| [role of biological assays in the diagnosis of lyme borreliosis presentations. what are the techniques and which are currently available?]. | the biological diagnosis of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection is usually made by antibody detection in patient sera. thus, serological testing (elisa, immunoblotting) is essential for a biological diagnosis. specific antibody detection is usually done in serum and csf of patients suspected of lyme borreliosis. laboratories must follow european recommendations to validate these assays in routine practice. antibody detection lacks sensitivity in the early cutaneous phase of the infection. ... | 2007 | 17512148 |
| in vitro activities of faropenem, ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem against borrelia burgdorferi s.l. | little is known about the in vitro activity of penems and carbapenems against the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. here, faropenem, ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem as well as the third-generation cephalosporin ceftriaxone and tobramycin were tested in vitro against 11 isolates of the b. burgdorferi sensu lato complex. on a microg/ml basis, ertapenem was the most potent carbapenem (minimal inhibitory concentration (mic) range: 0.015-0.125 microg/ml), with in vitro activity comparable with that ... | 2007 | 17512703 |
| dual binding specificity of a borrelia hermsii-associated complement regulator-acquiring surface protein for factor h and plasminogen discloses a putative virulence factor of relapsing fever spirochetes. | tick-borne relapsing fever in north america is primarily caused by the spirochete borrelia hermsii. the pathogen employs multiple strategies, including the acquisition of complement regulators and antigenic variation, to escape innate and humoral immunity. in this study we identified in b. hermsii a novel member of the complement regulator-acquiring surface protein (crasp) family, designated bhcrasp-1, that binds the complement regulators factor h (fh) and fh-related protein 1 (fhr-1) but not fh ... | 2007 | 17513779 |
| pathogen specificity and autoimmunity are distinct features of antigen-driven immune responses in neuroborreliosis. | neuroborreliosis (nb) is a chronic infectious disease of the central nervous system (cns) caused by a tick-borne spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi. in addition to direct effects of the causative infectious agent, additional immunity-mediated mechanisms are thought to play a role in the cns pathology of nb. in order to further understand the involvement of humoral immune mechanisms in nb, we dissected the intrathecal antibody responses down to the single-plasma-cell level. starting with single-cel ... | 2007 | 17517881 |
| prophylaxis after tick bites. | | 2007 | 17521587 |
| single-dose prophylaxis against lyme disease. | | 2007 | 17521588 |
| practice parameter: treatment of nervous system lyme disease (an evidence-based review): report of the quality standards subcommittee of the american academy of neurology. | to provide evidence-based recommendations on the treatment of nervous system lyme disease and post-lyme syndrome. three questions were addressed: 1) which antimicrobial agents are effective? 2) are different regimens preferred for different manifestations of nervous system lyme disease? 3) what duration of therapy is needed? | 2007 | 17522387 |
| spirochetemia caused by borrelia turicatae infection in 3 dogs in texas. | spirochetemia was diagnosed in 2 siberian huskies and a rottweiler from the northwestern region of texas between june 1999 and october 2001. clinical findings were nonspecific; tick exposure was documented in 2 of the dogs. hematologic abnormalities included anemia (n=2), neutrophilia (n=2, including 1 with a left shift), lymphopenia (n=3), eosinopenia (n=3), and thrombocytopenia (n=2). one anemic dog had a positive coombs' test. in 1 dog, western blot analysis of serum yielded multiple positive ... | 2007 | 17523100 |
| erythema migrans: a reassessment of diagnostic criteria for early cutaneous manifestations of borreliosis with particular emphasis on clonality investigations. | controversy exists about the relationship of borrelia infection with b-cell lymphomas because b-cell clonality has been identified in infiltrates that contained borrelia-specific dna. systematic clinicopathological, immunophenotypical and molecular pathological studies of early borreliosis are lacking. | 2007 | 17535225 |
| epitope length, genospecies dependency, and serum panel effect in the ir6 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi. | in the absence of erythema migrans, the basis for diagnosis of lyme disease is the demonstration of an antibody response against borrelia burgdorferi in an appropriate clinical setting. the c6 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, based on the ir6 region of vlse, has become widely used in both the united states and europe. we mapped the antigenic epitopes of ir6 to a shorter sequence that is equivalent in sensitivity and specificity to the full-length ir6 25-residue peptide. in addition, we observe ... | 2007 | 17538122 |
| binding of human factor h-related protein 1 to serum-resistant borrelia burgdorferi is mediated by borrelial complement regulator-acquiring surface proteins. | isolates of borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease, express up to 5 distinct complement regulator-acquiring surface proteins (crasp-1, -2, -3, -4, and -5). | 2007 | 17538892 |
| louse-borne relapsing fever and malaria co-infection in ethiopia. | | 2007 | 17540107 |
| the critical role of the linear plasmid lp36 in the infectious cycle of borrelia burgdorferi. | borrelia burgdorferi, the aetiological agent of lyme disease, follows a life cycle that involves passage between the tick vector and the mammalian host. to investigate the role of the 36 kb linear plasmid, lp36 (also designated the b. burgdorferi k plasmid), in the infectious cycle of b. burgdorferi, we examined a clone lacking this plasmid, but containing all other plasmids known to be required for infectivity. our results indicated that lp36 was not required for spirochete survival in the tick ... | 2007 | 17542926 |
| transmission of bacterial agents from lone star ticks to white-tailed deer. | amblyomma americanum (l.), the lone star tick, is an aggressive ixodid tick that has been implicated as a vector for several bacteria. among these bacteria are the disease agents ehrlichia chaffeensis and ehrlichia ewingii, and the putative disease agent "borrelia lonestari." the hypothesis in this study was that wild lone star ticks from northeastern georgia are capable of transmitting all three agents to white-tailed deer, odocoileus virginianus, a known reservoir host for e. chaffeensis. in t ... | 2007 | 17547234 |
