scholarly journals Trans-Atlantic exchanges have shaped the population structure of the Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Castillo-Ramírez ◽  
V. Fingerle ◽  
S. Jungnick ◽  
R. K. Straubinger ◽  
S. Krebs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Disease Agent ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Stricto ◽  
Lyme Disease Agent

scholarly journals Interaction and Transmission of Two Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto Strains in a Tick-Rodent Maintenance System

2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 6783-6788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark�ta Derd�kov� ◽  
Vladim�r Dudi��k ◽  
Brandon Brei ◽  
John S. Brownstein ◽  
Ira Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Primary Infection ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Laboratory System ◽  
Maintenance System ◽  
Disease Agent ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Stricto ◽  
Transmission Cycles ◽  
Lyme Disease Agent

ABSTRACT In the northeastern United States, the Lyme disease agent, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, is maintained by enzoonotic transmission, cycling between white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis). B. burgdorferi sensu stricto is genetically variable and has been divided into three major genotypes based on 16S-23S ribosomal DNA spacer (RST) analysis. To better understand how genetic differences in B. burgdorferi sensu stricto may influence transmission dynamics in nature, we investigated the interaction between an RST1 and an RST3 strain in a laboratory system with P. leucopus mice and I. scapularis ticks. Two groups of mice were infected with either BL206 (RST1) or B348 (RST3). Two weeks later, experimental mice were challenged with the opposite strain, while control mice were challenged with the same strain as that used for the primary infection. The transmission of BL206 and B348 from infected mice was then determined by xenodiagnosis with uninfected larval ticks at weekly intervals for 42 days. Mice in both experimental groups were permissive for infection with the second strain and were able to transmit both strains to the xenodiagnostic ticks. However, the overall transmission efficiencies of BL206 and B348 were significantly different. BL206 was more efficiently transmitted than B348 to xenodiagnostic ticks. Significantly fewer double infections than expected were detected in xenodiagnostic ticks. The results suggest that some B. burgdorferi sensu stricto strains, such as BL206, may be preferentially maintained in transmission cycles between ticks and white-footed mice. Other strains, such as B348, may be more effectively maintained in different tick-vertebrate transmission cycles.

scholarly journals Distribution of Twelve Linear Extrachromosomal DNAs in Natural Isolates of Lyme Disease Spirochetes

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (9) ◽  
pp. 2476-2480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanette Palmer ◽  
Claire Fraser ◽  
Sherwood Casjens
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Linear Plasmids ◽  
Borrelia Garinii ◽  
Natural Isolates ◽  
Disease Agent ◽  
Lyme Disease Agent ◽  
Sequence Similarities

ABSTRACT We have analyzed a panel of independent North American isolates of the Lyme disease agent spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu stricto), for the presence of linear plasmids with sequence similarities to the 12 linear plasmids present in theB. burgdorferi type strain, isolate B31. The frequency of similarities to probes from each of the 12 B31 plasmids varied from 13 to 100% in the strain panel examined, and these similarities usually reside on plasmids similar in size to the cognate B31 plasmid. Sequences similar to 5 of the 12 B31 plasmids were found in all of the isolates examined, and >66% of the panel members hybridized to probes from 4 other plasmids. Sequences similar to most of the B. burgdorferi B31 plasmid-derived DNA probes used were also found on linear plasmids in the related Eurasian Lyme agentsBorrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii; however, some of these plasmids had uniform but substantially different sizes from their B. burgdorferi counterparts.

scholarly journals Membrane directed expression in Escherichia coli of BBA57 and other virulence factors from the Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karie E. Robertson ◽  
Chloe D. Truong ◽  
Felicia M. Craciunescu ◽  
Jay-How Yang ◽  
Po-Lin Chiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Signal Sequence ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Disease Agent ◽  
And Function ◽  
Lyme Disease Agent

