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[clinical manifestations of neuroborreliosis in the volga region].ixodes tick-borne borrelioses (tbb) are a group of etiologically independent acute infectious natural-focal transmissive and polysystemic diseases caused by borrelia and transmitted by the ticks. these diseases tend to be chronic and recurrent, as well as latent, mainly involving the skin, nervous system, locomotor apparatus and heart. the signs of nervous system lesion are recorded in both acute (subacute) and chronic course of the disease. the comparatively low notification rate of tbb in the ...201021381354
contribution of hydrophobic interactions to protein stability.our goal was to gain a better understanding of the contribution of hydrophobic interactions to protein stability. we measured the change in conformational stability, ?(?g), for hydrophobic mutants of four proteins: villin headpiece subdomain (vhp) with 36 residues, a surface protein from borrelia burgdorferi (vlse) with 341 residues, and two proteins previously studied in our laboratory, ribonucleases sa and t1. we compared our results with those of previous studies and reached the following con ...201121377472
high sensitivity and specificity of the c6-peptide elisa on cerebrospinal fluid in lyme neuroborreliosis patients.clin microbiol infect abstract: lyme neuroborreliosis (lnb) is a serious but treatable disease. the diagnosis of lnb poses a challenge to clinicians, and improved tests are needed. the c6-peptide elisa is frequently used on serum but not on cerebrospinal fluid (csf). data on the sensitivity of the c6-peptide elisa in csf in patients suffering from lnb have been conflicting. serum-csf pairs from 59 lnb patients, 36 lyme non-neuroborreliosis cases, 69 infectious meningitis/encephalitis controls an ...201121375653
the immunology of dna vaccines.the surprising observation that direct inoculation of an expression plasmid encoding a foreign protein into the skin of mice resulted in the induction of antibody responses, demonstrated that injection of "naked" dna could result in antigen expression in an immunogenic form (1). this observation and the subsequent demonstration that intramuscular injections of plasmid dna encoding influenza nucleoprotein could protect mice against a challenge with live influenza virus have opened up new avenues ...200021374308
methods for rapid transfer and localization of lyme disease pathogens within the tick gut.lyme disease is caused by infection with the spirochete pathogen borrelia burgdorferi, which is maintained in nature by a tick-rodent infection cycle (1). a tick-borne murine model (2) has been developed to study lyme disease in the laboratory. while naíve ticks can be infected with b. burgdorferi by feeding them on infected mice, the molting process takes several weeks to months to complete. therefore, development of more rapid and efficient tick infection techniques, such as a microinjection-b ...201121372782
multiplex immunoassay for lyme disease using vlse1-igg and pepc10-igm antibodies: improving test performance through bioinformatics.the centers for disease control and prevention currently recommends a 2-tier serologic approach to lyme disease laboratory diagnosis, comprised of an initial serum enzyme immunoassay (eia) for antibody to borrelia burgdorferi followed by supplementary igg and igm western blotting of eia-positive or -equivocal samples. western blot accuracy is limited by subjective interpretation of weakly positive bands, false-positive igm immunoblots, and low sensitivity for detection of early disease. we devel ...201121367982
is tayside becoming a scottish hotspot for lyme borreliosis?the epidemiology of lyme borreliosis (lb) in tayside was studied and compared with highland (an area of high endemicity) and the rest of scotland. from april 2001 to march 2008 the incidence of lb in tayside rose from an estimated 2.57 to 5.84 per 100,000 population. in 2008/09 the incidence of lb in tayside increased further to an estimated 13.85 per 100,000 population. this rise was significant and, although numerically less than that in highland (37.24 to 49.69 per 100,000 population), it was ...201121365058
the tickpro computer program for predicting ixodes ricinus host-seeking activity and the warning system published on websites.the computer program with the acronym tickpro (tick prognosis) facilitates medium-range forecasts of the level of host-seeking activity in ticks within a 1-4 day horizon. the program is based on the medium-range weather forecast routinely produced at the czech hydrometeorological institute (chmi), as well as on previously developed mathematical models describing the correlation of meteorological factors with the host-seeking activity of ixodes ricinus. these models are based on a 6-year whole-se ...201021361109
differences in prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi and anaplasma spp. infection among host-seeking dermacentor occidentalis, ixodes pacificus, and ornithodoros coriaceus ticks in northwestern california.previous studies revealed that the pacific coast tick (dermacentor occidentalis) is infected occasionally with the agents of lyme disease (borrelia burgdorferi) or human granulocytic anaplasmosis (anaplasma phagocytophilum) and that it is an inefficient experimental vector of b. burgdorferi. the relationship of the pajahuello tick (ornithodoros coriaceus) to each of these bacterial zoonotic agents has not been reported. the primary bridging vector of both bacterial zoonotic agents to humans is t ...201021359090
analysis of the borrelia burgdorferi cyclic-di-gmp-binding protein plza reveals a role in motility and virulence.the cyclic-dimeric-gmp (c-di-gmp)-binding protein pilz has been implicated in bacterial motility and pathogenesis. although bb0733 (plza), the only pilz domain-containing protein in borrelia burgdorferi, was reported to bind c-di-gmp, neither its role in motility or virulence nor it's affinity for c-di-gmp has been reported. we determined that plza specifically binds c-di-gmp with high affinity (dissociation constant [k(d)], 1.25 µm), consistent with k(d) values reported for c-di-gmp-binding pro ...201121357718
biodiversity and lyme disease: dilution or amplification?reduced lyme disease risk by the 'dilution effect' is often cited as an example of biodiversity providing 'ecosystem services' to public health. using a mechanistic model we investigated how transmission of the lyme disease agent, borrelia burgdorferi, by ixodes scapularis ticks amongst highly efficient reservoir mice is affected by varying the abundance of a less efficient reservoir host. simulations indicated either amplification or dilution may occur, with the outcome depending precisely on m ...200921352766