| tissue and life-stage distribution of a defensin gene in the lone star tick, amblyomma americanum. | the transcript sequence of the amblyomma americanum linnaeus (acari: ixodidae) defensin, termed amercin (amn), was ascertained and a 219-bp amn coding region identified. the gene encodes a 72-amino acid prepropeptide with a putative 37-amino acid mature peptide. this gene shows little similarity to either of the defensins from amblyomma hebraeum koch, the only other amblyomma species for which a defensin has been described. sequence comparisons with other tick defensins reveal amn to be shorter ... | 2007 | 17550433 |
| diversity and distribution of borrelia hermsii. | borrelia hermsii is the most common cause of tickborne relapsing fever in north america. dna sequences of the 16s-23s rdna noncoding intergenic spacer (igs) region were determined for 37 isolates of this spirochete. these sequences distinguished the 2 genomic groups of b. hermsii identified previously with other loci. multiple igs genotypes were identified among isolates from an island, which suggested that birds might play a role in dispersing these spirochetes in nature. in support of this the ... | 2007 | 17552097 |
| human homologues of a borrelia t cell epitope associated with antibiotic-refractory lyme arthritis. | antibiotic-refractory lyme arthritis, which may result from infection-induced autoimmunity, is associated with hla-dr molecules that bind an epitope of borrelia burgdorferi (bb) outer-surface protein a (ospa(165-173)) and with t cell reactivity with this epitope. one potential mechanism to explain these associations is molecular mimicry between ospa(165-173) and a self-peptide. here, we searched the published human genome for peptides with sequence homology with ospa(165-173). the two peptides i ... | 2008 | 17555819 |
| comparison of an automated borrelia indirect chemiluminescent immunoassay (clia) with a vlse/c6 elisa and immunoblot. | | 2007 | 17558488 |
| from population structure to genetically-engineered vectors: new ways to control vector-borne diseases? | epidemiological studies on vectors and the pathogens they can carry (such as borrelia burgdorferi) are showing some correlations between infection rates and biodiversity highlighting the "dilution" effects on potential vectors. meanwhile other studies comparing sympatric small rodent species demonstrated that rodent species transmitting more pathogens are parasitized by more ectoparasite species. studies on population structure and size have also proven a difference on the intensity of the paras ... | 2008 | 17560836 |
| borrelia garinii induces cxcl13 production in human monocytes through toll-like receptor 2. | recent studies have suggested an important role for the b-cell-attracting chemokine cxcl13 in the b-cell-dominated cerebrospinal fluid (csf) infiltrate in patients with neuroborreliosis (nb). high levels of cxcl13 were present in the csf of nb patients. it has not been clear, however, whether high csf cxcl13 titers are specific for nb or are a characteristic of other spirochetal diseases as well. furthermore, the mechanisms leading to the observed cxcl13 expression have not been identified yet. ... | 2007 | 17562761 |
| increasing the interaction of borrelia burgdorferi with decorin significantly reduces the 50 percent infectious dose and severely impairs dissemination. | tight regulation of surface antigenic expression is crucial for the pathogenic strategy of the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi. here, we report the influence of increasing expression of decorin-binding protein a (dbpa), one of the most investigated spirochetal surface adhesins, on the 50% infectious dose (id(50)), dissemination, tissue colonization, pathogenicity, and persistence of b. burgdorferi in the murine host. our in vitro assays showed that increasing dbpa expression dramat ... | 2007 | 17562764 |
| coordinated expression of borrelia burgdorferi complement regulator-acquiring surface proteins during the lyme disease spirochete's mammal-tick infection cycle. | the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi, is largely resistant to being killed by its hosts' alternative complement activation pathway. one possible resistance mechanism of these bacteria is to coat their surfaces with host complement regulators, such as factor h. five different b. burgdorferi outer surface proteins having affinities for factor h have been identified: complement regulator-acquiring surface protein 1 (bbcrasp-1), encoded by cspa; bbcrasp-2, encoded by cspz; and three clo ... | 2007 | 17562769 |
| grapefruit seed extract is a powerful in vitro agent against motile and cystic forms of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. | | 2007 | 17565468 |
| [lymphadenopathy and absences]. | a 6-year-old boy presented with deterioration of general well-being during several weeks, headache and swelling of lymph nodes in the neck. in addition, the parents reported brief episodes resembling typical absence seizures. serological tests and the examination of cerebrospinal fluid revealed neuroborreliosis. at the same time, electroencephalography showed characteristic patterns of absence epilepsy. the boy's condition improved rapidly during a 2-week course of intravenous ceftriaxone and af ... | 2007 | 17566418 |
| dominant epitopes of the c6 diagnostic peptide of borrelia burgdorferi are largely inaccessible to antibody on the parent vlse molecule. | lyme borreliosis (lb) is a disease for which antibody-based detection assays are often required for diagnosis. the variable surface molecule vlse and ir6, one of its invariable regions, are commonly targeted by the antibody response in infected individuals. a series of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays was performed to comparatively examine the antibody responses of north american lb patients (n = 37) to vlse and invariable segments of this molecule. both immunoglobulin m (igm) and igg response ... | 2007 | 17567769 |
| lyme disease--united states, 2003-2005. | lyme disease is caused by the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks (ixodes spp.). early manifestations of infection include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. left untreated, late manifestations involving the joints, heart, and nervous system can occur. a healthy people 2010 objective (14-8) is to reduce the annual incidence of lyme disease to 9.7 new cases per 100,000 population in 1 ... | 2007 | 17568368 |
