scholarly journals Blood Smears Have Poor Sensitivity for ConfirmingBorrelia miyamotoiDisease

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam R. Telford ◽  
Heidi K. Goethert ◽  
Philip J. Molloy ◽  
Victor Berardi
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Morphological Evidence ◽  
Hard Tick ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Relapsing Fever ◽  
Main Mode ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Blood Smears ◽  
Thick Smear

ABSTRACTBorrelia miyamotoidisease (BMD) is a newly recognized borreliosis that is cotransmitted by ticks wherever Lyme disease is zoonotic. UnlikeBorrelia burgdorferisensu lato, the agent of Lyme disease,B. miyamotoiis closely related to relapsing fever spirochetes, such asBorrelia hermsii. Some authors have suggested that the disease caused byB. miyamotoishould be considered a hard-tick-transmitted relapsing fever, and thus, the main mode of confirming a diagnosis for that infection, microscopy to analyze a blood smear, may have clinical utility. To determine whether blood smears may detectB. miyamotoiin the blood of acute BMD patients, we made standard malariological thick smears from anticoagulated blood samples that were previously determined to contain this agent (by PCR) and analyzed them for morphological evidence of spirochetes. Spirochetes were not detected in the blood smears from 20 PCR positive patient blood samples after examination of 100 thick smear fields and only 2 of 20 demonstrated spirochetes when the examination was extended to 300 thick smear fields. Inoculation of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice yielded isolates from 5 of 5 samples, but 0 of 3 BALB/c mice became infected. We conclude that in strong contrast to the diagnosis of typical relapsing fever, microscopy of blood smears is not sensitive enough for confirming a diagnosis of BMD but that SCID mouse inoculation could be a useful complement to PCR.

scholarly journals In Vitro Susceptibility of the Relapsing-Fever Spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi to Antimicrobial Agents

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joris Koetsveld ◽  
Ronald O. P. Draga ◽  
Alex Wagemakers ◽  
Annemijn Manger ◽  
Anneke Oei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Agents ◽  
Minimal Bactericidal Concentration ◽  
Hard Tick ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Relapsing Fever ◽  
In Vitro Susceptibility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Microtiter Plates ◽  
Microdilution Method

ABSTRACT Hard-tick-borne relapsing fever (HTBRF) is an emerging infectious disease throughout the temperate zone caused by the relapsing-fever spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi. Antibiotic treatment of HTBRF is empirically based on the treatment of Lyme borreliosis; however, the antibiotic susceptibility of B. miyamotoi has not been studied to date. Thus, we set out to determine the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of B. miyamotoi. A microdilution method with 96-well microtiter plates was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibilities of two B. miyamotoi strains isolated on two different continents (Asia and North America), two Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains, and one Borrelia hermsii isolate for purposes of comparison. The MIC and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined by both microscopy and colorimetric assays. We were able to show that relative to the B. burgdorferi sensu lato isolates, both B. miyamotoi strains and B. hermsii demonstrated greater susceptibility to doxycycline and azithromycin, equal susceptibility to ceftriaxone, and resistance to amoxicillin in vitro. The MIC and MBC of amoxicillin for B. miyamotoi evaluated by microscopy were 16 to 32 mg/liter and 32 to 128 mg/liter, respectively. Since B. miyamotoi is susceptible to doxycycline, azithromycin, and ceftriaxone in vitro, our data suggest that these antibiotics can be used for the treatment of HTBRF. Oral amoxicillin is currently used as an alternative for the treatment of HTBRF; however, since we found that the B. miyamotoi strains tested were resistant to amoxicillin in vitro, this issue warrants further study.

