is localized to the bacterial cell surface. a function for surface-exposed lpp has yet to be determined. we hypothesized that the presence of c-terminal lysinses in the surface-exposed region of lpp would facilitate binding to the host zymogen plasminogen (plg), a protease c ...	2015	26500634
emerging tick-borne infections in mainland china: an increasing public health threat.	since the beginning of the 1980s, 33 emerging tick-borne agents have been identified in mainland china, including eight species of spotted fever group rickettsiae, seven species in the family anaplasmataceae, six genospecies in the complex borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, 11 species of babesia, and the virus causing severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. in this review we have mapped the geographical distributions of human cases of infection. 15 of the 33 emerging tick-borne agents have be ...	2015	26453241
a man with cardiac lyme borreliosis.		2015	26149700
outer surface protein ospc is an antiphagocytic factor that protects borrelia burgdorferi from phagocytosis by macrophages.	outer surface protein c (ospc) is one of the major lipoproteins expressed on the surface of borrelia burgdorferi during tick feeding and the early phase of mammalian infection. ospc is required for b. burgdorferi to establish infection in both immunocompetent and scid mice and has been proposed to facilitate evasion of innate immune defenses. however, the exact biological function of ospc remains elusive. in this study, we showed that the ospc-deficient spirochete could not establish infection i ...	2015	26438793
impact of the pla protease substrate α2-antiplasmin on the progression of primary pneumonic plague.	many pathogens usurp the host hemostatic system during infection to promote pathogenesis. yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, expresses the plasminogen activator protease pla, which has been shown in vitro to target and cleave multiple proteins within the fibrinolytic pathway, including the plasmin inhibitor α2-antiplasmin (a2ap). it is not known, however, if pla inactivates a2ap in vivo; the role of a2ap during respiratory y. pestis infection is not known either. here, we show that ...	2015	26438794
long-term survival of borrelia burgdorferi lacking the hibernation promotion factor homolog in the unfed tick vector.	borrelia burgdorferi, a causative agent of lyme borreliosis, is a zoonotic pathogen that survives in nutrient-limited environments within a tick, prior to transmission to its mammalian host. survival under these prolonged nutrient-limited conditions is thought to be similar to survival during stationary phase, which is characterized by growth cessation and decreased protein production. multiple ribosome-associated proteins are implicated in stationary-phase survival of escherichia coli. these pr ...	2015	26438790
no observed effect of landscape fragmentation on pathogen infection prevalence in blacklegged ticks (ixodes scapularis) in the northeastern united states.	pathogen prevalence within blacklegged ticks (ixodes scapularis say, 1821) tends to vary across sites and geographic regions, but the underlying causes of this variation are not well understood. efforts to understand the ecology of lyme disease have led to the proposition that sites with higher host diversity will result in lower disease risk due to an increase in the abundance of inefficient reservoir species relative to the abundance of species that are highly competent reservoirs. although th ...	2015	26430734
pars planitis: epidemiology, clinical characteristics, management and visual prognosis.	pars planitis is an idiopathic chronic intermediate uveitis which predominantly affects children and adolescents, and accounts for 5-26.7% of pediatric uveitis. although an autoimmune process with a genetic predisposition has been suggested, its etiology still remains unknown. the most common presenting symptoms are floaters and blurred vision. diffuse vitreous cells, haze, snowballs and snowbanks are typical findings of pars planitis. peripheral retinal vasculitis, optic disc edema and anterior ...	2015	27051493
a systems biology approach for diagnostic and vaccine antigen discovery in tropical infectious diseases.	there is a need for improved diagnosis and for more rapidly assessing the presence, prevalence, and spread of newly emerging or reemerging infectious diseases. an approach to the pathogen-detection strategy is based on analyzing host immune response to the infection. this review focuses on a protein microarray approach for this purpose.	2015	26237545
clinical characteristics, treatment and outcome of children with lyme arthritis in nova scotia.	lyme disease is an emerging problem in nova scotia. lyme arthritis is a late manifestation of lyme disease.	2015	26526378
acute flaccid paralysis associated with novel enterovirus c105.	an outbreak of acute flaccid paralysis among children in the united states during summer 2014 was tentatively associated with enterovirus d68 infection. this syndrome in a child in fall 2014 was associated with enterovirus c105 infection. the presence of this virus strain in north america may pose a diagnostic challenge.	2015	26401731
