scholarly journals Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Species in Europe Induce Diverse Immune Responses against C6 Peptides in Infected Mice

2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 1546-1562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inke Krupka ◽  
Jens Knauer ◽  
Leif Lorentzen ◽  
Thomas P. O'Connor ◽  
Jill Saucier ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe diversity of Lyme-borreliosis-inducingBorreliaspecies in Europe set high standards for the use of serodiagnostic test systems in terms of specificity and sensitivity. In the United States, the one-step C6antibody test system based on the invariable domain IR6 of the VlsE molecule has been established as a successful diagnostic tool for testing canine samples. However, only a limited set of data are available regarding the antigenicity of the C6peptides in an experimental murine model and sensitivity of the test regarding EuropeanBorreliaspecies. In order to investigate antibody reactions induced by these spirochetes, a total of 142 C3H/HeN mice were inoculated withBorrelia burgdorferisensu stricto N40,B. gariniiPBi, two isolates ofB. afzelii,B. spielmaniiA14S,B. valaisianaRio6,B. valaisianaVS116, orB. lusitaniae. Infection of the mice was documented utilizing tissue culture and PCR. The IR6 sequences ofB. burgdorferisensu stricto B31,B. gariniiIP90, and twoB. afzeliiACAI strains have been used to synthesize and test additional C6peptides. Compared to the well-established two-tiered test system, the results indicate that single C6peptides derived fromB. burgdorferisensu stricto andB. gariniican be used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based technique to detect murine antibodies induced by either agent. Little is known about the prevalence or pathogenicity of theB. afzeliistrains in mammalian hosts, but our experimental data indicate differences in the C6peptide test sensitivity for the detection of antibodies induced by different strains or isolates ofB. afzelii.

2001 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 376-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Bretz ◽  
K. Ryffel ◽  
P. Hutter ◽  
E. Dayer ◽  
O. Péter

ABSTRACT Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme borreliosis, is genetically more heterogeneous than previously thought. In Europe five genospecies have been described from the original B. burgdorferi sensu lato (sl): B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (ss), B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. lusitaniae, and B. valaisiana. In the United States, B. burgdorferi ss as well as B. bissettii in California and B. andersonii on the East Coast were differentiated. In Asia, B. japonica has been identified along, with B. garinii, B. afzelii, and B. valaisiana. In order to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of four species-specific monoclonal antibodies, we analyzed 210 B. burgdorferi sl isolates belonging to eight genospecies by immunoblot and confirmed genospecies by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of rrf (5S)-rrl (23S) intergenic spacer amplicon. Monoclonal antibody H3TS had 100% sensitivity for 55 B. burgdorferi ss isolates but showed reactivity with all four isolates belonging to B. bissetii. Monoclonal antibody I 17.3 showed 100% specificity and sensitivity for 45 B. afzelii isolates. Monoclonal antibody D6 was 100% specific forB. garinii but missed 1 of 64 isolates (98.5% sensitivity). Monoclonal antibody A116k was 100% specific forB. valaisiana but was unreactive with 4 of 24 isolates (83.5% sensitivity). Genetic analysis correlated well with results of reactivity and confirmed efficacy of the phenotypic typing of these antibodies. Some isolates showed atypical RFLP. Therefore, both phenotypic and genotypic analyses are needed to characterize newBorrelia isolates.


2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 2611-2621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joppe W. R. Hovius ◽  
K. Emil Hovius ◽  
Anneke Oei ◽  
Dirk J. Houwers ◽  
Alje P. van Dam