seroprevalence of various infectious agents in dogs with suspected acute canine polyradiculoneuritis.acute canine polyradiculoneuritis (acp) is considered to be an animal model of the acute axonal form of guillain-barré syndrome (gbs) in humans. various antecedent events have been associated with gbs, including bacterial or viral infection. the relationship between acp and previous infection requires additional attention.201121352374
comparative population dynamics of a generalist (ixodes ricinus) and specialist tick (i. hexagonus) species from european hedgehogs.although the population dynamics of the tick ixodes ricinus are relatively well studied, those of other western european tick species are largely unknown. moreover, there is very little information related to the interactions between i. ricinus and other ticks. such knowledge, however, is of special interest in respect to the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens such as borrelia spp. we compared the dynamics of the generalist i. ricinus with the nest-dwelling hedgehog specialist, i. hexagonus. b ...201121350974
bosr (bb0647) controls the rpon-rpos regulatory pathway and virulence expression in borrelia burgdorferi by a novel dna-binding mechanism.in borrelia burgdorferi (bb), the lyme disease spirochete, the alternative s factor s54 (rpon) directly activates transcription of another alternative s factor, s(s) (rpos) which, in turn, controls the expression of virulence-associated membrane lipoproteins. as is customary in s54-dependent gene control, a putative ntrc-like enhancer-binding protein, rrp2, is required to activate the rpon-rpos pathway. however, recently it was found that rpos transcription in bb also requires another regulator, ...201121347346
treatment of infection caused by borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato.borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (bbsl) infections, which are transmitted by ixodes ticks, cause a wide variety of clinical manifestations and are of public health importance in parts of north america, europe and asia. a literature review of pertinent articles published up untill july 6th 2010 was performed on the use of antimicrobials in the treatment and prevention of bbsl infections. the clinical outcome with 10-28 days of antibiotic treatment is generally excellent, but in view of the experie ...201121342072
arthropod vectors and vector-borne bacterial pathogens in yosemite national park.ticks, fleas, and vector-borne pathogens were surveyed in diverse small mammals in yosemite national park, california, from 2005 to 2007. a total of 450 unique captures of small mammals was collected during a 3-yr period and yielded 16 species of fleas and 10 species of ticks, including known vectors of anaplasma phagocytophilum and borrelia burgdorferi and plague. serology was performed for a. phagocytophilum, spotted fever group rickettsia spp., b. burgdorferi, and yersinia pestis. a. phagocyt ...201121337955
influence of abiotic and environmental factors on the density and infection prevalence of ixodes pacificus (acari:ixodidae) with borrelia burgdorferi.the abiotic and biotic factors that govern the spatial distribution of lyme disease vectors are poorly understood. this study addressed the influence of abiotic and biotic environmental variables on ixodes pacificus cooley & kohls (acari:ixodidae) nymphs, because it is the primary vector of borrelia burgdorferi johnson, schmidt, hyde, steigerwaldt & brenner in the far-western united states. three metrics of lyme disease risk were evaluated: the density of nymphs, the density of infected nymphs, ...201121337944
impact of the experimental removal of lizards on lyme disease risk.the distribution of vector meals in the host community is an important element of understanding and predicting vector-borne disease risk. lizards (such as the western fence lizard; sceloporus occidentalis) play a unique role in lyme disease ecology in the far-western united states. lizards rather than mammals serve as the blood meal hosts for a large fraction of larval and nymphal western black-legged ticks (ixodes pacificus-the vector for lyme disease in that region) but are not competent reser ...201121325326
phagosomal signaling by borrelia burgdorferi in human monocytes involves toll-like receptor (tlr) 2 and tlr8 cooperativity and tlr8-mediated induction of ifn-beta.phagocytosed borrelia burgdorferi (bb) induces inflammatory signals that differ both quantitatively and qualitatively from those generated by spirochetal lipoproteins interacting with toll-like receptor (tlr) 1/2 on the surface of human monocytes. of particular significance, and in contrast to lipoproteins, internalized spirochetes induce transcription of ifn-ß. using inhibitory immunoregulatory dna sequences (irss) specific to tlr7, tlr8, and tlr9, we show that the tlr8 inhibitor irs957 signifi ...201121321205
cxcl13 chemokine in pediatric and adult neuroborreliosis.wutte n, berghold a, löffler s, zenz w, daghofer e, krainberger i, kleinert g, aberer e. cxcl13 chemokine in pediatric and adult neuroborreliosis. acta neurol scand: doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2010.01477.x. © 2011 john wiley & sons a/s. objectives - diagnosis of lyme neuroborreliosis (nb) depends on the proof of intrathecal antibody production against borrelia burgdorferi. cxcl13 has been seen to be elevated early in nb, before antibody production has started. in this study, we determined the dia ...201121320077
[erythema migrans successfully treated. what are the options when antibodies persist?]. 201021319404
detection of rickettsia and a novel haemaphysalis shimoga symbiont bacterium in ticks in thailand.in this study, we identified two haemaphysalis species present at the khao yai national park in thailand and investigated the presence of rickettsia in these ticks. a total of 166 haemaphysalis specimens were collected randomly under leaves along visitor paths at five locations in the park. male and female adults of two different haemaphysalis species, h. shimoga and h. lagrangei, were identified. polymerase chain reaction (pcr) analysis revealed rickettsia bacteria in these two haemaphysalis sp ...201121318277
borrelia burgdorferi bacteremia. 201121311945
a comparative genome analysis of the rpos sigmulon shows a high diversity of responses and origins.the stationary-phase response mediated by the rpos sigma factor (s(s), s³8) has been widely studied as a general mechanism of activation of highly diverse genes that maintain cell viability. in bacteria, genes for diverse functions have been associated with this response, showing that bacteria use a large number of functions to contend with adverse conditions in their environment. however, little is known about how the genes have been functionally recruited in diverse organisms. in this work, we ...201121310789
