Characterization of reptile-associated Borrelia sp. in the vector tick, Amblyomma geoemydae, and its association with Lyme disease and relapsing fever Borrelia spp.

Characterization of Borrelia burgdorferi strains by means of negative staining EM has become an integral part of many studies related to the biology of the Lyme disease organism. However, relying solely upon negative staining to compare new isolates with prototype B31 or other borreliae is often unsatisfactory. To obtain more satisfactory results, we have relied upon a correlative approach encompassing a variety EM techniques, i.e., scanning for topographical features and cryotomy, negative staining and thin sectioning to provide a more complete structural characterization of B. burgdorferi.For characterization, isolates of B. burgdorferi were cultured in BSK II media from which they were removed by low speed centrifugation. The sedimented borrelia were carefully resuspended in stabilizing buffer so as to preserve their features for scanning and negative staining. Alternatively, others were prepared for conventional thin sectioning and for cryotomy using modified procedures. For thin sectioning, the fixative described by Ito, et al.

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Identification of immunomodulatory factors inIxodes persulcatusSchulze, the vector for Lyme disease and relapsing fever in Japan

10.1603/ice.2016.105406 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Satoru Konnai

Keyword(s):

Lyme Disease ◽

Relapsing Fever

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Microbiological features distinguishing Lyme disease and relapsing fever spirochetes

Wiener klinische Wochenschrift ◽

10.1007/s00508-018-1368-2 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 130 (15-16) ◽

pp. 484-490 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sven Bergström ◽

Johan Normark

Keyword(s):

Lyme Disease ◽

Relapsing Fever

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The Relapsing Fever Spirochete Borrelia hermsiiContains Multiple, Antigen-Encoding Circular Plasmids That Are Homologous to the cp32 Plasmids of Lyme Disease Spirochetes

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.68.7.3900-3908.2000 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 68 (7) ◽

pp. 3900-3908 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Brian Stevenson ◽

Stephen F. Porcella ◽

Katrina L. Oie ◽

Cecily A. Fitzpatrick ◽

Sandra J. Raffel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lyme Disease ◽

Direct Detection ◽

Human Infection ◽

Relapsing Fever ◽

Borrelia Hermsii ◽

Functional Studies ◽

Dna Library ◽

Multiple Antigen ◽

Antigenic Proteins

ABSTRACT Borrelia hermsii, an agent of tick-borne relapsing fever, was found to contain multiple circular plasmids approximately 30 kb in size. Sequencing of a DNA library constructed from circular plasmid fragments enabled assembly of a composite DNA sequence that is homologous to the cp32 plasmid family of the Lyme disease spirochete,B. burgdorferi. Analysis of another relapsing fever bacterium, B. parkeri, indicated that it contains linear homologs of the B. hermsii and B. burgdorfericp32 plasmids. The B. hermsii cp32 plasmids encode homologs of the B. burgdorferi Mlp and Bdr antigenic proteins and BlyA/BlyB putative hemolysins, but homologs of B. burgdorferi erp genes were absent. Immunoblot analyses demonstrated that relapsing fever patients produced antibodies to Mlp proteins, indicating that those proteins are synthesized by the spirochetes during human infection. Conservation of cp32-encoded genes in differentBorrelia species suggests that their protein products serve functions essential to both relapsing fever and Lyme disease spirochetes. Relapsing fever borreliae replicate to high levels in the blood of infected animals, permitting direct detection and possible functional studies of Mlp, Bdr, BlyA/BlyB, and other cp32-encoded proteins in vivo.

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