scholarly journals GroEL is an immunodominant surface-exposed antigen of Rickettsia typhi

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253084
Author(s):  
Jessica Rauch ◽  
Jessica Barton ◽  
Marcel Kwiatkowski ◽  
Malte Wunderlich ◽  
Pascal Steffen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Protein Fragments ◽  
Bacterial Surface ◽  
Humoral Immune ◽  
Immunodominant Antigen ◽  
Groel Protein ◽  
Causative Agents ◽  
Epidemic Typhus ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Bacteria

Rickettsioses are neglected and emerging potentially fatal febrile diseases that are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria, rickettsiae. Rickettsia (R.) typhi and R. prowazekii constitute the typhus group (TG) of rickettsiae and are the causative agents of endemic and epidemic typhus, respectively. We recently generated a monoclonal antibody (BNI52) against R. typhi. Characterization of BNI52 revealed that it specifically recognizes TG rickettsiae but not the members of the spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae. We further show that BNI52 binds to protein fragments of ±30 kDa that are exposed on the bacterial surface and also present in the periplasmic space. These protein fragments apparently derive from the cytosolic GroEL protein of R. typhi and are also recognized by antibodies in the sera from patients and infected mice. Furthermore, BNI52 opsonizes the bacteria for the uptake by antigen presenting cells (APC), indicating a contribution of GroEL-specific antibodies to protective immunity. Finally, it is interesting that the GroEL protein belongs to 32 proteins that are differentially downregulated by R. typhi after passage through immunodeficient BALB/c CB17 SCID mice. This could be a hint that the rickettsia GroEL protein may have immunomodulatory properties as shown for the homologous protein from several other bacteria, too. Overall, the results of this study provide evidence that GroEL represents an immunodominant antigen of TG rickettsiae that is recognized by the humoral immune response against these pathogens and that may be interesting as a vaccine candidate. Apart from that, the BNI52 antibody represents a new tool for specific detection of TG rickettsiae in various diagnostic and experimental setups.

Rickettsiosis

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel A. Burdmann ◽  
Vivekanad Jha
Keyword(s):  
Serum Creatinine ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Renal Involvement ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Rickettsia Conorii ◽  
Mediterranean Spotted Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever ◽  
Murine Typhus ◽  
Epidemic Typhus

Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular bacteria transmitted by arthropods to a vertebrate host. Clinically relevant rickettsioses have a similar clinical pattern, manifesting as an acute febrile disease accompanied by headache, articular and muscle pain, and malaise.Epidemic typhus is a worldwide distributed disease caused by the Rickettsia prowazekii, with a human louse as a vector. Data on epidemic typhus-related renal injury is extremely scarce.Murine typhus is caused by the Rickettsia typhi and has a rodent flea as the vector. It is one of the most frequent rickettsioses, and is usually a self-limited febrile illness. Proteinuria, haematuria, elevations in serum creatinine (SCr) and/or blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and AKI have been reported. The real frequency of renal involvement in murine typhus is unknown. Renal abnormalities recover after the infectious disease resolution.Scrub typhus, caused by the Orientia tsutsugamushi, has the Leptotrombidium mite larva as vector. It is endemic in the Tsutsugamushi triangle delimited by Japan, Australia, India, and Siberia. It can manifest either as a self-limiting disease or as a severe, life-threatening multiorgan illness. Early administration of adequate antibiotics is essential to prevent adverse outcomes. Proteinuria, haematuria, and acute kidney injury (AKI) are frequent.Tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by bacteria from the spotted fever group and have ticks as vectors. Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii. It is the most severe of the spotted fever rickettsial diseases, causing significant morbidity and lethality. RMSF occurs in North, Central, and South America. Renal impairment is frequent in severe forms of RMSF. Mediterranean spotted fever is caused by Rickettsia conorii, and is endemic in the Mediterranean area. It is usually a benign disease, but may have a severe course, clinically similar to RMSF. Haematuria, proteinuria, increased serum creatinine, and AKI may occur. Japanese spotted fever is caused by Rickettsia japonica. Lethal cases are reported yearly and AKI has occurred in the context of multiple organ failure.