In an area where Lyme disease is endemic in The Netherlands all dogs had positive titers by whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and appeared to be naturally infected by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. To compare the antibody responses of symptomatic dogs and asymptomatic controls, we performed Western blots and in vitro immobilization assays to study antibody-dependent bactericidal activity. Strains from three different genospecies were employed as the antigen source: B. burgdorferi strain B31,Borrelia garinii strain A87S, and Borrelia afzelii strain pKo. Antibodies against flagellin (p41) and p39 for three strains were found in sera from both symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs and were therefore considered to be markers of exposure. Antibodies against p56 and p30 of strain B31, against p75, p58, p50, OspC, and p<19 of strain A87S, and against p56, p54, p45, OspB, p31, p26, and p<19 of strain pKo were found significantly more frequently in sera from symptomatic dogs younger than 8 years when the first symptoms were observed than in those from age-matched controls (P < 0.01). These antibodies were not found in preclinical sera and appeared during development of disease. Antibodies against OspA of strains B31 and A87S were only seen in acute-phase and convalescent sera from three dogs that recovered from disease. Incubation with 25% normal canine serum did not result in the immobilization of strains B31 and pKo, but partial immobilization of strain A87S (61% ± 24% [standard deviation] at 5 h) occurred. Seven of 15 sera from symptomatic dogs but none of the sera from 11 asymptomatic dogs had antibody-dependent immobilizing activity against one of the strains. Consecutive sera from one of these dogs immobilized two different strains. Antibody-mediated bactericidal serum was not seen before onset of disease, was strongest in the acute phase of disease, and fluctuated during chronic disease. From seven out of eight symptomatic dogs Borrelia DNA was amplified by PCR; in three of them the bactericidal activity was directed against one of the genospecies amplified from that dog; however, four PCR-positive dogs lacked bactericidal activity. In conclusion, dogs with symptomatic canine borreliosis have more-extensive antibody reactivity against Borrelia, as shown by both Western blotting and immobilization assays.


2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 527-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Wagner ◽  
Heather Freer ◽  
Alicia Rollins ◽  
David Garcia-Tapia ◽  
Hollis N. Erb ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTLyme disease in the United States is caused byBorrelia burgdorferisensu stricto, which is transmitted to mammals by infected ticks.Borreliaspirochetes differentially express immunogenic outer surface proteins (Osp). Our aim was to evaluate antibody responses to Osp antigens to aid the diagnosis of early infection and the management of Lyme disease. We analyzed antibody responses during the first 3 months after the experimental infection of dogs using a novel multiplex assay. Results were compared to those obtained with two commercial assays detecting C6 antigen. Multiplex analysis identified antibodies to OspC and C6 as early as 3 weeks postinfection (p.i.) and those to OspF by 5 weeks p.i. Antibodies to C6 and OspF increased throughout the study, while antibodies to OspC peaked between 7 and 11 weeks p.i. and declined thereafter. A short-term antibody response to OspA was observed in 3/8 experimentally infected dogs on day 21 p.i. Quant C6 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results matched multiplex results during the first 7 weeks p.i.; however, antibody levels subsequently declined by up to 29%. Immune responses then were analyzed in sera from 125 client-owned dogs and revealed high agreement between antibodies to OspF and C6 as robust markers for infection. Results from canine patient sera supported that OspC is an early infection marker and antibodies to OspC decline over time. The onset and decline of antibody responses toB. burgdorferiOsp antigens and C6 reflect their differential expression during infection. They provide valuable tools to determine the stage of infection, treatment outcomes, and vaccination status in dogs.


2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 1895-1900 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Jaulhac ◽  
R. Heller ◽  
F. X. Limbach ◽  
Y. Hansmann ◽  
D. Lipsker ◽  
...  

Since Lyme arthritis was first described in the United States, it has now been reported in many countries of Europe. However, very few strains of the causative bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, have been isolated from synovial samples. For this reason, different molecular direct typing methods were developed recently to assess which species could be involved in Lyme arthritis in Europe. We developed a simple oligonucleotide typing method with PCR fragments from the flagellin gene of B. burgdorferi sensu lato, which is able to differentiate seven different Borrelia species. Among 10 consecutive PCR-positive patients with Lyme arthritis from the northeastern France, two species were identified in synovial samples:B. burgdorferi sensu stricto in 9 cases and B. garinii in 1 case. Conversely, all B. burgdorferisensu lato species detected in 10 consecutive PCR-positive biopsies from a second set of patients with erythema migrans from the same geographical area were identified as either B. afzelii orB. garinii (P < 0.001). These results indicate that B. burgdorferi sensu stricto is the principal but not the only Borrelia species involved in Lyme arthritis in northeastern France.