| borreliosis: a rare and alternative diagnosis in travellers' febrile illness. | we report a case of borreliosis mimicking uncomplicated malaria in a patient returning from mali. identification of spirochetes through examination of a thick blood smear completed by an acridine-orange quantitative buffy coat allowed the diagnosis of borreliosis. all symptoms rapidly resolved following tetracycline therapy. epidemiological and clinical features of borreliosis, diagnostic tools and management are discussed. | 2007 | 17574148 |
| seroprevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and anaplasma phagocytophilum in dogs with neurological signs. | a retrospective cohort study was carried out to evaluate whether seropositivity for the tick-transmitted bacterial species borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and/or anaplasma phagocytophilum was associated with one or more specific categories of nervous system disorders in dogs. a total of 248 dogs with nervous system disorders were serotested for these agents and categorised into six main diagnostic categories: degenerative diseases of the spine, epilepsy, inflammatory diseases, neoplasia, periphe ... | 2007 | 17575245 |
| [investigation on the vectors of borrella burgdorferi and on the identification of the isolates along china-russia border in eastern heilongjiang province, china]. | to explore the fact that the east border of heilongjiang had been a lyme disease natural focus,we investigated the species and distribution of ticks and isolated bacteria from ticks and identified genomic species of borrelia burdorferi sensu lato. this study provided evidence for prevention and control of lyme disease. | 2007 | 17575937 |
| point: antibiotic therapy is not the answer for patients with persisting symptoms attributable to lyme disease. | it is not well understood why some patients develop a subjective syndrome that includes considerable fatigue, musculoskeletal aches, and neurocognitive dysfunction after receiving standard antibiotic courses for the treatment of lyme disease. some practitioners use the term "chronic lyme disease" and order prolonged courses of oral and parenteral antibiotics, believing that persistent infection with borrelia burgdorferi is responsible. however, well-performed prospective studies have found neith ... | 2007 | 17578771 |
| counterpoint: long-term antibiotic therapy improves persistent symptoms associated with lyme disease. | controversy exists regarding the diagnosis and treatment of lyme disease. patients with persistent symptoms after standard (2-4-week) antibiotic therapy for this tickborne illness have been denied further antibiotic treatment as a result of the perception that long-term infection with the lyme spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi, and associated tickborne pathogens is rare or nonexistent. | 2007 | 17578772 |
| biochemical analysis of a common human polymorphism associated with age-related macular degeneration. | age-related macular degeneration (amd) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in developed countries. a large number of human genetic studies have associated a common variant (y402h) of complement factor h (cfh) with a highly significant increase in amd risk. cfh is a modular protein with 20 homologous short consensus repeats (scrs). the y402h variant is located in scr7 of both cfh and factor h-like protein 1 (fhl-1), a splice variant of cfh (containing scr1-7) with unique biochemical pr ... | 2007 | 17580967 |
| european hedgehogs as hosts for borrelia spp., germany. | | 2007 | 17582907 |
| marginal-zone lymphoma. | the term marginal-zone lymphoma (mzl) encompasses three closely related lymphoma subtypes, namely the "low-grade b-cell lymphoma of malt type" currently named malt lymphoma, the "nodal marginal-zone b-cell lymphoma" and a provisional entity in the real classification named "primary splenic mzl with or without villous lymphocytes". these entities display different characteristics, with evident clinical and biological variations according to the organ where the lymphoma arises. marginal-zone b-cel ... | 2007 | 17583528 |
| [beware of ticks]. | | 2007 | 17585544 |
| [risk for infection by lyme disease cause in green surfaces maintenance workers in belgrade]. | lyme disease (ld) is a cosmopolitan disease from the group of zoonoses that in humans can affect skins, joints, heart and/or nervous system. research conducted in endemic areas, shows not only that the population, which lives or works in tick habitats, is in a high risk for getting infected by ld cause, but also that every enviroment itself is specific in regard to both vectors and b. burgdoferi species. in our enviroment, research of seropositivity to b. bugdorferi in persons exposed to vectors ... | 2007 | 17585546 |
| duration of antibiotic treatment in disseminated lyme borreliosis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical study. | despite rather strict recommendations for antibiotic treatment of disseminated lyme borreliosis (lb), evidence-based studies on the duration of antibiotic treatment are scarce. the aim of this multicenter study was to determine whether initial treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone (cro) for 3 weeks should be extended with a period of adjunct oral antibiotic therapy. a total of 152 consecutive patients with lb were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive either amoxicillin (amox) 1 g or ... | 2007 | 17587070 |
| insights into the complex regulation of rpos in borrelia burgdorferi. | co-ordinated regulation of gene expression is required for the transmission and survival of borrelia burgdorferi in different hosts. the sigma factor rpos (sigma(s)), as regulated by rpon (sigma(54)), has been shown to regulate key virulence factors (e.g. ospc) required for these processes. as important, multiple signals (e.g. temperature, ph, cell density, oxygen) have been shown to increase the expression of sigma(s)-dependent genes; however, little is known about the signal transduction mecha ... | 2007 | 17590233 |
| [infectious uveitis in infancy: borreliosis, tuberculosis, lues]. | infectious uveitis caused by borrelia, tuberculosis or syphilis is a rare condition, even in childhood. because these diseases can be treated successfully, knowledge of their diagnosis and therapy is highly important. the clinical aspects vary from simple conjunctivitis to endophthalmitis or neuro-ophthalmological diseases. the diagnosis of and therapy for borreliosis depend on the stage of the disease. the involvement of different organ systems or positive indirect tests (tuberculin skin test, ... | 2007 | 17594618 |