Rickettsioses

2020 ◽  
pp. 1230-1251
Author(s):  
Karolina Griffiths ◽  
Carole Eldin ◽  
Didier Raoult ◽  
Philippe Parola
Keyword(s):  
Scrub Typhus ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Intracellular Bacteria ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Orientia Tsutsugamushi ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Metabolic Characteristics ◽  
The Past ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Bacteria

Rickettsioses are mild to life-threatening zoonoses caused by obligate intracellular bacteria of the order Rickettsiales (family Rickettsiaceae). Arthropods, including ticks, fleas, and mites, are implicated as their vectors, reservoirs, or amplifiers. With an increasing number of new pathogens and recognition of new pathogenicity and affected geographical areas over the past few decades, there is a better understanding of the scope and importance of these pathogens, particularly as a paradigm to understanding emerging and remerging infections. The taxonomy has undergone numerous changes, with now three main groups classified as rickettsioses according to morphological, antigenic and metabolic characteristics: (1) Rickettsioses due to the bacteria of the genus Rickettsia, including the spotted fever group, typhus groups (Rickettsiaceae), (2) Ehrlichioses and Anaplasmoses due to bacteria of the Anaplasmataceae and (3) scrub typhus due to Orientia tsutsugamushi.

scholarly journals Expansion of Tick-Borne Rickettsioses in the World

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1906
Author(s):  
Mariusz Piotrowski ◽  
Anna Rymaszewska
Keyword(s):  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Rickettsia Species ◽  
The World ◽  
New Locations ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Bacteria

Tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the spotted fever group of the genus Rickettsia. These infections are among the oldest known diseases transmitted by vectors. In the last three decades there has been a rapid increase in the recognition of this disease complex. This unusual expansion of information was mainly caused by the development of molecular diagnostic techniques that have facilitated the identification of new and previously recognized rickettsiae. A lot of currently known bacteria of the genus Rickettsia have been considered nonpathogenic for years, and moreover, many new species have been identified with unknown pathogenicity. The genus Rickettsia is distributed all over the world. Many Rickettsia species are present on several continents. The geographical distribution of rickettsiae is related to their vectors. New cases of rickettsioses and new locations, where the presence of these bacteria is recognized, are still being identified. The variety and rapid evolution of the distribution and density of ticks and diseases which they transmit shows us the scale of the problem. This review article presents a comparison of the current understanding of the geographic distribution of pathogenic Rickettsia species to that of the beginning of the century.

scholarly journals PROCUREMENT OF SANITARY AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL WELFARE IN THE REGION OF CITY-RESORT SOCHI FOR DANGEROUS AND NATURAL-FOCI INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN 2015

2016 ◽  
pp. 74-80
Author(s):  
A. Yu. Popova ◽  
A. N. Kulichenko ◽  
O. V. Maletskaya ◽  
V. M. Dubyansky ◽  
A. G. Ryazanova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Mineral Waters ◽  
Genetic Identification ◽  
Clinical Material ◽  
Water Current ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Natural Foci ◽  
Causative Agents

Aim. Analysis of results of epidemiologic monitoring of especially dangerous, natural-foci and other infectious diseases, as well as epizootologic activity of natural foci of infection on the territory of city-resort Sochi. Materials and methods. Laboratory studies of 820 samples by PCR, immune- and bacteriologic methods were carried out, among those 344 - clinical material, 12 - water from open bodies and 321 - field material. Molecular-genetic identification of 143 strains of Vibrio cholerae, isolated from open water bodies of city-resort Sochi, was carried out. Results. Circulation of causative agents of Q fever, tularemia and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome of Dobrava-Adler genotypes was established, as well as rickettsia of tick spotted fever group. Predomination of rotaviruses (70.9%) was detected during study of samples of clinical material in etiologic structure of sporadically emerging acute intestine infections. Relatively high temperature values of river water during summer months (from 18 to 30°C), exit of sulfide mineral waters into the riverbed, that create alkaline medium, seasonal reduction of river debit and speed of water current facilitated sustenance of contamination of water of Agura river by V. cholerae. Conclusion. Activity of natural foci of the infectious disease and contamination of Agura river by V. cholerae 01 (atoxigenic) gives evidence on the necessity of constant control of epidemiologic situation by dangerous and natural-foci infectious diseases on the territory of city-resort Sochi, as well as study regional features of their causative agents, including using genetic methods.

Infection of Tick Cells By Two Nonpathogenic Strains of Rickettsia

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1140-1141
Author(s):  
Ann T. Palmer ◽  
Ulrike G. Munderloh ◽  
Timothy J. Kurtti
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Tick Cell ◽  
Rickettsia Rickettsii ◽  
Endosymbiotic Bacteria ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Bacteria ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Sfg Rickettsia

Ticks harbor several different genera of endosymbiotic bacteria. These obligate intracellular bacteria, most of which appear to be nonpathogenic for the tick, persist in nature by being transmitted transovarially from generation to generation. Those in the genus Rickettsiabelong to the spotted fever group (SFG) of rickettsia which includes both mammalian pathogenic and nonpathogenic species. The species that cause spotted fevers in humans, e.g. Rickettsia rickettsii, are well characterized but those not known to cause disease remain poorly understood. Transmission electron microscopy on SFG rickettsia cultured in tick cell cultures offers a powerful way to examine dynamic host parasite interactions in these apparently nonpathogenic SFG species.We have successfully isolated two unknown, nonpathogenic rickettsia strains in tick cell lines. T2 was isolated from an Ixodes ricinus tick collected in the English Garden in Munich, Germany and is propagated in an Ixodes scapularis cell line, ISE6.