small risk of developing symptomatic tick-borne diseases following a tick bite in the netherlands.in the netherlands, the incidence of lyme borreliosis is on the rise. besides its causative agent, borrelia burgdorferi s.l., other potential pathogens like rickettsia, babesia and ehrlichia species are present in ixodes ricinus ticks. the risk of disease associated with these microorganisms after tick-bites remains, however, largely unclear. a prospective study was performed to investigate how many persons with tick-bites develop localized or systemic symptoms and whether these are associated w ...201121310036
lyme borreliosis.borreliosis is an infectious disease caused by spirochetes of the genus borrelia. lyme borreliosis, also known as lyme disease, is a non-contagious infectious disease caused by spirochetes belonging to the complex borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and more often transmitted by the bite of infected ticks of the genus ixodes.the disease is characterized by a varied clinical profile, which can trigger cutaneous, articular, neurological and cardiac manifestations.201021308327
[using the polymerase chain reaction to borrelia burgdorferi infection in localized scleroderma injure (morphea), in venezuelan patients].borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of lyme borreliosis, an infectious multisystemic disease transmitted to humans by the ixodes ticks bite. a possible association of borrelia burgdorferi with localized scleroderma has been postulated. however, published data do not provide unequivocal results. previous serologic analysis of patients with localized scleroderma in south american countries (including venezuela), have been reported as yielding some reactivity. the present study looked for e ...201021305774
lyme disease enolpyruvyl-udp-glcnac synthase: fosfomycin-resistant mura from borrelia burgdorferi, a fosfomycin-sensitive mutant, and the catalytic role of the active site asp.muras (enolpyruvyl-udp-glcnac synthases) from pathogenic bacteria such as borrelia burgdorferi (lyme disease) and tuberculosis are fosfomycin resistant because an asp-for-cys substitution prevents them from being alkylated by this epoxide antibiotic. previous attempts to characterize naturally asp-containing muras have resulted in no protein or no activity. we have expressed and characterized his-tagged lyme disease mura (bb_mura(h6)). the protein was most soluble at high salt concentrations but ...201121294548
lyme disease and the orthopaedic implications of lyme arthritis.lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the united states and europe. increased awareness of the clinical manifestations of the disease is needed to improve detection and treatment. in the acute and late stages, lyme disease may be difficult to distinguish from other disease processes. the epidemiology and pathophysiology of lyme disease are directly related to the borrelia burgdorferi spirochete and its effects on the integumentary, neurologic, cardiac, and musculoskeletal systems ...201121292932
[microorganisms and cancer: scientific evidence and new hypotheses].microorganism involvement in cancer has been known for over a century, and different types of parasites, bacteria and viruses have been associated with oncogenic processes. among the bacteria, the first recognised was helicobacter pylori which causes gastric cancer and might be related to extra-gastric cancer in humans. helicobacter hepaticus has been associated with liver cancers using animal models. other bacteria, such as chlamydia psitacii, borrelia burgdorferi and streptococcus bovis, have ...201121292247
a 20-year-old man with fever, headache, and neck stiffness. neuroborreliosis with tick-borne relapsing fever. 201121288847
lyme neuroborreliosis in 2 horses.lyme neuroborreliosis-characterized as chronic, necrosuppurative to nonsuppurative, perivascular to diffuse meningoradiculoneuritis-was diagnosed in 2 horses with progressive neurologic disease. in 1 horse, borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto was identified by polymerase chain reaction amplification of b burgdorferi sensu stricto-specific gene targets (ospa, ospc, flab, dbpa, arp). highest spirochetal burdens were in tissues with inflammation, including spinal cord, muscle, and joint capsule. seq ...201121285382
the ospe-related proteins inhibit complement deposition and enhance serum resistance of borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease spirochete.borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease spirochete, binds the host complement inhibitors factor h (fh) and fh-like protein 1 (fhl-1). binding of fh/fhl-1 by the b. burgdorferi proteins cspa and the ospe-related proteins is thought to enhance resistance to serum-mediated killing. while previous reports have shown that cspa confers serum resistance in b. burgdorferi, it is unclear whether the ospe-related proteins are relevant in b. burgdorferi serum resistance when ospe is expressed on the borreli ...201121282413
cd14 signaling reciprocally controls collagen deposition and turnover to regulate the development of lyme arthritis.cd14 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein expressed primarily on myeloid cells (eg, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells). cd14(-/-) mice infected with borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease, produce more proinflammatory cytokines and present with greater disease and bacterial burden in infected tissues. recently, we uncovered a novel mechanism whereby cd14(-/-) macrophages mount a hyperinflammatory response, resulting from their inability to be tolerize ...201121281805
evidence of direct cell-cell fusion in borrelia by cryogenic electron tomography.some borrelia species are the causative agents of tick-borne lyme disease responsible for different disabilities depending on species and hosts. borrelia are highly motile bacterial cells, and light microscopy shows that these spirochetes can associate with each other during movement. using cryo-electron tomography, we observed closely associated borrelia cells. some of these showed a single outer membrane surrounding two longitudinally arranged cytoplasmic cylinders. we also observed fusion of ...201121276171