| antigenicity and recombination of vlse, the antigenic variation protein of borrelia burgdorferi, in rabbits, a host putatively resistant to long-term infection with this spirochete. | borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease pathogen, employs several immune-evasive strategies to survive in mammals. unlike mice, major reservoir hosts for b. burgdorferi, rabbits are considered to be nonpermissive hosts for persistent infection. antigenic variation of the vlse molecule is a probable evasion strategy known to function in mice. the invariable region 6 (ir6) and carboxyl-terminal domain (ct) of vlse elicit dominant antibody responses that are not protective, perhaps to function as de ... | 2007 | 17596185 |
| genetic and physiological characterization of the borrelia burgdorferi orf bb0374-pfs-metk-luxs operon. | the lyme disease spirochaete, borrelia burgdorferi, produces the luxs enzyme both in vivo and in vitro; this enzyme catalyses the synthesis of homocysteine and 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (dpd) from a by-product of methylation reactions. unlike most bacteria, b. burgdorferi is unable to utilize homocysteine. however, dpd levels alter expression levels of a subset of b. burgdorferi proteins. the present studies demonstrate that a single b. burgdorferi operon encodes both of the enzymes respons ... | 2007 | 17600074 |
| hidden in plain sight: borrelia burgdorferi and the extracellular matrix. | borrelia burgdorferi, the tick-transmitted etiologic agent of lyme borreliosis, can colonize and persist in multiple tissue sites despite vigorous host immune responses. the extracellular matrix appears to provide a protective niche for the spirochete. recent studies in mice suggest that b. burgdorferi interacts in various ways with collagen and its associated molecules, exploiting molecular and structural features to establish microcolonial refugia. better knowledge of the genetic and structura ... | 2007 | 17600717 |
| differential diagnoses of suspected lyme borreliosis or post-lyme-disease syndrome. | the symptoms of lyme borreliosis are similar to those of a variety of autoimmune musculoskeletal diseases. persistence of complaints is frequently interpreted as unsuccessful antibiotic treatment of borrelia-associated infections. however, such refractory cases are rare, and re-evaluation of differential diagnoses helps to avoid the substantial risk of long-term antibiotic therapy. in this study, we analyzed patients who presented to our rheumatology unit with previous suspected or diagnosed lym ... | 2007 | 17605053 |
| [neuroborreliosis or borrelia hysteria. this case becomes a nightmare!]. | | 2006 | 17615738 |
| epidemiological aspects and molecular characterization of borrelia burgdorferi s.l. from southern germany with special respect to the new species borrelia spielmanii sp. nov. | in 475 borrelia-infected ixodes ricinus (2155 ticks investigated) from southern germany the most common borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species was b. garinii (34.3%) followed by b. afzelii (25.1%), b. burgdorferi sensu stricto (22.0%), and b. valaisiana (12.7%). b. spielmanii sp. nov. was detected in 5.9% of the 475 infected ticks. hints for a focal distribution were found for b. spielmanii sp. nov. and b. garinii ospa type 4. in 242 patient isolates, dominance (66.9%) of b. afzelii for skin co ... | 2008 | 17616434 |
| oedema of the metatarsal heads ii-iv and forefoot pain as an unusual manifestation of lyme disease: a case report. | abstract: we report the case of a healthy 36 year old man who suffered from foot pain lasting for weeks, without having a specific medical history relating to it. the clinical evaluation was interpreted as a transfer metatarsalgia caused by a splayfoot. the radiographs revealed no pathology except the splayfoot deformity. due to persistent pain and swelling of the entire forefoot, after two weeks of conventional treatment, magnet resonance images (mri) and a blood sample were taken. the laborato ... | 2007 | 17620125 |
| role of outer surface protein d in the borrelia burgdorferi life cycle. | borrelia burgdorferi preferentially induces selected genes in mice or ticks, and studies suggest that ospd is down-regulated in response to host-specific signals. we now directly show that ospd expression is generally elevated within ixodes scapularis compared with mice. we then assessed the importance of ospd throughout the spirochete life cycle by generating ospd-deficient b. burgdorferi and examining the mutant in the murine model of tick-transmitted lyme borreliosis. the lack of ospd did not ... | 2007 | 17620358 |
| the role of lizards in the ecology of lyme disease in two endemic zones of the northeastern united states. | we examined the role of lizards in the ecology of lyme disease in new york and maryland. we collected data on vector tick infestations, measured lizard "realized" reservoir competence for the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi, and estimated lizard population density. these data were incorporated into a model that predicts a host's ability to influence the prevalence of b. burgdorferi in the tick population, a primary risk factor in the epidemiology of lyme disease. published data on o ... | 2007 | 17626342 |
| increased prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi infections in bernese mountain dogs: a possible breed predisposition. | glomerulonephritis in dogs has been associated with b. burgdorferi infections. in bernese mountain dogs with glomerulonephritis antibodies against b. burgdorferi have been found in most dogs, raising the question if the breed is predisposed to infections with b. burgdorferi. the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibodies against b. burgdorferi sensu lato in a well defined population of bernese mountain dogs and to compare this prevalence with data from dogs of other breeds. | 2007 | 17626630 |
| isolation and characterization of chemotaxis mutants of the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi using allelic exchange mutagenesis, flow cytometry, and cell tracking. | constructing mutants by targeted gene inactivation is more difficult in the lyme disease organism, borrelia burgdorferi, than in many other species of bacteria. the b. burgdorferi genome is fragmented, with a large linear genome and 21 linear and circular plasmids. some of these small linear and circular plasmids are often lost during laboratory propagation, and the loss of specific plasmids can have a significant impact on virulence. in addition to the unusual structure of the b. burgdorferi ge ... | 2007 | 17628152 |