AbstractMembrane-embedded proteins are critical to the establishment, survival and persistence in the host of the Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), but to date, there are no solved structures of transmembrane proteins representing these attractive therapeutic targets. All available structures from the genus Borrelia represent proteins expressed without a membrane-targeting signal peptide, thus avoiding conserved pathways that modify, fold and assemble membrane protein complexes. Towards elucidating structure and function of these critical proteins, we directed translocation of eleven expression-optimized Bb virulence factors, including the signal sequence, to the Escherichia coli membrane, of which five, BBA57, HtrA, BB0238, BB0323, and DipA, were expressed with C-terminal His-tags. P66 was also expressed using the PelB signal sequence fused to maltose binding protein. Membrane-associated BBA57 lipoprotein was solubilized by non-ionic and zwitterionic detergents. We show BBA57 translocation to the outer membrane, purification at a level sufficient for structural studies, and evidence for an α-helical multimer. Previous studies showed multiple critical roles of BBA57 in transmission, joint arthritis, carditis, weakening immune responses, and regulating other Bb outer surface proteins. In describing the first purification of membrane-translocated BBA57, this work will support subsequent studies that reveal the precise mechanisms of this important Lyme disease virulence factor.

scholarly journals Plasmid diversity and phylogenetic consistency in the Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi

BMC Genomics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherwood R. Casjens ◽  
Eddie B. Gilcrease ◽  
Marija Vujadinovic ◽  
Emmanuel F. Mongodin ◽  
Benjamin J. Luft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Disease Agent ◽  
Lyme Disease Agent ◽  
Plasmid Diversity

scholarly journals Seroprevalence in Bats and Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi in Bat Ectoparasites

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 440
Author(s):  
Arinjay Banerjee ◽  
Kaushal Baid ◽  
Taylor Byron ◽  
Alyssa Yip ◽  
Caleb Ryan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Immunoblot Assay ◽  
Big Brown Bats ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Stricto ◽  
Flab Gene ◽  
Elisa Data

The role of bats in the enzootic cycle of Lyme disease and relapsing fever-causing bacteria is a matter of speculation. In Canada, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (ss) is the genospecies that is responsible for most cases of Lyme disease in humans. In this study, we determined if big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus, have been exposed to spirochetes from the genus Borrelia. We collected serum from 31 bats and tested them for the presence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We detected cross-reactive antibodies to Borrelia spp. in 14 of 31 bats. We confirmed the ELISA data using a commercial immunoblot assay. Pooled sera from ELISA-positive bats also cross-reacted with Borrelia antigens coated on the immunoblot strips, whereas pooled sera from ELISA-negative bats did not bind to Borrelia spp. antigens. Furthermore, to identify if bat ectoparasites, such as mites, can carry Borrelia spp., we analyzed DNA from 142 bat ectoparasites that were collected between 2003 and 2019. We detected DNA for the Borrelia burgdorferi flaB gene in one bat mite, Spinturnix americanus. The low detection rate of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA in bat ectoparasites suggests that bats are not reservoirs of this bacterium. Data from this study also raises intriguing questions about Borrelia infections in bats, including the role of humoral immunity and the ability of bats to be infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. This study can lead to more sampling efforts and controlled laboratory studies to identify if bats can be infected with Borrelia burgdorferi and the role of bat ectoparasites, such as S. americanus, in the transmission of this spirochete. Furthermore, we outlined reagents that can be used to adapt ELISA kits and immunoblot strips for use with bat sera.

scholarly journals Infection With Multiple Strains of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto in Patients With Lyme Disease

1999 ◽  
Vol 135 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Seinost ◽  
William T. Golde ◽  
Bernard W. Berger ◽  
John J. Dunn ◽  
Dan Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Stricto ◽  
Multiple Strains

scholarly journals Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) Ticks Are Not Vectors of the Lyme Disease Agent, Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirocheatales: Spirochaetaceae): A Review of the Evidence

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Y Stromdahl ◽  
Robyn M Nadolny ◽  
Graham J Hickling ◽  
Sarah A Hamer ◽  
Nicholas H Ogden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Disease Agent ◽  
Lyme Disease Agent
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