severe sepsis caused by california serogroup orthobunyavirus.		2015	26401906
human infection with ehrlichia muris-like pathogen, united states, 2007-2013(1).	an ehrlichia muris-like (eml) pathogen was detected among 4 patients in minnesota and wisconsin during 2009. we characterized additional cases clinically and epidemiologically. during 2004-2013, blood samples from 75,077 patients from all 50 united states were tested by pcr from the groel gene for ehrlichia spp. and anaplasma phagocytophilum. during 2007-2013, samples from 69 (0.1%) patients were positive for the eml pathogen; patients were from 5 states: indiana (1), michigan (1), minnesota (33 ...	2015	26402378
epidemiology of lyme disease, nova scotia, canada, 2002-2013.	ixodes scapularis ticks, which transmit borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease (ld), are endemic to at least 6 regions of nova scotia, canada. to assess the epidemiology and prevalence of ld in nova scotia, we analyzed data from 329 persons with ld reported in nova scotia during 2002-2013. most patients reported symptoms of early localized infection with rash (89.7%), influenza-like illness (69.6%), or both; clinician-diagnosed erythema migrans was documented for 53.2%. in a s ...	2015	26401788
the intersection of microbiome and host at the skin interface: genomic- and metagenomic-based insights.	the past two decades have been marked by a surge in research to understand the microbial communities that live in association with the human body, in part stimulated by affordable, high-throughput dna sequencing technology. in the context of the skin, this perspective focuses on the current state of genomic- and metagenomic-based host-microbe research and future challenges and opportunities to move the field forward. these include elucidating nonbacterial components of the skin microbiome (i.e., ...	2015	26430162
arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in a weimaraner.	arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (arvc) was diagnosed postmortem in a weimaraner dog. syncope, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden death in this patient combined with the histopathological fatty tissue infiltration affecting the right ventricular myocardium are consistent with previous reports of arvc in non-boxer dogs. arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy has not been previously reported in weimaraners.	2015	26483577
typical evanescent and atypical persistent polymorphic cutaneous rash in an adult brazilian with still's disease: a case report and review of the literature.	adult onset still's disease (aosd) is a systemic auto-inflammatory condition of unknown etiology, characterized by high fever, an evanescent, salmon-pink maculopapular skin rash, arthralgia or arthritis and leukocytosis. aosd can also present with atypical cutaneous manifestations, such as persistent pruritic coalescent papules or plaques and linear lesions that have highly distinctive pathological features and are usually associated with severe disease. herein, we present a 31-year-old brazilia ...	2015	26423534
adaptor protein-3-mediated trafficking of tlr2 ligands controls specificity of inflammatory responses but not adaptor complex assembly.	innate immune engagement results in the activation of host defenses that produce microbe-specific inflammatory responses. a long-standing interest in the field of innate immunity is to understand how varied host responses are generated through the signaling of just a limited number of receptors. recently, intracellular trafficking and compartmental partitioning have been identified as mechanisms that provide signaling specificity for receptors by regulating signaling platform assembly. we show t ...	2015	26423153
ikaros mediates the dna methylation-independent silencing of mcj/dnajc15 gene expression in macrophages.	mcj (dnajc15) is a mitochondrial protein that regulates the mitochondrial metabolic status of macrophages and their response to inflammatory stimuli. cpg island methylation in cancer cells constitutes the only mechanism identified for the regulation of mcj gene expression. however, whether dna methylation or transcriptional regulation mechanisms are involved in the physiological control of this gene expression in non-tumor cells remains unknown. we now demonstrate a mechanism of regulation of mc ...	2015	26419808
buried treasure: evolutionary perspectives on microbial iron piracy.	host-pathogen interactions provide valuable systems for the study of evolutionary genetics and natural selection. the sequestration of essential iron has emerged as a crucial innate defense system termed nutritional immunity, leading pathogens to evolve mechanisms of 'iron piracy' to scavenge this metal from host proteins. this battle for iron carries numerous consequences not only for host-pathogen evolution but also microbial community interactions. here we highlight recent and potential futur ...	2015	26431675