| phosphorylation assays of chemotaxis two-component system proteins in borrelia burgdorferi. | borrelia burgdorferi has a complex chemotaxis signal transduction system with multiple chemotaxis gene homologs similar to those found in escherichia coli and bacillus subtilis. the b. burgdorferi genome sequence encodes two chea, three chey, three chew, two cheb, two cher, but no chez genes. instead of chez, b. burgdorferi contains a different chey-p phosphatase, referred to as chex. the multiple b. burgdorferi histidine kinases (chea1 and chea2) and response regulators (chey1, chey2, and chey3 ... | 2007 | 17628153 |
| lyme meningoradiculitis: prospective evaluation of biological diagnosis methods. | the symptoms of lyme meningoradiculitis and the value of biological examinations in an endemic area were determined in a prospective study in which data were collected on all patients consecutively hospitalised for lyme meningoradiculitis at our institution during an 18-month period. specific antibody titres in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (csf) were determined by vidas enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay (igg + igm), dade-behring enzyme immunoassay (eia) (igm; igg) and western blot analysis ... | 2007 | 17629757 |
| human pathogenic borrelia spielmanii sp. nov. resists complement-mediated killing by direct binding of immune regulators factor h and factor h-like protein 1. | borrelia spielmanii sp. nov. has recently been shown to be a novel human pathogenic genospecies that causes lyme disease in europe. in order to elucidate the immune evasion mechanisms of b. spielmanii, we compared the abilities of isolates obtained from lyme disease patients and tick isolate pc-eq17 to escape from complement-mediated bacteriolysis. using a growth inhibition assay, we show that four b. spielmanii isolates, including pc-eq17, are serum resistant, whereas a single isolate, pmew, wa ... | 2007 | 17635869 |
| necrotizing granulomatous hepatitis as an unusual manifestation of lyme disease. | | 2007 | 17638077 |
| environmental risk factors for mycosis fungoides. | the rising incidence rates of mycosis fungoides (mf) call for an explanation. thus, environmental and lifestyle factors were speculated to play a role in the development of lymphoproliferative diseases. it is thought that continuous activation of skin t helper lymphocytes leads to malignant transformation of a specific clone. possible risk factors that have been implicated are occupational chemical exposure, radiation, drugs and infections. the carcinogenic process is probably multifactorial and ... | 2007 | 17641490 |
| analysis of the rpos regulon in borrelia burgdorferi in response to mammalian host signals provides insight into rpos function during the enzootic cycle. | borrelia burgdorferi (bb) adapts to its arthropod and mammalian hosts by altering its transcriptional and antigenic profiles in response to environmental signals associated with each of these milieus. in studies presented here, we provide evidence to suggest that mammalian host signals are important for modulating and maintaining both the positive and negative aspects of mammalian host adaptation mediated by the alternative sigma factor rpos in bb. although considerable overlap was observed betw ... | 2007 | 17645733 |
| biochemical and functional characterization of salp20, an ixodes scapularis tick salivary protein that inhibits the complement pathway. | ixodes ticks are vectors of several pathogens including borrelia burgdorferi. tick saliva contains numerous molecules that facilitate blood feeding without host immune recognition and rejection. we have expressed, purified, and characterized ixodes scapularis salivary protein 20 (salp20), a potential inhibitor of the alternative complement pathway that shares homology with the isac protein family. when analysed by sds-page and size exclusion chromatography, salp20 was approximately 48 kda, more ... | 2007 | 17651236 |
| gene organization of a novel defensin of ixodes ricinus: first annotation of an intron/exon structure in a hard tick defensin gene and first evidence of the occurrence of two isoforms of one member of the arthropod defensin family. | antimicrobial peptides (defensins) are effectors of the immune system. herein, we describe a novel ixodes ricinus defensin gene(s), analyse its structure and compare it with other known antimicrobial peptides from different tick species. for the first time, an intron/exon structure is discovered in a hard-tick defensin gene. the intron/exon genomic organization of the gene is similar to the organization in ornithodoros moubata, but not to that of the intronless defensins of dermacentor variabili ... | 2007 | 17651239 |
| isolation, cultivation and identification of borrelia burgdorferi genospecies from ixodes ricinus ticks from the city of brno, czech republic. | a total of 305 ticks (21 larvae, 243 nymphs, 19 females and 22 males) were collected by flagging of vegetation in suburban woods of pisarky park (city of brno) from july to october 2002. the midgut of each tick was dissected out and transferred individually into bsk-h medium. after cultivation, all specimens were examined by dark-field microscopy (dfm) for the presence of borreliae. out of 305 tick samples, 45 were (14.8%) dfm positive. the following polymerase chain reaction (pcr) then revealed ... | 2007 | 17655181 |
| tick-host-pathogen interactions in lyme borreliosis. | borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of lyme borreliosis, is predominantly transmitted by ixodes ticks. spirochetes have developed many strategies to adapt to the different environments that are present in the arthropod vector and the vertebrate host. this review focuses on b. burgdorferi genes that are preferentially expressed in the tick and the vertebrate host, and describes how selected gene products facilitate spirochete survival throughout the enzootic life cycle. interestingly, b. ... | 2007 | 17656156 |
| [ecological bases of the combination of natural foci of leptospirosis, tick-borne encephalitis, and ixodes tick-borne borrelioses in the ecosystems of a northern forest-steppe subzone in the tyumen region]. | in the context of the present-day teaching of parasitocenoses and the proposition that the pathogen's population is the only compulsory and specific component of a natural focus, the authors bring to light the ecological bases of the combination of natural foci of leptospirosis and tick-borne encephalitis, leptospirosis and ixodes tick-borne borrelioses. these foci are one-host population-combined. while analyzing the combination of the foci, it is expedient to consider in pairs since this provi ... | 2007 | 17657949 |