Endogenous and Borrowed Proteolytic Activity in the Borrelia

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Coleman ◽  
Jorge L. Benach ◽  
A. Wali Karzai
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Adaptor Proteins ◽  
Physiological Changes ◽  
Relapsing Fever ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Outer Membranes ◽  
Tick Vector ◽  
Full Complement ◽  
Host Tissues

SUMMARY The Borrelia spp. are tick-borne pathogenic spirochetes that include the agents of Lyme disease and relapsing fever. As part of their life cycle, the spirochetes traffic between the tick vector and the vertebrate host, which requires significant physiological changes and remodeling of their outer membranes and proteome. This crucial proteome resculpting is carried out by a diverse set of proteases, adaptor proteins, and related chaperones. Despite its small genome, Borrelia burgdorferi has dedicated a large percentage of its genome to proteolysis, including a full complement of ATP-dependent proteases. Energy-driven proteolysis appears to be an important physiological feature of this dual-life-cycle bacterium. The proteolytic arsenal of Borrelia is strategically deployed for disposal of proteins no longer required as they move from one stage to another or are transferred from one host to another. Likewise, the Borrelia spp. are systemic organisms that need to break down and move through host tissues and barriers, and so their unique proteolytic resources, both endogenous and borrowed, make movement more feasible. Both the Lyme disease and relapsing fever Borrelia spp. bind plasminogen as well as numerous components of the mammalian plasminogen-activating system. This recruitment capacity endows the spirochetes with a borrowed proteolytic competency that can lead to increased invasiveness.

scholarly journals A new Borrelia on the block: Borrelia miyamotoi – a human health risk?

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Cutler ◽  
Muriel Vayssier-Taussat ◽  
Agustín Estrada-Peña ◽  
Aleksandar Potkonjak ◽  
Andrei Daniel Mihalca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Relapsing Fever ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
In Vivo Models

Background Borrelia miyamotoi clusters phylogenetically among relapsing fever borreliae, but is transmitted by hard ticks. Recent recognition as a human pathogen has intensified research into its ecology and pathogenic potential. Aims We aimed to provide a timely critical integrative evaluation of our knowledge on B. miyamotoi, to assess its public health relevance and guide future research. Methods This narrative review used peer-reviewed literature in English from January 1994 to December 2018. Results Borrelia miyamotoi occurs in the world’s northern hemisphere where it co-circulates with B. burgdorferi sensu lato, which causes Lyme disease. The two borreliae have overlapping vertebrate and tick hosts. While ticks serve as vectors for both species, they are also reservoirs for B. miyamotoi. Three B. miyamotoi genotypes are described, but further diversity is being recognised. The lack of sufficient cultivable isolates and vertebrate models compromise investigation of human infection and its consequences. Our understanding mainly originates from limited case series. In these, human infections mostly present as influenza-like illness, with relapsing fever in sporadic cases and neurological disease reported in immunocompromised patients. Unspecific clinical presentation, also occasionally resulting from Lyme- or other co-infections, complicates diagnosis, likely contributing to under-reporting. Diagnostics mainly employ PCR and serology. Borrelia miyamotoi infections are treated with antimicrobials according to regimes used for Lyme disease. Conclusions With co-infection of tick-borne pathogens being commonplace, diagnostic improvements remain important. Developing in vivo models might allow more insight into human pathogenesis. Continued ecological and human case studies are key to better epidemiological understanding, guiding intervention strategies.

scholarly journals Genetic characterization of the human relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi in vectors and animal reservoirs of Lyme disease spirochetes in France

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-François Cosson ◽  
Lorraine Michelet ◽  
Julien Chotte ◽  
Evelyne Le Naour ◽  
Martine Cote ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Genetic Characterization ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Relapsing Fever ◽  
Animal Reservoirs

scholarly journals Toward a Complete North American Borrelia miyamotoi Genome

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke C. Kingry ◽  
Adam Replogle ◽  
Dhwani Batra ◽  
Lori A. Rowe ◽  
Christopher Sexton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
North American ◽  
Linear Plasmid ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Linear Plasmids ◽  
Relapsing Fever ◽  
Draft Sequence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Illness

ABSTRACT Borrelia miyamotoi, of the relapsing-fever spirochete group, is an emerging tick-borne pathogen causing human illness in the northern hemisphere. Here, we present the chromosome, eight extrachromosomal linear plasmids, and a draft sequence for five circular and one linear plasmid of a Borrelia miyamotoi strain isolated from an Ixodes sp. tick from Connecticut, USA.

scholarly journals Development and optimization of an in vitro cultivation protocol allows for isolation of Borrelia miyamotoi from patients with hard tick-borne relapsing fever