primary central nervous system vasculitis preceded by granulomatous hypophysitis: case report with a review of the literature.	primary central nervous system (cns) vasculitis is an idiopathic inflammatory process that selectively affects cns vasculature without a systemic inflammatory response, and causes luminal obstruction with resultant ischemia of recipient tissue. its varying clinical symptoms and signs depend on the caliber of vessels involved and distribution and location of the affected structures. granulomatous hypophysitis (gh) is an autoimmune inflammatory process typically affecting women, and usually presen ...	2015	26539311
geographic expansion of lyme disease in the southeastern united states, 2000-2014.	background. the majority of lyme disease cases in the united states are acquired on the east coast between northern virginia and new england. in recent years the geographic extent of lyme disease has been expanding, raising the prospect of lyme disease becoming endemic in the southeast. methods. we collected confirmed and probable cases of lyme disease from 2000 through 2014 from the virginia department of health and north carolina department of public health and entered them in a geographic i ...	2015	26550580
the ring of life hypothesis for eukaryote origins is supported by multiple kinds of data.	the literature is replete with manuscripts describing the origin of eukaryotic cells. most of the models for eukaryogenesis are either autogenous (sometimes called slow-drip), or symbiogenic (sometimes called big-bang). in this article, we use large and diverse suites of 'omics' and other data to make the inference that autogeneous hypotheses are a very poor fit to the data and the origin of eukaryotic cells occurred in a single symbiosis.	2015	26323755
socio-economic characteristics in notified erythema migrans patients.	lyme borreliosis disease results from infection by members of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. the most common clinical presentation of lyme borreliosis is erythema migrans (em). to gain knowledge of the epidemiological parameters and the risk factors of em in slovenia, a survey has been carried out in 2010.	2015	27647412
hepatocyte growth factor in cerebrospinal fluid differentiates community-acquired or nosocomial septic meningitis from other causes of pleocytosis.	due to anatomical restrictions, the inflammatory response to intracerebral bacterial infections exposes swollen brain tissues to pressure and ischemia, resulting in life-threatening damage. rapid diagnosis and immediate empirical antibiotic therapy is highly important. however, diagnosing meningitis in patients after neurosurgery is complicated, due to brain tissue damage and changes in cerebrospinal fluid (csf) caused by surgery. hepatocyte growth factor (hgf) is a local, acute-phase protein wi ...	2015	26408034
mitochondrial myopathy in follow-up of a patient with chronic fatigue syndrome.	introduction. symptoms of mitochondrial diseases and chronic fatigue syndrome (cfs) frequently overlap and can easily be mistaken. methods. we report the case of a patient diagnosed with cfs and during follow-up was finally diagnosed with mitochondrial myopathy by histochemical study of muscle biopsy, spectrophotometric analysis of the complexes of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and genetic studies. results. the results revealed 3% fiber-ragged blue and a severe deficiency of complexes i a ...	2015	26904705
pathogens vectored by the tick, dermacentor reticulatus, in endemic regions and zones of expansion in poland.	dermacentor reticulatus plays an important role in the maintenance of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance in the environment. currently two isolated populations of d. reticulatus are present in poland--western and eastern. the range of the eastern population covers endemic areas in eastern poland but this population is expanding westwards creating an expansion zone in the centre of the country. the expansion zone in western poland is occupied by the recently discovered western populat ...	2015	26403456
ixodes ricinus and its endosymbiont midichloria mitochondrii: a comparative proteomic analysis of salivary glands and ovaries.	hard ticks are hematophagous arthropods that act as vectors of numerous pathogenic microorganisms of high relevance in human and veterinary medicine. ixodes ricinus is one of the most important tick species in europe, due to its role of vector of pathogenic bacteria such as borrelia burgdorferi and anaplasma phagocytophilum, of viruses such as tick borne encephalitis virus and of protozoans as babesia spp. in addition to these pathogens, i. ricinus harbors a symbiotic bacterium, midichloria mito ...	2015	26398775