| invariant natural killer cells in the response to bacteria: the advent of specific antigens. | invariant natural killer t (inkt) cells are a unique subset of t lymphocytes that have been implicated in diverse immune reactions, ranging from self-tolerance and development of autoimmunity to responses to pathogens and tumors. although some degree of autoreactivity of inkt cells has been shown, it remained controversial whether the t-cell antigen receptor expressed by these cells could recognize microbial antigens, hampering the investigation of their physiological role during tolerance and i ... | 2006 | 17661645 |
| eeg with triphasic waves in borrelia burgdorferi meningoencephalitis. | we describe a case of encephalopathy in which the clinical picture and triphasic waves in the eeg indicated a metabolic cause. however, the illness was caused by neuroborreliosis. the occurrence of triphasic waves in the eeg is a strong evidence of metabolic encephalopathy, but triphasic waves are not specific for metabolic encephalopathy. triphasic waves have been described in a number of non-metabolic encephalopaties and structural brain lesions. to our knowledge, this is the first report of t ... | 2007 | 17661801 |
| clinical usefulness of intrathecal antibody testing in acute lyme neuroborreliosis. | the aim of the study was to examine diagnostic sensitivity and temporal course of intrathecal borrelia burgdorferi (bb) antibody production in acute lyme neuroborreliosis (lnb). we recruited consecutive adult patients with lnb diagnosis based on strict selection criteria. serum and cerebrospinal fluid (csfs) were obtained, and clinical examination was performed pre-treatment, and 13 days and 4 months post-treatment. pre-treatment positive bb antibody index (ai) was detected in 34 of 43 (79%). al ... | 2007 | 17662007 |
| gene conversion is a convergent strategy for pathogen antigenic variation. | recent studies on three unrelated vector-borne pathogens, anaplasma marginale, borrelia hermsii and trypanosoma brucei, illustrate the central importance of gene conversion as a mechanism for antigenic variation, which results in subsequent evasion of the immune response and persistence in the reservoir host. the combination of genome sequence data and in vivo studies tracking variant emergence not only provides insight into the genetic mechanisms for variant generation and hierarchy in variant ... | 2007 | 17662656 |
| [ecological and parasitological prerequisites for the spread of ixodes tick-borne borrelioses in the foci with various landscapes]. | | 2007 | 17663042 |
| c-jun n-terminal kinase 1 is required for toll-like receptor 1 gene expression in macrophages. | the regulation of innate immune responses to pathogens occurs through the interaction of toll-like receptors (tlrs) with pathogen-associated molecular patterns and the activation of several signaling pathways whose contribution to the overall innate immune response to pathogens is poorly understood. we demonstrate a mechanism of control of murine macrophage responses mediated by tlr1/2 heterodimers through c-jun n-terminal kinase 1 (jnk1) activity. jnk controls tumor necrosis factor alpha produc ... | 2007 | 17664270 |
| absence of borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in the sera of venezuelan patients with localized scleroderma (morphea). | a possible association of borrelia burgdorferi (bb) with localized scleroderma (ls) has been postulated. however, the published data do not provide unequivocal results. previous serologic analysis in ls patients in south american countries yielded positive results. the present study in our laboratory looked for evidence of bb in ls patients in venezuela, by antibacterial antibodies detection using the two-tiered approach as recommended by the center for disease control and prevention of atlanta ... | 2006 | 17672287 |
| 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 |
| [antimicrobial prophylaxis and therapy of borrelia burgdorferi infections. new strategic aspects]. | | 2001 | 17690830 |
| tick-borne zoonotic bacteria in wild and domestic small mammals in northern spain. | the prevalence and diversity of tick-borne zoonotic bacteria (borrelia spp., anaplasma phagocytophilum, coxiella burnetii, and spotted fever group rickettsiae) infecting 253 small mammals captured in the basque country (spain) were assessed using pcr and reverse line blot hybridization. trapping sites were selected around sheep farms (study 1, 2000 to 2002) and recreational parks (study 2, 2003 to 2005). the majority of the studied mammals (162) were wood mice (apodemus sylvaticus), but six othe ... | 2007 | 17693556 |
| phenology of ixodes ricinus and infection with borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato along a north- and south-facing altitudinal gradient on chaumont mountain, switzerland. | questing ixodes ricinus l. ticks were collected monthly from 2003 to 2005 on the north- and south-facing slopes of chaumont mountain in neuchâtel, switzerland, at altitudes varying from 620 to 1,070 m. on the south-facing slope, questing tick density was higher than on the north-facing slope, and it decreased with altitude. density tended to increase with altitude on the north-facing slope. saturation deficit values higher than 10 mmhg and lasting for >2 mo were often recorded on the south-facin ... | 2007 | 17695026 |
| resolution of chronic hepatitis c following parasitosis. | an inefficient cellular immune response likely leads to chronic hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection. resolution of chronic hcv infection in the absence of treatment is a rare occurrence. we report the case of a 39-year old white male with a 17-year history of chronic hcv infection, who eradicated hcv following a serious illness due to co-infection with babesia (babesiosis), borriela borgdorferi (lyme disease) and ehrlichia (human granulocytic ehrlichiosis). we hypothesize that the cellular immune ... | 2007 | 17696260 |
| [lyme arthritis, lyme carditis and other presentations potentially associated to lyme disease]. | lyme disease or lyme borreliosis is the most common tick-transmitted disease in the northern hemisphere and is caused by borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes. lyme disease commonly begins with a characteristic skin lesion, erythema migrans. weeks or months later, the patients may have neurologic, joint, or cardiac abnormalities. some patients may still present persistent deep fatigue and various unspecific symptoms after standard courses of antibiotic treatment for lyme disease. this constellation o ... | 2007 | 17698309 |