exon variability of gene encoding glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of ixodes ricinus ticks.we have previously found apparent differences in gpdh allele frequences between borrelia infected and uninfected ixodes ricinus as revealed by native gel electrophoresis of allozyme polymorphisms. the present study deals with the genetic basis of the observed allozyme polymorphism. multiple sequence alignment of 36 gpdh open reading frames identified a total of 40 polymorphic nucleotide sites. of the 40 polymorphic nucleotide sites, 34 were silent (did not result in amino acid residue change), w ...201021275244
borrelia burgdorferi in ticks and dogs in the province of vojvodina, serbia.lyme disease is a tick borne zoonotic infection, caused by borrelia burgdorferi s.l. bacteria. for the transmission of the disease, the presence of ticks is a prerequisite. lyme borreliosis mostly occurs in people and dogs, but it may occur in other animals. ticks which carry b. burgdorferi s.l. in serbia are of the ixodes ricinus specis. in serbia, lyme disease was detected for the first time in the late '80-es. in dogs, clinical symptoms may occur even months after a tick bite, and include wea ...201021275243
functional analysis of borrelia burgdorferi uvra in dna damage protection.bacterial pathogens face constant challenges from dna-damaging agents generated by host phagocytes. although borrelia burgdorferi appears to have much fewer dna repair enzymes than pathogens with larger genomes, it does contain homologues of uvra and uvrb (subunits a and b of excinuclease abc). as a first step to exploring the physiologic function of uvra(bbu) and its possible role in survival in the host in the face of dna-damaging agents, a partially deleted uvra mutant was isolated by targete ...201121272060
large differences between test strategies for the detection of anti-borrelia antibodies are revealed by comparing eight elisas and five immunoblots.we investigated the influence of assay choice on the results in a two-tier testing algorithm for the detection of anti-borrelia antibodies. eighty-nine serum samples from clinically well-defined patients were tested in eight different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) systems based on whole-cell antigens, whole-cell antigens supplemented with vlse and assays using exclusively recombinant proteins. a subset of samples was tested in five immunoblots: one whole-cell blot, one whole-cell blo ...201121271270
5-lipoxygenase-deficient mice infected with borrelia burgdorferi develop persistent arthritis.the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5-lo) catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid into the leukotrienes, which are critical regulators of inflammation and inflammatory diseases, such as asthma and arthritis. although leukotrienes are present in the synovial fluid of lyme disease patients, their role in the development of lyme arthritis has not been determined. in the current study, we used a murine model of lyme arthritis to investigate the role 5-lo products might have in the development of this in ...201121270404
detection of tick blood parasites in egypt using pcr assay ii- borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato.the prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), the etiologic agent of lyme borrelosis (lb), was determined for the first time in egypt by using polymerase chain reaction (pcr). questing 5243 hard and soft ticks were collected from animal farms throughout giza governorate. dna from 500 individual tick species was extracted and pcr was performed. primers verified from the sequence of german strain pko of borrelia afzelii were used. fragments of 642 bp were generated and sequenced. the p ...201021268526
prevalence of borrelia infection in ticks from wildlife in south-west england. 201021262733
serodiagnosis of borreliosis: indirect immunofluorescence assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting.lyme disease is an infectious, multi-system, tick-borne disease caused by genospecies of borrelia burgdorferi bacteria sensu lato, characterized by remarkable heterogeneity. in this situation choosing an optimal antigen array for diagnostic tests seems problematic. the serological tests for borrelia routinely done in laboratories often produce ambiguous results, which makes a proper diagnosis rather complicated and thus delays the implementation of an appropriate treatment regimen. thirty-seven ...201121258869
diverse borrelia burgdorferi strains in a bird-tick cryptic cycle.the blacklegged tick ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of the most prevalent vector-borne zoonosis in north america, lyme disease (ld). enzootic maintenance of the pathogen borrelia burgdorferi by i. scapularis and small mammals is well documented, whereas its "cryptic" maintenance by other specialist ticks and wildlife hosts remains largely unexplored because these ticks rarely bite humans. we quantified b. burgdorferi infection in a cryptic bird-rabbit-tick cycle. furthermore, we explore ...201121257811
erythema annulare centrifugum in a patient operated on for breast carcinoma.a 73-year-old caucasian female patient presented for three annular erythematous lesions on the left leg and buttock, persisting for two months, clinically interpreted as erythema annulare centrifugum. routine laboratory findings were within the normal ranges, borrelia serology and wet mount microscopy for mycosis were negative. histologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of superficial erythema annulare centrifugum. since no association of erythema annulare centrifugum with concomitant bacter ...201021251444
patterns and regulation of ribosomal rna transcription in borrelia burgdorferi.borrelia burgdorferi contains one 16s and two tandem sets of 23s-5s ribosomal (r) rna genes whose patterns of transcription and regulation are unknown but are likely to be critical for survival and persistence in its hosts.201121251259
borrelia burgdorferi infection regulates cd1 expression in human cells and tissues via il1-β.the appearance of group 1 cd1 proteins (cd1a, cd1b and cd1c) on maturing myeloid dc is a key event that converts myeloid dc to effective lipid apc. here, we show that borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease, triggers appearance of group 1 cd1 proteins at high density on the surface of human myeloid dc during infection. within human skin, cd1b and cd1c expression was low or absent prior to infection, but increased significantly after experimental infections and in erythema migra ...201121246541
profile of patients with baggio-yoshinari syndrome admitted at "instituto de infectologia emilio ribas".the aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological, clinical and laboratorial profile of patients with baggio-yoshinari syndrome (bys), who underwent internment at the instituto de infectologia emilio ribas in são paulo, brazil, during the period from july 1990 to july 2006. bys is a new brazilian tick-borne disease caused by borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato microorganisms that resembles features of lyme disease (ld), except for its epidemiological, clinical and laboratorial particularitie ...201021225212
