Molecular Characterization of Tickborne Relapsing Fever <i>Borrelia,</i> Israel

Assous, Marc V.; Wilamowski, Amos; Bercovier, Hervé; Marva, Esther

doi:10.3201/eid1211.060715

Cited by 45 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Since these early investigations, speciation of relapsing fever spirochaetes has been reliant upon the geographical region from where infection was acquired and evidence of exposure to the vector responsible for transmission. Only recently have molecular approaches been applied to identify these spirochaetes (Fukunaga et al, 2001;Kisinza et al, 2003;Brahim et al, 2005;Assous et al, 2006;Vial et al, 2006a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic origins of Borrelia recurrentis

Cutler

Scott

Wright

2008

International Journal of Medical Microbiology

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic origins of Borrelia recurrentis

Cutler

Scott

Wright

2008

International Journal of Medical Microbiology

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“…Rickettsia slovaca-and Rickettsia raoultiispecific qPCRs were performed on positive Dermacentor DNA samples (17). Borrelia-positive samples were confirmed by Borrelia-specific qPCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) (19), and identification was performed by sequencing a 750-bp gene fragment of the flaB gene (20).…”

Section: Arthropodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Rapid Identification of Tick Vectors

et al. 2013

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A method for rapid species identification of ticks may help clinicians predict the disease outcomes of patients with tick bites and may inform the decision as to whether to administer postexposure prophylactic antibiotic treatment. We aimed to establish a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) spectrum database based on the analysis of the legs of six tick vectors: Amblyomma variegatum, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Hyalomma marginatum rufipes, Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor marginatus, and Dermacentor reticulatus. A blind test was performed on a trial set of ticks to identify specimens of each species. Subsequently, we used MALDI-TOF MS to identify ticks obtained from the wild or removed from patients. The latter tick samples were also identified by 12S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing and were tested for bacterial infections. Ticks obtained from the wild or removed from patients (R. sanguineus, I. ricinus, and D. marginatus) were accurately identified using MALDI-TOF MS, with the exception of those ticks for which no spectra were available in the database. Furthermore, one damaged specimen was correctly identified as I. ricinus, a vector of Lyme disease, using MALDI-TOF MS only. Six of the 14 ticks removed from patients were found to be infected by pathogens that included Rickettsia, Anaplasma, and Borrelia spp. MALDI-TOF MS appears to be an effective tool for the rapid identification of tick vectors that requires no previous expertise in tick identification. The benefits for clinicians include the more targeted surveillance of patients for symptoms of potentially transmitted diseases and the ability to make more informed decisions as to whether to administer postexposure prophylactic treatment.

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“…Virulence tests confirmed that this isolate was distinct from B. persica. Unlike B. persica, which causes a high spirochetemia in adult guinea pigs (2,13), in the present study, inoculation of 200 l of infected blood samples with spirochetes at concentrations ranging from 250 to 2,750 spirochetes per microliter caused occult infections (not detectable in fresh blood by dark-field microscopy or by examination of Giemsa-stained slides) in adult guinea pigs, with concentrations reaching as high as 2.1 ϫ 10 7 spirochetes per ml in adult mice 2 to 4 days postinoculation. These infections were followed by 2 to 3 relapses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…DNA extraction from blood samples was performed using a Miniprep DNA extraction kit (Qiagen, Germany) according to the manufacturer's instructions, and partial sequences of the 16S rRNA, flagellin (flaB), and glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (glpQ) genes as well as an intragenic spacer (IGS) region were amplified using the primers and conditions detailed by others (2,7,11,21). Final reaction volumes of 25 l contained 20 pmol of each primer, 2 mM MgCl 2 , 10 mM Tris-HCl, 50 mM KCl, 200 M deoxynucleoside triphosphates, 1 U of Taq (Roche, Mannheim, Germany), and 3 l of DNA.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Virulence testing successfully differentiated most Iranian TBRF-causing borreliae; however, some isolates remained ambiguous (1,13). Molecular analysis of B. persica and its taxonomic position with other Borrelia species has recently been assessed (2,11,21); however, there are few data on other Iranian Borrelia species. An initial study designed to provide species-specific PCR for detection of B. persica and B. microti using glpQ and 16S rRNA revealed the divergence between these two Iranian species (18).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Phylogenetic Analysis of the Spirochete Borrelia microti, a Potential Agent of Relapsing Fever in Iran

et al. 2012

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We report a role for Borrelia microti as a cause of relapsing fever in Iran supported by robust epidemiological evidence. The molecular identity of this spirochete and its relation with other relapsing fever borreliae have, until now, been poorly delineated. We analyzed an isolate of B. microti , obtained from Ornithodoros erraticus ticks, by sequencing four loci (16S rRNA, flaB , glpQ , intragenic spacer [IGS]) and comparing these sequences with those of other relapsing fever borreliae. Phylogenetic analysis using concatenated sequences of 16S rRNA, flaB , and glpQ grouped B. microti alongside three members of the African group, B. duttonii , B. recurrentis , and B. crocidurae , which are distinct from B. persica , the most prevalent established cause of tick-borne relapsing fever in Iran. The similarity values for 10 concatenated sequences totaling 2,437 nucleotides ranged from 92.11% to 99.84%, with the highest homologies being between B. duttonii and B. microti and between B. duttonii and B. recurrentis . Furthermore, the more discriminatory IGS sequence analysis corroborated the close similarity (97.76% to 99.56%) between B. microti and B. duttonii . These findings raise the possibility that both species may indeed be the same and further dispel the one-species, one-vector theory that has been the basis for classification of relapsing fever Borrelia for the last 100 years.

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Molecular Characterization of Tickborne Relapsing Fever Borrelia, Israel

Cited by 45 publications

References 10 publications

Phylogenetic origins of Borrelia recurrentis

Phylogenetic origins of Borrelia recurrentis

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Rapid Identification of Tick Vectors

Phylogenetic Analysis of the Spirochete Borrelia microti, a Potential Agent of Relapsing Fever in Iran

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