| antibodies to recombinant decorin-binding proteins a and b in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with lyme neuroborreliosis. | cerebrospinal fluid (csf) and serum samples from 34 patients with proven neuroborreliosis (nb) and 22 patients with suspected neuroborreliosis (snb) from finland were analysed for antibodies to decorin-binding proteins a (dbpa) and b (dbpb). antibodies to recombinant protein antigens originating from borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, b. afzelii, or b. garinii species were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa). of the 34 patients with nb, 100% of the csf and 88% of the serum samp ... | 2007 | 17701715 |
| [concentration of sfas and sfasl in the supernatant of pbmc culture from the patients with late lyme borreliosis]. | persistent, inadequate inflammatory response present in late lyme borreliosis may be driven by activated t lymphocytes. we estimated synthesis of extracellular proteins: soluble fas receptor (sfas) and its ligand (sfasl), which might protect t lymphocytes from physiologic apoptosis, in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (pbmc) culture from patients with late borreliosis. | 2007 | 17702439 |
| [clinical forms of neuroborreliosis--the analysis of patients diagnosed in department of infectious diseases and neuroinfection medical academy in bialystok between 2000-2005]. | increased morbidity of viral tick borne encephalitis since the 90's indicates growing risk of rother tick borne diseases, including neuroborreliosis. analysis of demographical, epidemiological and clinical data of patients hospitalised in departament on infectious diseases and neuroinfections in years 2000-2005 revealed that among patients with lyme disease 13% were with neuroborreliosis with broad spectrum of neurologic symptoms as cranial nerves paresis (mainly n.vii), as well concentration an ... | 2007 | 17702440 |
| [prevalence of borreliosis among forestry workers in kujawsko-pomorskie voivodeship]. | prevalence and clinical manifestation of borreliosis were analyzed. evaluation of frequency of anti-borrelia burgdorferi in sera collected from forestry workers were performed too. | 2007 | 17702441 |
| [diagnostic difficulties in neuroborreliosis in children]. | analysis of clinical picture in children hospitalized because of suspicion of neuroborreliosis and evaluation of usefulness of testing serum and cerebrospinal fluid (csf) for specific antibodies. | 2007 | 17702442 |
| [eye involvement of borrelia aetiology]. | we present a case of eye involvement -- intermediate uveitis -- during tick-borne borreliosis in a 10-year-old boy. ophthalmologic examination revealed impaired vision, apparent thick floating whitish opacity in the vitreous humour of the left eye and fine fibres in the vitreous humour of the right eye. sonographic examination confirmed hyperechogenic opacity in the vitreous humour. an autoimmune process was suspected but not confirmed. serological examination showed igg antibodies against three ... | 2007 | 17703406 |
| [treatment and follow up of disseminated and late lyme disease]. | the aim of this review was to analyze the current strategies of treatment and follow-up of disseminated and late lyme borreliosis. a comprehensive search was performed using the medline database. only relevant reviews, expert guidelines and randomized controlled clinical trials were selected and, if necessary, open trials. major drugs used in these studies were amoxicillin, doxycycline, penicillin g, and ceftriaxone. oral administration of antibiotics was preferred in lyme arthritis whereas pare ... | 2007 | 17707605 |
| interstitial granuloma annulare and borreliosis: a new case. | | 2007 | 17714142 |
| the role of vlse antigenic variation in the lyme disease spirochete: persistence through a mechanism that differs from other pathogens. | the linear plasmid, lp28-1, is required for persistent infection by the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi. this plasmid contains the vls antigenic variation locus, which has long been thought to be important for immune evasion. however, the role of the vls locus as a virulence factor during mammalian infection has not been clearly defined. we report the successful removal of the vls locus through telomere resolvase-mediated targeted deletion, and demonstrate the absolute requirement ... | 2007 | 17714442 |
| [microbiological and pharmacological data useful for the treatment of lyme disease. treatment and follow up of early lyme disease (erythema migrans)]. | the aim of this review was first to analyze the microbiological and pharmacological criteria used to choose a treatment for lyme disease. the determination of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato susceptibility to antibiotics is difficult, especially because of the lack of standardization in the methods used. in vitro data is helpful to determine lyme treatment but discrepancies between in vitro and in vivo results highlight the need to confirm this data by clinical trials. the second part is an anal ... | 2007 | 17714902 |
| early disseminated borreliosis with multiple erythema migrans and elevated liver enzymes: case report and literature review. | a 69-year-old man presented with multiple livid maculae and infiltrated urticarial plaques, as well as elevated liver enzymes. based on typical clinical picture, histopathology and positive pcr from a skin biopsy, we diagnosed an early disseminated infection with borrelia afzelii presenting with multiple erythema migrans (erythemata migrantia) and a subclinical hepatitis. during antibiotic treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone, the maculae and plaques vanished almost completely and the liver en ... | 2007 | 17721649 |
| [the information value of detection of borrelia antibodies in the healthy blood donors and in the population at risk]. | geographic differences of particular species of ticks and variant strains of borrelias impede the comparison of local and foreign experience. the authors tried to support some literary observations with their own results and designed a study aimed at determination of anti-borrelia antibodies (ab) in the selected population samples. the goal of the study was to find and statistically evaluate: a) difference in distribution of values of ab in the sample of probands from the risk and non-risk envir ... | 2007 | 17722848 |