[isolation and identification of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from ticks in six provinces in china.]objective: to understand the carrying status of borrelia burgdorferi in ticks from the mountain areas from six representative provinces, including jilin, shanxi, gansu, qinghai, guizhou and hunan in china. methods: flagging and trapping methods were used to collect ticks in forest area and culture medium was used to isolate the pathogen. nested-pcr was used to detect the germ-carrying rate of ticks. results: more than 2200 ticks from six representative provinces were collected and 1000 ticks wer ...201021223661
the presence of borrelia valaisiana-related genospecies in ticks and a rodent in taiwan.a field survey was conducted to investigate the presence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in six counties of taiwan. spirochetes were successfully isolated from one rodent ear sample out of 485 rodent ears and 53 live, fed tick (ixodes granulatus) samples. the spirochetes were confirmed to be b. burgdorferi s.l. by real-time pcr. in addition, 23 of 113 tick samples were tested positive for borrelia dna according to real-time pcr. the borrelia isolate from the rodent and the 23 borrelia ...201021221950
lyme disease: review from a canadian perspective.lyme borreliosis is an infectious disease caused by the tick-transmitted spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. to date, the only known endemic focus of lyme disease in canada is long point, ont. a national case definition for surveillance purposes, consensus statement regarding laboratory diagnosis, and treatment guidelines have recently been developed in an attempt to standardize the approach to surveillance, diagnosis, and management of lyme borreliosis in canada.199221221399
[case of the month: a boy with a notable skin rash]. 201121217198
correcting a public health fiasco: the need for a new vaccine against lyme disease.a vaccine against lyme disease was licensed in the united states in 1998 but was subsequently removed from the market because of lack of sales. i believe that the poor acceptance of the vaccine was based on tepid recommendations by the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc), undocumented and probably nonexistent safety issues, and insufficient education of physicians. a new vaccine is feasible but will not be developed unless there is a demand by infectious diseases specialists, epidem ...201121217175
a new approach to a lyme disease vaccine.a single recombinant outer surface protein a (ospa) antigen designed to contain protective elements from 2 different ospa serotypes (1 and 2) is able to induce antibody responses that protect mice against infection with either borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (ospa serotype-1) or borrelia afzelii (ospa serotype-2). protection against infection with b burgdorferi ss strain zs7 was demonstrated in a needle-challenge model. protection against b. afzelii species was shown in a tick-challenge model ...201121217174
relationship between immunity to borrelia burgdorferi outer-surface protein a (ospa) and lyme arthritis.antibiotic-refractory lyme arthritis may result from borrelia burgdorferi-induced autoimmunity in affected joints. such patients usually have certain hla-drb1 molecules that bind an epitope of b. burgdorferi outer-surface protein a (ospa₁₆₃₋₁₇₅), and cellular and humoral immune responses to ospa are greater in patients with antibiotic-refractory arthritis than in those with antibiotic-responsive arthritis. recent work in a mouse model suggests that, during b. burgdorferi infection, ospa in genet ...201121217173
vaccines against lyme disease: what happened and what lessons can we learn?this article reviews events that led to the withdrawal of the only vaccine to prevent lyme disease licensed in the united states. the primary issues that led to the vaccine's withdrawal appear to be a combination of vaccine safety concerns, sparked by a molecular mimicry hypothesis that suggested that the vaccine antigen, outer surface protein a, serves as an autoantigen and hence was arthritogenic; concerns raised by anti-vaccine groups regarding vaccine safety; vaccine cost; a difficult vaccin ...201121217172
the lyme disease vaccine--a public health perspective.lyme disease, which is caused by the spirochetal agent borrelia burgdoferi, is the most common vector-borne illness in the united states. in 1998, the us food and drug administration approved a recombinant lyme disease vaccine that was later voluntarily withdrawn from the market by the manufacturer. current lyme disease prevention efforts focus on a combination of methods and approaches, including area acaricides, landscape management, host-targeted interventions, management of deer populations, ...201121217171
whole genome sequence of an unusual borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolate.human lyme disease is caused by a number of related borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species. we report here the complete genome sequence of borrelia sp. isolate sv1 from finland. this isolate is to date the closest known relative of b. burgdorferi sensu stricto, but it is sufficiently genetically distinct from that species that it and its close relatives warrant its candidacy for new-species status. we suggest that this isolate should be named "borrelia finlandensis."201121217002
cloning, characterization and diagnostic performance of the salivary lipocalin protein tsgp1 from ornithodoros moubata.the argasid tick ornithodoros moubata is distributed throughout south and east africa and madagascar, where it colonizes wild and domestic habitats and feeds on warthogs, domestic swine, and humans. this argasid transmits the spirochete borrelia duttonii, causing east african tick-borne relapsing fever in humans, and the african swine fever virus, which causes a highly lethal haemorrhagic disease in pigs. tick surveillance and the elimination of o. moubata from synanthropic environments (human d ...201021216104
within european margins. 201121215884