scholarly journals Molecular detection of Rickettsia africae in Amblyomma ticks collected in cattle from Southern and Central Mozambique

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (06) ◽  
pp. 614-622
Author(s):  
Vlademiro Magaia ◽  
Elisa Taviani ◽  
Nidia Cangi ◽  
Luis Neves
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Rickettsia Species ◽  
Rickettsia Africae ◽  
African Tick Bite Fever ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Bacteria ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia ◽  
Amblyomma Ticks

Introduction: Rickettsia are Gram-negative and obligate intracellular bacteria, which cause typhus and spotted fever-like diseases in humans. In Africa, Rickettsia africae of the Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia (SFGR) is the etiologic agent of the African Tick-Bite Fever. The disease is transmitted by ticks of the genus Amblyomma, which serve as vectors and reservoirs of Rickettsia. In this study, we aimed to detect Rickettsia species in ticks collected from cattle in south and central Mozambique. Methodology: DNA from 412 adult ticks and 22 pools of larvae were extracted and tested for the presence of Rickettsia genes gltA, ompA and ompB by PCR, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Results: Our results showed that in adult ticks, 79.5% (n = 330), 66% (n = 274) and 67% (n = 275) samples were positive for gltA, ompA and ompB genes, respectively. Among the 22 pools of larvae analysed, 77.2% (n = 17) were positive for the three genes tested. The infection rates ranged from 43% to 100% for Rickettsia by gltA in all locations studied, with maximum values of 100% observed in the districts of Maputo province namely Changalane, Boane and Matutuine district. The phylogenetic analysis of amplified sequences revealed that samples under study grouped with R. africae for the 3 genes. Conclusion: The study showed that Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia represented by R. africae widely circulate in Amblyomma ticks collected in south and central regions of Mozambique.

scholarly journals Two Cases of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis Contracted in Southern Parts of Africa

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 1311-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikio KIMURA ◽  
Tatsuya FUJII ◽  
Aikichi IWAMOTO
Keyword(s):  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever Group

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.

scholarly journals Isolation of spotted fever group rickettsiae from Ixodes persulcatus ticks in the central part of Hokkaido, Japan

2000 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiromi FUJITA ◽  
Nobuhiro TAKADA ◽  
Emiko ISOGAI ◽  
Yuriko WATANABE ◽  
Takuya ITO
Keyword(s):  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Ixodes Persulcatus ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae

scholarly journals Quantitative Analyses of Variations in the Injury of Endothelial Cells Elicited by 11 Isolates of Rickettsia rickettsii

2001 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 788-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina E. Eremeeva ◽  
Gregory A. Dasch ◽  
David J. Silverman
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Reduced Glutathione ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Cellular Injury ◽  
Rickettsia Rickettsii ◽  
Cytopathic Effects ◽  
Group I

ABSTRACT Eleven isolates of spotted fever group rickettsiae from the blood of patients or ixodid ticks from North and South America were characterized. All isolates were identified as Rickettsia rickettsii using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of a 532-bp rOmpA gene fragment obtained by PCR. The ability of the R. rickettsii isolates to elicit cytopathic effects and parameters of oxidative injury were examined in cultured human EA.hy 926 endothelial cells. Cytopathic effects were determined by direct observation of infected cultures, by measuring the release of cytoplasmic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and by determination of intracellular pools of peroxide and reduced glutathione. Four biotypes of R. rickettsii were defined. Group I included two highly cytopathic isolates from Montana, Bitterroot and Sheila Smith, and three isolates from Maryland, North Carolina, and Brazil. These isolates rapidly damaged cells, released large amounts of cytoplasmic LDH, caused accumulation of intracellular peroxide, and depleted intracellular pools of reduced glutathione. Group II contained three isolates, two from Montana, Hlp#2 and Lost Horse Canyon, and an isolate from Colombia, which were similar to group I but caused either lower responses in LDH release or smaller changes in intracellular peroxide levels. The group III isolates, Sawtooth from Montana and 84JG from North Carolina, caused lower cellular injury by all measures. Group IV isolate Price T from Montana was the least cytopathic and caused minimal alterations of all parameters measured. Understanding the molecular basis for the varied cellular injury caused by different isolates of R. rickettsii may contribute to improved treatment of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and to the rapid identification of those isolates which are more likely to cause fulminant disease.

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