2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Olstadt ◽  
James Jay Schauer ◽  
Jon Standridge ◽  
Sharon Kluender

Since 2002, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has approved ten enzyme-based total coliform and E. coli detection tests for examination of drinking water. These tests include: Colilert®, Colilert-18®, Colisure®, m-Coli Blue 24®, Readycult® Coliforms 100, Chromocult®, Coliscan®, E*Colite®, Colitag™ and MI Agar. The utility of the enzyme based test systems is based on both the ability of the test to detect the target organisms at low levels and the ability of the test system to suppress the growth of non-target organisms that might result in false positive results. Differences in the ability of some of these methods to detect total coliform and E. coli, as well as suppress Aeromonas spp., a common cause of “false positive” results, have been observed. As a result, this study was undertaken to elucidate the strengths and weaknesses of each method. Water samples were collected from three geographically and chemically diverse groundwaters in Wisconsin. One-hundred milliliter aliquots were individually spiked with both low concentrations (one to ten organisms) and high concentrations (fifty to one-hundred) of each of five different total coliform organisms (Serratia, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, E. coli, & Klebsiella). These spiked samples were used to test the capability of ten enzyme-based test systems to both detect and enumerate the spiked organisms. In addition, 100 ml samples were independently spiked with two different strains of Aeromonas spp. at six different levels, to assess the ability of each enzyme-based test to suppress Aeromonas spp. Analysis of the data indicated that wide variability exists among USEPA approved tests to detect and quantify total coliforms, as well as suppress Aeromonas spp.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 715-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Gaff ◽  
Rebecca J Eisen ◽  
Lars Eisen ◽  
Robyn Nadolny ◽  
Jenna Bjork ◽  
...  

Abstract Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States, and the number of cases reported each year continues to rise. The complex nature of the relationships between the pathogen (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto), the tick vector (Ixodes scapularis Say), multiple vertebrate hosts, and numerous environmental factors creates challenges for understanding and predicting tick population and pathogen transmission dynamics. LYMESIM is a mechanistic model developed in the late 1990s to simulate the life-history of I. scapularis and transmission dynamics of B. burgdorferi s.s. Here we present LYMESIM 2.0, a modernized version of LYMESIM, that includes several modifications to enhance the biological realism of the model and to generate outcomes that are more readily measured under field conditions. The model is tested for three geographically distinct locations in New York, Minnesota, and Virginia. Model-simulated timing and densities of questing nymphs, infected nymphs, and abundances of nymphs feeding on hosts are consistent with field observations and reports for these locations. Sensitivity analysis highlighted the importance of temperature in host finding for the density of nymphs, the importance of transmission from small mammals to ticks on the density of infected nymphs, and temperature-related tick survival for both density of nymphs and infected nymphs. A key challenge for accurate modeling of these metrics is the need for regionally representative inputs for host populations and their fluctuations. LYMESIM 2.0 is a useful public health tool that downstream can be used to evaluate tick control interventions and can be adapted for other ticks and pathogens.


Healthcare ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Scott ◽  
Kerry Clark ◽  
Janet Foley ◽  
Bradley Bierman ◽  
Lance Durden

Lyme disease has been documented in northern areas of Canada, but the source of the etiological bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) has been in doubt. We collected 87 ticks from 44 songbirds during 2017, and 24 (39%) of 62 nymphs of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, were positive for Bbsl. We provide the first report of Bbsl-infected, songbird-transported I. scapularis in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Newfoundland and Labrador; north-central Manitoba, and Alberta. Notably, we report the northernmost account of Bbsl-infected ticks parasitizing a bird in Canada. DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and DNA sequencing reveal that these Bbsl amplicons belong to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bbss), which is pathogenic to humans. Based on our findings, health-care providers should be aware that migratory songbirds widely disperse B. burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis in Canada’s North, and local residents do not have to visit an endemic area to contract Lyme disease.