assessment of bacterial diversity in the cattle tick rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus through tag-encoded pyrosequencing.ticks are regarded as the most relevant vectors of disease-causing pathogens in domestic and wild animals. the cattle tick, rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus, hinders livestock production in tropical and subtropical parts of the world where it is endemic. tick microbiomes remain largely unexplored. the objective of this study was to explore the r. microplus microbiome by applying the bacterial 16s tag-encoded flx-titanium amplicon pyrosequencing (btefap) technique to characterize its bacterial ...201121211038
outer surface protein c is a dissemination-facilitating factor of borrelia burgdorferi during mammalian infection.the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi dramatically upregulates outer surface protein c (ospc) in response to fresh bloodmeal during transmission from the tick vector to a mammal, and abundantly produces the antigen during early infection. as ospc is an effective immune target, to evade the immune system b. burgdorferi downregulates the antigen once the anti-ospc humoral response has developed, suggesting an important role for ospc during early infection.201021209822
a fluorescent bead-based multiplex assay for the simultaneous detection of antibodies to b. burgdorferi outer surface proteins in canine serum.lyme disease is a zoonotic, vector-borne disease affecting humans, dogs, horses and other species. it is caused by infection with spirochetes of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group which are transmitted to the mammalian host by infected ticks (ixodes). exposure to b. burgdorferi is commonly diagnosed by serological testing. the gold standard for the detection of antibodies to b. burgdorferi is a two-step procedure of an elisa followed by confirmatory western blotting (wb). here, we develop ...201021208663
advice for patients. lyme disease in children and adolescents. 201121199990
primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma as a complication of radiation therapy: case report and review.the occurrence of primary cutaneous b-cell lymphoma at the site of radiation therapy is exceptional. we report herein the case of a primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma arising at the site of radiotherapy for breast cancer.201021199632
lyme disease diagnosis and treatment: lessons from the aids epidemic.lyme disease is a controversial tick-borne illness that is estimated to be four times more common than aids in the united states. this paper outlines the challenges overcome in the healthcare response to human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection, the development of sensitive laboratory tests for the aids virus, and the promotion of long-term combination antimicrobial regimens to effectively treat hiv disease. we suggest that similar challenges need to be overcome before the chronic form of ly ...201021196901
indigenous lyme disease in quebec. 201121196590
[slowly enlarging erythematous macule]. 201021194805
defining the plasmid-borne restriction-modification systems of the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi.the restriction-modification (r-m) systems of many bacteria present a barrier to the stable introduction of foreign dna. the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi has two plasmid-borne putative r-m genes, bbe02 and bbq67, whose presence limits transformation by shuttle vector dna from escherichia coli. we show that both the bbe02 and bbq67 loci in recipient b. burgdorferi limit transformation with shuttle vector dna from e. coli, irrespective of its dam, dcm, or hsd methylation status. ho ...201021193609
lyme neuroborreliosis: preliminary results from an urban referral center employing strict cdc criteria for case selection.lyme neuroborreliosis or "neurological lyme disease" was evidenced in 2 of 23 patients submitted to strict criteria for case selection of the centers for disease control and prevention employing a two-tier test to detect antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi at a single institution. one patient had symptomatic polyradiculoneuritis, dysautonomia, and serological evidence of early infection; and another had symptomatic small fiber sensory neuropathy, distal polyneuropathy, dysautonomia, and serologic ...201021188224
orofacial symptoms related to boreliosis--case report.lyme disease (borreliosis) is an infectious disease caused by the borrelia spirochaetes, usually transmitted to humans by the ixodes ticks. it is manifested by a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms varying according to the time elapsed from the infection. the paper describes orofacial symptoms of the disease in a woman who has suffered from a chronic borreliosis for 3 years. multiorgan clinical manifestations of borreliosis might occur in the masticatory organ and this fact should be taken into c ...201021186776
co-infection with borrelia species and other tick-borne pathogens in humans: two cases from poland.co-infection with borrelia species and anaplasma phagocytophilum or babesia spp. was assessed in a retrospective study of tick-exposed individuals from southeastern poland. the co-infection rate of these pathogens was found to be rather low (borrelia spp./anaplasma phagocytophilum--4.2%, 1/24; borrelia spp./babesia spp.--4.2%, 1/24). however, due to the increased prevalence of borrelia spp. in ixodes ricinus ticks in poland and the recent emergence of new tick-borne infections, it is necessary t ...201021186774
borrelia species induce inflammasome activation and il-17 production through a caspase-1-dependent mechanism.borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes cause lyme disease, which can result in severe clinical symptoms such as multiple joint inflammation and neurological disorders. ifn-γ and il-17 have been suggested to play an important role in the host defense against borrelia, and in the immunopathology of lyme disease. the caspase-1-dependent cytokine il-1β has been linked to the generation of il-17-producing t cells, whereas caspase-1-mediated il-18 is crucial for ifn-γ production. in this study, we show by u ...201021182088
[neuroborreliosis in patient with aplastic anaemia secondary to therapy with ticlopidine].aplastic anaemia is a rare but potentially fatal complication of treatment with ticlopidine.201021180094
bbk07 immunodominant peptides as serodiagnostic markers of lyme disease.lyme disease (ld) is a tick-borne infection caused by the bacterial pathogen borrelia burgdorferi. current diagnostic tests mostly use borrelial lysates or select antigens to detect serum antibodies against b. burgdorferi. these immunoassays are not entirely effective, especially for detection of early infection. we have recently characterized an in vivo-induced antigen, bbk07, as a serodiagnostic marker for ld. we now report that in a line blot assay, recombinant bbk07 protein-based detection i ...201021177911