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 480-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Koetsveld ◽  
N.M. Kolyasnikova ◽  
A. Wagemakers ◽  
M.G. Toporkova ◽  
D.S. Sarksyan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
In Vitro Cultivation ◽  
Hard Tick ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Relapsing Fever

scholarly journals Hard Tick Relapsing Fever Caused by Borrelia miyamotoi in a Child

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 1352-1354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Krause ◽  
Jonathan Schwab ◽  
Sukanya Narasimhan ◽  
Janna Brancato ◽  
Guang Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hard Tick ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Relapsing Fever

scholarly journals Investigation of Genotypes of Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes scapularis Ticks Collected during Surveillance in Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (10) ◽  
pp. 3244-3254 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. Ogden ◽  
G. Margos ◽  
D. M. Aanensen ◽  
M. A. Drebot ◽  
E. J. Feil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
North America ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTThe genetic diversity ofBorrelia burgdorferisensu stricto, the agent of Lyme disease in North America, has consequences for the performance of serological diagnostic tests and disease severity. To investigateB. burgdorferidiversity in Canada, where Lyme disease is emerging, bacterial DNA in 309 infected adultIxodes scapularisticks collected in surveillance was characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and analysis of outer surface protein C gene (ospC) alleles. Six ticks carriedBorrelia miyamotoi, and one tick carried the novel speciesBorrelia kurtenbachii. 142 ticks carriedB. burgdorferisequence types (STs) previously described from the United States. Fifty-eight ticks carriedB. burgdorferiof 1 of 19 novel or undescribed STs, which were single-, double-, or triple-locus variants of STs first described in the United States. Clonal complexes with founder STs from the United States were identified. SeventeenospCalleles were identified in 309B. burgdorferi-infected ticks. Positive and negative associations in the occurrence of different alleles in the same tick supported a hypothesis of multiple-niche polymorphism forB. burgdorferiin North America. Geographic analysis of STs andospCalleles were consistent with south-to-north dispersion of infected ticks from U.S. sources on migratory birds. These observations suggest that the genetic diversity ofB. burgdorferiin eastern and central Canada corresponds to that in the United States, but there was evidence for founder events skewing the diversity in emerging tick populations. Further studies are needed to investigate the significance of these observations for the performance of diagnostic tests and clinical presentation of Lyme disease in Canada.

scholarly journals Surveillance of Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Suburban Natural Habitats of Central Maryland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T Milholland ◽  
Lars Eisen ◽  
Robyn M Nadolny ◽  
Andrias Hojgaard ◽  
Erika T Machtinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Babesia Microti ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Lato ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Questing Ticks ◽  
Tick Vectors

Abstract Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are increasing in the eastern United States and there is a lack of research on integrated strategies to control tick vectors. Here we present results of a study on tick-borne pathogens detected from tick vectors and rodent reservoirs from an ongoing 5-yr tick suppression study in the Lyme disease-endemic state of Maryland, where human-biting tick species, including Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae) (the primary vector of Lyme disease spirochetes), are abundant. During the 2017 tick season, we collected 207 questing ticks and 602 ticks recovered from 327 mice (Peromyscus spp. (Rodentia: Cricetidae)), together with blood and ear tissue from the mice, at seven suburban parks in Howard County. Ticks were selectively tested for the presence of the causative agents of Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato [s.l.]), anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum), babesiosis (Babesia microti), ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia ewingii, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and ‘Panola Mountain’ Ehrlichia) and spotted fever group rickettsiosis (Rickettsia spp.). Peromyscus ear tissue and blood samples were tested for Bo. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s), A. phagocytophilum, Ba. microti, and Borrelia miyamotoi. We found 13.6% (15/110) of questing I. scapularis nymphs to be Bo. burgdorferi s.l. positive and 1.8% (2/110) were A. phagocytophilum positive among all sites. Borrelia burgdorferi s.s. was found in 71.1% (54/76) of I. scapularis nymphs removed from mice and 58.8% (194/330) of captured mice. Results from study on tick abundance and pathogen infection status in questing ticks, rodent reservoirs, and ticks feeding on Peromyscus spp. will aid efficacy evaluation of the integrated tick management measures being implemented.

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