| [clinical spectrum of neuroborreliosis]. | lyme disease is a multisystem infectious disease with a wide variety of symptoms involving the skin as well as nervous, musculosceletal and cardiovascular systems. lyme disease is caused by spirochaete borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by ixodes tics in endemic regions. the diverse manifestations of neuroborreliosis require it to be included in differential diagnosis of many neurological disorders. the paper reviews the spectrum of clinical symptoms of nervous system involvement in early and late ... | 2007 | 17726871 |
| brain magnetic resonance imaging does not contribute to the diagnosis of chronic neuroborreliosis. | borrelia infections, especially chronic neuroborreliosis (nb), may cause considerable diagnostic problems. this diagnosis is based on symptoms and findings in the cerebrospinal fluid but is not always conclusive. | 2007 | 17729007 |
| [lyme borreliosis in children. epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical treatment, and therapy]. | in europe, lyme borreliosis is the most common disease communicated by ticks and especially affects the skin, nervous system, joints, and heart. it is caused by at least four species of the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. the various pathologies are classified as early forms (erythema migrans, borrelia lymphocytom, early neuroborreliosis, carditis) or late forms (arthritis, acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans, chronic neuroborreliosis). the accuracy of serodiagnosis is 20-50% with erythema migr ... | 2007 | 17729432 |
| detection and identification of bacterial agents in ixodes persulcatus schulze ticks from the north western region of russia. | ixodes persulcatus schultze ticks are traditionally associated with transmission of lyme disease, babesiosis, and tick-borne encephalitis. here we compared the prevalence of infection with borrelia burgdorferi, and rickettsial and ehrlichial agents in i. persulcatus ticks collected in different locations of the north western administrative region of russia. altogether, 27.7% of ticks were infected with at least one organism, while the dna of two or more bacteria was found in 11.8% of ticks teste ... | 2007 | 17767409 |
| first record of lyme disease borrelia in the arctic. | the epidemiology and ecology of lyme disease is very complex, and its reported geographical distribution is constantly increasing. furthermore, the involvement of birds in long distance dispersal and their role as reservoir hosts is now well established. in this study, we have shown that sea birds in the arctic region of norway carry ixodes uriae ticks infected with lyme disease borrelia garinii spirochetes. interestingly, dna sequencing showed that these isolates are closely related to b. garin ... | 2007 | 17767412 |
| [lyme disease in children]. | lyme disease is a vector-borne infectious disease affecting especially skin, nervous system, heart and joints. in the early stage of borrelia infection, asymptomatic course is possible. the causative agent, the spirochete borrelia, is carried to the human body by tick. the bacteriological culture from blood, joint fluid or cerebrospinal fluid is very difficult. the laboratory diagnosis depends mainly on serological assays (elisa, western blot) and on the polymerase chain reaction (pcr). the trea ... | 2006 | 17784551 |
| borrelia burgdorferi adhesins identified using in vivo phage display. | borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of lyme disease, disseminates from the site of deposition by ixodes ticks to cause systemic infection. dissemination occurs through the circulation and through tissue matrices, but the b. burgdorferi molecules that mediate interactions with the endothelium in vivo have not yet been identified. in vivo selection of filamentous phage expressing b. burgdorferi protein fragments on the phage surface identified several new candidate adhesins, and verified the activity ... | 2007 | 17784908 |
| is the presence of antibodies in csf sufficient to make a definitive diagnosis of lyme disease? | | 2007 | 17785661 |
| relevance of the antibody index to diagnose lyme neuroborreliosis among seropositive patients. | no consensual criteria exist to diagnose neuroborreliosis. the intrathecal anti-borrelia antibody index (ai) is a necessary criterion to diagnose neuroborreliosis in europe, but not in the united states. previous studies to determine the diagnostic value of the ai found a sensitivity ranging from 55% to 80%. however, these studies included only typical clinical cases of meningitis or meningoradiculitis, and none had a control group with csf anti-borrelia antibodies. | 2007 | 17785663 |
| occurrence of multiple infections with different borrelia burgdorferi genospecies in danish ixodes ricinus nymphs. | the pathogen borrelia burgdorferi causes lyme borreliosis in human and animals world-wide. in europe the pathogen is transmitted to the host by the vector ixodes ricinus. the nymph is the primary instar for transmission to humans. we here study the infection rate of five borrelia genospecies: b. burgdorferi sensu stricto, b. afzelii, b. garinii, b. valaisiana, b. lusitaniae in nymphs, by ifa and pcr. 600 nymphs were collected in north zealand of denmark. each nymph was first analysed by ifa. if ... | 2008 | 17804280 |
| borrelia burgdorferi bbb07 interaction with integrin alpha3beta1 stimulates production of pro-inflammatory mediators in primary human chondrocytes. | borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease, activates multiple signalling pathways leading to induction of pro-inflammatory mediators at sites of inflammation. binding of b. burgdorferi to integrin alpha(3)beta(1) on human chondrocytes activates signalling leading to release of several pro-inflammatory mediators, but the b. burgdorferi protein that binds integrin alpha(3)beta(1) and elicits this response has remained unknown. a search of the b. burgdorferi genome for a canonical i ... | 2008 | 17822440 |
| borrelia burgdorferi-associated primary cutaneous marginal-zone b-cell lymphoma: a case report. | an association between borrelia burgdorferi with primary cutaneous b-cell lymphoma (pcbcl) has long been suspected but just recently, thanks to a polymerase chain reaction technique, it had been possible to demonstrate b. burgdorferi-specific dna in skin lesions of patients with different pcbcl subtypes. locating cases of pcbcl that are related to b. burgdorferi infection could be really important for therapeutic implications; in fact, there are several reports of pcbcl responding to antibiotic ... | 2007 | 17823520 |
| lyme disease like syndrome associated lymphocytoma: first case report in brazil. | | 2007 | 17823716 |