genetic diversity of borrelia burgdorferi and detection of b. bissettii-like dna in serum of north-coastal california residents.in north america, lyme borreliosis (lb) is a tick-borne disease caused by infection with the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. we studied the genetic diversity of lb spirochetes in north-coastal california residents. spirochete dna was detected in 23.7% (27/114) of the study subjects using a pcr protocol optimized for increased sensitivity in human sera. californians were most commonly infected with b. burgdorferi ospc genotype a, a globally widespread spirochete associated with high virulence in ...201021177909
high-prevalence borrelia miyamotoi [scapin wild turkeys (meleagris gallopavo) in tennessee.during spring and fall 2009, 60 wild turkeys (meleagris gallopavo) harvested by tennessee hunters were surveyed for borrelia spp. by sampling their blood, tissue, and attached ticks. in both seasons, 70% of turkeys were infested with juvenile amblyomma americanum; one spring turkey hosted an adult female ixodes brunneus. polymerase chain reaction assays followed by dna sequencing indicated that 58% of the turkeys were positive for the spirochete borrelia miyamotoi, with tissue testing positive m ...201021175079
survival of ixodes ricinus (acari: ixodidae) under challenging conditions of temperature and humidity is influenced by borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection.abstract to determine whether borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) influences tick survival under thermohygrometric stress, ixodesricinus (l.) (acari: ixodidae) questing ticks were tested under various relative humidities (13, 32, 51.5, 61, and 89% rh) at two different temperatures (12.5 and 25 degrees c) and investigated for borrelia infection. survival rate of females was highest (77.6%), followed by males (51.6%), and nymphs (43.2%). the thermohygrometric factor that most importantly determ ...201021175072
bloodmeal size and spirochete acquisition of ornithodoros hermsi (acari: argasidae) during feeding.ornithodoros hermsi wheeler (acari: argasidae) is the vector of borrelia hermsii, the primary cause of tick-borne relapsing fever in north america. this tick is one of the smallest ornithodoros species involved with the biological transmission of spirochetes; yet, the amount of blood ingested while feeding is unknown. therefore, we determined the amount of blood o. hermsi ingested during a bloodmeal to establish its potential for spirochete acquisition while feeding on an infected host. ticks at ...201021175068
a case revealing the natural history of untreated lyme disease.a 71-year-old woman presented to a rheumatologist with what she believed to be a 2-year history of lyme disease, progressing from erythema migrans to lyme arthritis.201021173795
inactivation of bb0184, which encodes carbon storage regulator a, represses the infectivity of borrelia burgdorferi.the genome of borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease spirochete, encodes a homolog (the bb0184 gene product) of the carbon storage regulator a protein (csra(bb)); recent studies reported that csra(bb) is involved in the regulation of several infectivity factors of b. burgdorferi. however, the mechanism involved remains unknown. in this report, a csra(bb) mutant was constructed and complemented in an infectious b31a3 strain. subsequent animal studies showed that the mutant failed to establish an ...201021173314
bb0844, an rpos-regulated protein, is dispensable for borrelia burgdorferi infectivity and maintenance in the mouse-tick infectious cycle.the genome of borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease, is comprised of a large linear chromosome and numerous smaller linear and circular plasmids. b. burgdorferi exhibits substantial genomic variation, and previous studies revealed genotype-specific variation at the right chromosomal telomere. a correlation has also been established between genotype and invasiveness. the correlation between chromosome length and genotype and between genotype and invasiveness suggested that a g ...201021173312
invasion of eukaryotic cells by borrelia burgdorferi requires β(1) integrins and src kinase activity.lyme disease, caused by the bacterium borrelia burgdorferi, is the most widespread tick-borne infection in the northern hemisphere that results in a multistage disorder with concomitant pathology, including arthritis. during late-stage experimental infection in mice, b. burgdorferi evades the adaptive immune response despite the presence of borrelia-specific bactericidal antibodies. in this study we asked whether b. burgdorferi could invade fibroblasts or endothelial cells as a mechanism to mode ...201021173306
high-throughput plasmid content analysis of borrelia burgdorferi b31 by using luminex multiplex technology.borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease in north america, is an invasive pathogen that causes persistent multiorgan manifestations in humans and other mammals. genetic studies of this bacterium are complicated by the presence of multiple plasmid replicons, many of which are readily lost during in vitro culture. the analysis of b. burgdorferi plasmid content by plasmid-specific pcr and agarose gel electrophoresis or other existing techniques is informative, but these techniques ...201021169439
low risk of developing borrelia burgdorferi infection in the south-east of sweden after being bitten by a borrelia burgdorferi-infected tick.the risk of developing lyme borreliosis (lb) from borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (bb)-infected ticks in sweden is largely unknown. in the current study, we investigated the prevalence of bb in ticks that had bitten humans and the risk of developing lb from bb-infected ticks.201021168354
borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in sheep keds (melophagus ovinus), tibet, china. 201021168285
methylthioadenosine/s-adenosylhomocysteine nucleosidase, a critical enzyme for bacterial metabolism.the importance of methylthioadenosine/s-adenosylhomocysteine (mta/sah) nucleosidase in bacteria has started to be appreciated only in the past decade. a comprehensive analysis of its various roles here demonstrates that it is an integral component of the activated methyl cycle, which recycles adenine and methionine through s-adenosylmethionine (sam)-mediated methylation reactions, and also produces the universal quorum-sensing signal, autoinducer-2 (ai-2). sam is also essential for synthesis of ...201021166890
erythema caused by a localised skin infection with arthrobacter mysorens.skin erythemas of unknown origin are a frequent reason for consulting the general practitioner or dermatologist.201021159172
