Canine serology as adjunct to human Lyme disease surveillance

To better define areas of human Lyme disease risk, we compared US surveillance data with published data on the seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies among domestic dogs. Canine seroprevalence >5% was a sensitive but nonspecific marker of human risk, whereas seroprevalence <1% was associated with minimal risk for human infection.     

Non-pathogenic Borrelia burgdorferi expressing Treponema pallidum TprK and Tp0435 antigens as a novel approach to evaluate syphilis vaccine candidates

Background

Syphilis is resurgent in many developed countries and still prevalent in developing nations. Current and future control campaigns would benefit from the development of a vaccine, but although promising vaccine candidates were identified among the putative surface-exposed integral outer membrane proteins of the syphilis spirochete, immunization experiments in the rabbit model using recombinant antigens have failed to fully protect animals upon infectious challenge. We speculated that such recombinant immunogens, purified under denaturing conditions from Escherichia coli prior to immunization might not necessarily harbor their original structure, and hypothesized that enhanced protection would result from performing similar immunization/challenge experiments with native antigens.

Seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii and anti-Borrelia species antibodies in patients with schizophrenia: a case–control study from western Turkey

Objectives. We examined IgG antibody seroprevalence and risk factors for anti-Toxoplasma gondii and anti-Borrelia sp. in schizophrenic patients. Methods. This case–control study included 30 schizophrenic patients and 60 healthy individuals. Serological analyses were identified by using ELISA technique. Results. In the case group the Toxoplasma seropositivity was 33.3% and Borrelia seropositivity was 13.3%, while in the control group the Toxoplasma positivity was 21.7% and Borrelia seropositivity was 15.0%. There was no significant difference with regard to seroprevalence between the groups (P = 0.232; P = 0.832, respectively). There was statistically significant difference between case and control groups related to hand and kitchen utensil hygiene after dealing with raw meat (P = 0.001). Conclusions. Our data showed the rate of Toxoplasma antibodies was higher in the case group, while the rate of Borrelia antibodies was higher in the control group. In both groups the high rates of seropositivity for Toxoplasma gondii and Borrelia sp. is thought to be due to neglect of personal hygiene. The present study also is the first to examine the association between Borrelia sp. and schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to determine whether there is an association between Borrelia sp. and schizophrenia or not.     

Lyme disease in Canada: Focus on children

Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne infection in Canada and much of the United States, is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Peak incidence for Lyme disease is among children five to nine years of age and older adults (55 to 59 years of age). The bacteria are transmitted through the bite of infected black-legged ticks of the Ixodes species. The primary hosts of black-legged ticks are mice and other rodents, small mammals, birds (which are reservoirs for B burgdorferi) and white-tailed deer. Geographical distribution of Ixodes ticks is expanding in Canada and an increasing number of cases of Lyme disease are being reported. The present practice point reviews the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and prevention of Lyme disease, with a focus on children.     

Sinus Pause in Association with Lyme Carditis

Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the United States. It is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Cardiac involvement is seen in 4% to 10% of patients with Lyme disease. The principal manifestation of Lyme carditis is self-limited conduction system disease, with predominant involvement of the atrioventricular node. On rare occasions, Lyme carditis patients present with other conduction system disorders such as bundle branch block, intraventricular conduction delay, and supraventricular or ventricular tachycardia. We report the unusual case of a 59-year-old man who presented with new-onset symptomatic sinus pauses one month after hiking in upstate New York. To our knowledge, this is the first case report from North America that describes the relationship between symptomatic sinus pause and Lyme carditis.     

Controversies in bacterial taxonomy: The example of the genus Borrelia

In this paper we survey key issues in bacterial taxonomy and review the literature regarding the recent genus separation proposed for the genus Borrelia. We discuss how information on members of the genus Borrelia is increasing but detailed knowledge on the relevant features is available only for a small subset of species. The data accumulated here show that there is considerable overlap in ecology, clinical aspects and molecular features between clades that argue against splitting of the genus Borrelia.     

Pathogenic New World Relapsing Fever Borrelia in a Myotis Bat,Eastern China, 2015

We identified Candidatus Borrelia fainii, a human pathogenic bacterium causing New World relapsing fever in a Myotis bat in eastern China. This finding expands knowledge about the geographic distribution of Borrelia spp. and the potential for infection with New World relapsing fever in China.     

Conversion of Borrelia garinii cystic forms to motile spirochetes in vivo

Cystic forms (also called spheroplasts or starvation forms) and their ability to reconvert into normal motile spirochetes have already been demonstrated in the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The aim of this study was to determine whether motile B. garinii could develop from cystic forms, not only in vitro but also in vivo, in cyst-inoculated mice. The cysts prepared in distilled water were able to reconvert into normal motile spirochetes at any time during in vitro experiments, lasting one month, even after freeze-thawing of the cysts. Motile spirochetes were successfully isolated from 2 out of 15 mice inoculated intraperitoneally with cystic forms, showing the infectivity of the cysts. The demonstrated capacity of the cysts to reconvert into motile spirochetes in vivo and their surprising resistance to adverse environmental conditions should lead to further studies on the role and function of these forms in Lyme disease.