communicable diseases prioritized according to their public health relevance, sweden, 2013.	to establish strategic priorities for the public health agency of sweden we prioritized pathogens according to their public health relevance in sweden in order to guide resource allocation. we then compared the outcome to ongoing surveillance. we used a modified prioritization method developed at the robert koch institute in germany. in a delphi process experts scored pathogens according to ten variables. we ranked the pathogens according to the total score and divided them into four priority gr ...	2015	26397699
lipoproteins/peptides are sepsis-inducing toxins from bacteria that can be neutralized by synthetic anti-endotoxin peptides.	sepsis, a life-threatening syndrome with increasing incidence worldwide, is triggered by an overwhelming inflammation induced by microbial toxins released into the bloodstream during infection. a well-known sepsis-inducing factor is the membrane constituent of gram-negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharide (lps), signalling via toll-like receptor-4. although sepsis is caused in more than 50% cases by gram-positive and mycoplasma cells, the causative compounds are still poorly described. in contradic ...	2015	26390973
meningitis-retention syndrome.	meningitis-retention syndrome (mrs) is a clinical entity that has recently appeared in the literature. we present the case of a 22-year-old man with fever and headache who, in the course of his hospitalization with a diagnosis of aseptic meningitis, developed acute urinary retention. fewer than 30 such cases have been described and in several of them, no clear associations with other disorders have been made. in some cases, direct association with viral infection has been proved, and in others, ...	2015	26620904
a multiplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction panel for detecting neurologic pathogens in dogs with meningoencephalitis.	meningoencephalitis (me) is a common inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system in dogs. clinically, me has both infectious and non-infectious causes. in the present study, a multiplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (mqpcr) panel was optimized for the detection of eight canine neurologic pathogens (blastomyces dermatitidis, cryptococcus spp., neospora caninum, borrelia burgdorferi, bartonella spp., toxoplasma gondii, ehrlichia canis, and canine distemper virus [cdv]). ...	2015	26040611
exploratory spatial analysis of lyme disease in texas -what can we learn from the reported cases?	lyme disease (ld) is a tick-borne zoonotic illness caused by the bacterium borrelia burgdorferi. texas is considered a non-endemic state for ld and the spatial distribution of the state's reported ld cases is unknown.	2015	26386670
long-term assessment of post-treatment symptoms in patients with culture-confirmed early lyme disease.	lyme disease patients with erythema migrans are said to have post-treatment lyme disease symptoms (ptlds) if there is persistence of subjective symptoms for at least 6 months following antibiotic treatment and resolution of the skin lesion. the purpose of this study was to characterize ptlds in patients with culture-confirmed early lyme disease followed for >10 years.	2015	26385994
persister development by borrelia burgdorferi populations in vitro.	doxycycline is an antibiotic commonly used to treat lyme disease and other bacterial infections. the mic and minimum bactericidal concentration (mbc) for borrelia burgdorferi have been investigated by different groups but were experimentally established in this study as a function of input cell density. we demonstrated that b. burgdorferi treated in the stationary phase has a higher probability of regrowth following removal of antibiotic. in addition, we determined experimentally and mathematica ...	2015	26248368
abiotic predictors and annual seasonal dynamics of ixodes ricinus, the major disease vector of central europe.	abiotic conditions provide cues that drive tick questing activity. defining these cues is critical in predicting biting risk, and in forecasting climate change impacts on tick populations. this is particularly important for ixodes ricinus nymphs, the vector of numerous pathogens affecting humans.	2015	26385470
can oral infection be a risk factor for alzheimer's disease?	alzheimer's disease (ad) is a scourge of longevity that will drain enormous resources from public health budgets in the future. currently, there is no diagnostic biomarker and/or treatment for this most common form of dementia in humans. ad can be of early familial-onset or sporadic with a late-onset. apart from the two main hallmarks, amyloid-beta and neurofibrillary tangles, inflammation is a characteristic feature of ad neuropathology. inflammation may be caused by a local central nervous sys ...	2015	26385886
acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis (weston-hurst syndrome) in a patient with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis.	acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis is a fulminant demyelinating disease and commonly considered as a rare and severe variant of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. here, we report the clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, and brain biopsy findings of a 35-year-old female with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, who developed acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis. magnetic resonance imaging revealed symmetrical hemorrhagic lesions in the basal ganglia including the thalami. disease progressi ...	2015	26376717
identification of additional anti-persister activity against borrelia burgdorferi from an fda drug library.	lyme disease is a leading vector-borne disease in the united states. although the majority of lyme patients can be cured with standard 2-4 week antibiotic treatment, 10%-20% of patients continue to suffer from prolonged post-treatment lyme disease syndrome (ptlds). while the cause for this is unclear, persisting organisms not killed by current lyme antibiotics may be involved. in our previous study, we screened an fda drug library and reported 27 top hits that showed high activity against borrel ...	2015	27025631
survey of ixodes pacificus ticks in california reveals a diversity of microorganisms and a novel and widespread anaplasmataceae species.	ixodes pacificus ticks can harbor a wide range of human and animal pathogens. to survey the prevalence of tick-borne known and putative pathogens, we tested 982 individual adult and nymphal i. pacificus ticks collected throughout california between 2007 and 2009 using a broad-range pcr and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (pcr/esi-ms) assay designed to detect a wide range of tick-borne microorganisms. overall, 1.4% of the ticks were found to be infected with borrelia burgdorferi, 2.0% w ...	2015	26375033
the borrelia burgdorferi rela/spot homolog and stringent response regulate survival in the tick vector and global gene expression during starvation.	as the lyme disease bacterium borrelia burgdorferi traverses its enzootic cycle, alternating between a tick vector and a vertebrate host, the spirochete must adapt and persist in the tick midgut under prolonged nutrient stress between blood meals. in this study, we examined the role of the stringent response in tick persistence and in regulation of gene expression during nutrient limitation. nutritionally starving b. burgdorferi in vitro increased the levels of guanosine tetraphosphate (ppgpp) a ...	2015	26371761
development of real-time pcr assays for the detection of moraxella macacae associated with bloody nose syndrome in rhesus (macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus (macaca fascicularis) macaques.	moraxella macacae is a recently described bacterial pathogen that causes epistaxis or so-called bloody nose syndrome in captive macaques. the aim of this study was to develop specific molecular diagnostic assays for m. macacae and to determine their performance characteristics.	2015	26365904
isolated optic disc tuberculosis.	we present a healthy male subject who developed progressive visual loss in the left eye initially diagnosed as optic neuritis. upon suspicion of infectious etiology, testing was positive for tuberculosis. there were no signs or symptoms of active systemic tuberculosis infection. the patient responded swiftly to antimycobacterial therapy with return of vision and resolution of disc swelling. positive purified protein derivative skin test, negative chest radiograph, negative systemic workup, negat ...	2015	26483675
serum c3 enhances complement receptor 3-mediated phagocytosis of borrelia burgdorferi.		2015	26435692
herpes simplex virus type 1 and other pathogens are key causative factors in sporadic alzheimer's disease.	this review focuses on research in epidemiology, neuropathology, molecular biology, and genetics regarding the hypothesis that pathogens interact with susceptibility genes and are causative in sporadic alzheimer's disease (ad). sporadic ad is a complex multifactorial neurodegenerative disease with evidence indicating coexisting multi-pathogen and inflammatory etiologies. there are significant associations between ad and various pathogens, including herpes simplex virus type 1 (hsv-1), cytomegalo ...	2015	26401998
general practitioner reported incidence of lyme carditis in the netherlands.	between 1994 and 2009, incidence rates of general practitioner (gp) consultations for tick bites and erythema migrans, the most common early manifestation of lyme borreliosis, have increased substantially in the netherlands. the current article aims to estimate and validate the incidence of gp-reported lyme carditis in the netherlands.	2015	26353767
tricky ticks: the importance of lyme carditis recognition.		2015	26353768
correlation of culture positivity, pcr positivity, and burden of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in skin samples of erythema migrans patients with clinical findings.	limited data are available regarding the relationship of borrelia burden in skin of patients with erythema migrans (em) and the disease course and post-treatment outcome.	2015	26352832