questing ticks in suburban forest are infected by at least six tick-borne pathogens.abstract the role of ixodes ricinus ticks in the transmission of pathogens of public health importance such as borrelia burgdorferi s.l. is widely recognized and is suspected in several emerging vector-borne pathogens in europe. here, we assess prevalence rates of several endemic and emerging zoonotic pathogens in tick populations in an area of high human population density in france, to contribute to a risk assessment for potential transmission to humans. pathogen prevalence rates were evaluate ...201021158500
multilocus sequence analysis of borrelia bissettii strains from north america reveals a new borrelia species, borrelia kurtenbachii.using multilocus sequence analyses (mlsa), we investigated the phylogenetic relationship of spirochaete strains from north america previously assigned to the genospecies borrelia bissettii. we amplified internal fragments of 8 housekeeping genes (clpa, clpx, nifs, pepx, pyrg, recg, rplb, and uvra) located on the main linear chromosome by polymerase chain reaction. phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequences of the 8 loci showed that the b. bissettii clade consisted of 4 closely related clust ...201021157575
cardiac manifestations of lyme disease. 201021155514
isolation of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from blood of adult patients with borrelial lymphocytoma, lyme neuroborreliosis, lyme arthritis and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans.reports on patients with european lyme borreliosis in whom borreliae were isolated from the blood are rare and nearly exclusively limited to those with solitary or multiple erythema migrans. here we report on patients with other manifestations of lyme borreliosis in whom borreliae were isolated from their blood.201021153429
synanthropic birds influence the distribution of borrelia species: analysis of ixodes ricinus ticks feeding on passerine birds.ixodes ricinus ticks collected from 835 birds and from vegetation in the czech republic were analyzed. host-seeking ticks (n = 427) were infected predominantly by borrelia afzelii (25%). ticks (n = 1,012) from songbirds (passeriformes) were infected commonly by borrelia garinii (12.1%) and borrelia valaisiana (13.4%). juveniles of synanthropic birds, eurasian blackbirds (turdus merula) and song thrushes (turdus philomelos), were major reservoir hosts of b. garinii.201021148704
first isolation and molecular identification of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and borrelia afzelii from skin biopsies of patients in taiwan.in order to clarify the transmission cycle and genetic identity of borrelia spirochetes in the non-endemic country of taiwan, the causative agents responsible for human borreliosis were isolated from skin biopsies of patients and their genetic identities were determined.201021147012
coxiella burnetii and coinfections in ixodes ricinus ticks in central germany.abstract a total of 1000 ixodes ricinus ticks were collected in 2006 and 2007 in a forest region of central germany and investigated for coxiella burnetii. the transposase element is1111 and isocitrate dehydrogenase gene were targets of the real-time polymerase chain reaction. the pathogen was detected in 19 ticks (1.9%), and interestingly, in 10 of these samples, coinfections with borrelia spp., spotted fever group rickettsiae, or babesia spp. were present. our study reports on c. burnetii infe ...201021142964
first detection of spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks in serbia.ticks can transmit multiple pathogenic bacteria responsible for diseases in animals and humans such as borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma phagocytophilum, and spotted fever group rickettsia sp. the current study aimed to investigate the presence of rickettsiae in ticks collected from seven localities in serbia. one hundred thirty-one (131) questing ticks belonging to 5 tick species (dermacentor marginatus, dermacentor reticulatus, haemaphysalis punctata, haemaphysalis concinna, and ixode ...201021142961
genetic diversity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolates from northeastern china.thirty-two strains of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato were isolated from ixodes persulcatus ticks collected from northeastern china from may to june in 2004 and 2005. restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) analysis and sequence analysis of 5s-23s rrna intergenic spacer revealed that 29 (90.6%) belonged to borrelia garinii, demonstrating b, c, and a unique pattern. the remaining three isolates (9.4%) were borrelia afzelii with pattern d. the phylogenetic analysis based on 5s-23s rrna int ...201021142958
antialarmin effect of tick saliva during the transmission of lyme disease.tick saliva has potent immunomodulatory properties. in arthropod-borne diseases, this effect is largely used by microorganisms to increase their pathogenicity and to evade host immune responses. we show that in lyme borreliosis, tick salivary gland extract and a tick saliva protein, salp15, inhibit in vitro keratinocyte inflammation induced by borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto or by the major outer surface lipoprotein of borrelia, ospc. chemokines (interleukin-8 [il-8] and monocyte chemoattract ...201021134970
prevalence and genetic heterogeneity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ixodes ticks in belgium.borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is a genetically diverse group of spirochetes that includes the agent of lyme borreliosis in which genospecies tend to be associated with specific clinical features. the aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and genetic diversity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in 524 ticks collected in woods of a western province of belgium. presence of spirochetes in ticks was determined by phase contrast microscopy. the mean infection rate of ticks was 12.0%. vari ...201021128558
nervous system lyme disease.lyme disease, the multi-system infection caused by the tick-borne spirochaete borrelia burgdorferi, can involve the nervous system, most commonly causing, alone or in combination, lymphocytic meningitis or abnormalities of cranial or peripheral nerves, the latter most typically presenting as a painful radicular syndrome. diagnosis is based on appropriately used, standard serological tests; in instances where the central nervous system is involved, cerebrospinal fluid assessment for organism-spec ...201021127770
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