Healthcare ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 155 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Scott ◽  
Kerry L. Clark ◽  
Nikki M. Coble ◽  
Taylor R. Ballantyne

Lyme disease and human babesiosis are the most common tick-borne zoonoses in the Temperate Zone of North America. The number of infected patients has continued to rise globally, and these zoonoses pose a major healthcare threat. This tick-host-pathogen study was conducted to test for infectious microbes associated with Lyme disease and human babesiosis in Canada. Using the flagellin (flaB) gene, three members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) complex were detected, namely a Borrelia lanei-like spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bbss), and a distinct strain that may represent a separate Bbsl genospecies. This novel Bbsl strain was detected in a mouse tick, Ixodes muris, collected from a House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, in Quebec during the southward fall migration. The presence of Bbsl in bird-feeding larvae of I. muris suggests reservoir competency in three passerines (i.e., Common Yellowthroat, House Wren, Magnolia Warbler). Based on the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene, three Babesia species (i.e., Babesia divergens-like, Babesia microti, Babesia odocoilei) were detected in field-collected ticks. Not only was B. odocoilei found in songbird-derived ticks, this piroplasm was apparent in adult questing blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, in southern Canada. By allowing live, engorged ticks to molt, we confirm the transstadial passage of Bbsl in I. muris and B. odocoilei in I. scapularis. Bbss and Babesia microti were detected concurrently in a groundhog tick, Ixodes cookei, in Western Ontario. In Alberta, a winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, which was collected from a moose, Alces alces, tested positive for Bbss. Notably, a B. divergens-like piroplasm was detected in a rabbit tick, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris, collected from an eastern cottontail in southern Manitoba; this Babesia species is a first-time discovery in Canada. This rabbit tick was also co-infected with Borrelia lanei-like spirochetes, which constitutes a first in Canada. Overall, five ticks were concurrently infected with Babesia and Bbsl pathogens and, after the molt, could potentially co-infect humans. Notably, we provide the first authentic report of I. scapularis ticks co-infected with Bbsl and B. odocoilei in Canada. The full extent of infectious microorganisms transmitted to humans by ticks is not fully elucidated, and clinicians need to be aware of the complexity of these tick-transmitted enzootic agents on human health. Diagnosis and treatment must be administered by those with accredited medical training in tick-borne zoonosis.


2007 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicja Gryczyńska-Siemiątkowska ◽  
Alicja Siedlecka ◽  
Joanna Stańczak ◽  
Miłosława Barkowska

AbstractSand lizards (Lacerta agilis) were trapped and examined for ticks from May to September in 2002 and 2003 in Northeastern Poland. A total of 233 Ixodes ricinus (L.) ticks (76 larvae and 157 nymphs) was found on 31 of 235 captured lizards (13.2%). The tick infestation is relatively low compared to that of mammals and passerine birds from the same area (Siński et al. 2006, Gryczyńska et al. 2002). Tick infestation depended on the month of capture, being the highest in spring. In autumn no ticks were recorded on any of the captured lizards. The oldest lizards carried the highest number of ticks but no differences related to sex of the host were found. All the collected ticks were analysed by PCR for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the etiological agents of Lyme disease. Spirochetes were detected in 11 out of 233 (4.7%) ticks tested. Genetic analysis confirmed that the spirochetes are members of the Borrelia afzelii, B. garinii and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto genospecies. Mixed infection were not detected. The prevalence of infection was analysed in relation to months of the capture, age and sex of the lizards, but differences were not statistically significant. The obtained results suggest that lizards are probably not B. burgdorferi reservoirs, but further studies are required to confirm this.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document