Pathophysiology of the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in Ixodid Ticks

Burgdorfer, Willy; Hayes, Stanley F.; Corwin, Dan

doi:10.1093/clinids/11.supplement_6.s1442

Cited by 111 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…During the blood meal, in some gut-infected ticks, spirochetes may cross the midgut wall and induce a systemic infection in various organs, including ovaries (Benach et al 1987;Ribeiro et al 1987;Burgdorfer et al 1988Burgdorfer et al , 1989Monin et al 1989;Zung et al 1989;Gem et al 1990). Thus, an increased percentage of ticks with systemic infection is observed in engorged ticks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infection of Field-Collected Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) Larvae with Borrelia burgdorferi in Switzerland

Zhioua

Aeschlimann

Gern

1994

Journal of Medical Entomology

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Free-living larvae from natural areas in five regions in Switzerland were collected to determine the infection rate of Ixodes ricinus L. larvae by Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson. Larvae were examined for the spirochetes using direct fluorescent antibody assay. Of 652 larvae examined, spirochetes were detected in 20 (3.1%). No differences in infection rate among sites were detected. The low prevalence of B. burgdorferi in larvae, compared with higher infection rate in nymphs (12.8%) and adults (14.5%), suggests that transovarial transmission is inefficient. These results suggest that /. ricinus can serve as a reservoir for B. burgdorferi in nature. Further study is needed on the relative importance of ticks, compared with mammals and birds, as reservoirs for B. burgdorferi.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infection of Field-Collected Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) Larvae with Borrelia burgdorferi in Switzerland

Zhioua

Aeschlimann

Gern

1994

Journal of Medical Entomology

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“…After the nymphs molt to the adult stage, they exclusively feed on larger mammals, which are often not competent hosts for B. burgdorferi [40]. The spirochetes are rarely, if ever, transmitted trans-ovarially [45,46], so the larval and nymphal feedings are crucial to maintaining the spirochete. Both nymphs and adults occasionally feed on humans, but the small size of the nymphs makes them difficult to detect and, hence, more likely to feed long enough to transmit the spirochete and cause Lyme disease.…”

Section: B Burgdorferi Life Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

Biology of Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi

Tilly

Rosa

Stewart

2008

Infectious Disease Clinics of North America

177

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The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is a tick-borne obligate parasite whose normal reservoir is a variety of small mammals [1]. Whereas infection of these natural hosts does not lead to disease, infection of humans can result in Lyme disease, as a consequence of the human immunopathological response to B. burgdorferi [2,3]. Consistent with the pathogenesis of Lyme disease, bacterial products that allow B. burgdorferi to replicate and survive, rather than true "virulence factors," appear to be primarily what is required for the bacterium to cause disease in a susceptible host. In support of this idea, the genome sequence of B31, the type strain of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto [4,5], revealed that the bacterium lacks factors common to many bacterial pathogens, such as lipopolysaccharide, toxins, and specialized secretion systems. In this chapter, we will describe the basic biology of B. burgdorferi, and some of the bacterial components required to infect and survive in the mammalian and tick hosts.

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“…The pathophysiology of the LD spirochetes in the Ixodid tick has been studied by Burgdorfer et al (1982Burgdorfer et al ( , 1983Burgdorfer et al ( , 1989. As the infected tick takes its blood meal on a mammal, the spirochetal population within the tick midgut multiples and migrates to the tick salivary glands (Burgdorfer et al, 1989).…”

Section: A Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the infected tick takes its blood meal on a mammal, the spirochetal population within the tick midgut multiples and migrates to the tick salivary glands (Burgdorfer et al, 1989). The spirochetes pass into the skin of the host at the site of tick attachment within 48 hours (Piesman et al, 1987).…”

Section: A Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In approximately 60% of the early-localized LD cases, the clinical feature is erythema migrans (EM), the characteristic bulls-eye skin rash spreading from the site of the tick bite (Burgdorfer et al, 1989). The EM lesion appears between two and 30 days after the tick bite and may reach a diameter of 30 inches (75 cm) with gradual clearing from the central region.…”

Section: B Clinical Featuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characterization of secA-sod operon in Borrellia burgdorferi.

Nichols¹

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Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, has been characterized as a microaerophilic spirochete. O2 consumption and utilization potentially yield reactive oxygen intermediates, such as superoxide, hydroxyl radicals, and hydrogen peroxide. This study investigated the expression of the sod gene, which encodes the only, identified oxidative defense mechanism in B. burgdorferi. Using primer extension analysis and RT-PCR, it was found that sod and secA are organized as a single transcriptional unit under the control of σ 70 -like promoter upstream of the secA open reading frame. Generally, gene expression decreases with increased distance from the promoter; however, secA expression was observed to be relatively lower amounts than sod. Both genes were expressed in all phases of growth, with greatest expression observed in stationary phase. Because transcription of most sod genes is tightly regulated by iron concentration, the secA-sod gene expression was analyzed in borrelial cells grown in varying amounts of metal. Ironrestriction did not significantly affect growth nor did it affect transcription of secA or sod.Likewise, no major differences in transcription were observed with restricting or supplementing media with manganese. To test the possibility that the borrelial SOD may function with either iron or manganese as a cofactor as in cambialistic SODs, SOD activity was assayed and the highest activity was observed in increased manganese concentrations.Protein expression profiles of Sh-2-82 cultured in metal-defined media were investigated by one-and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Approximately 15 proteins were differentially expressed in response to metal concentration. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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Pathophysiology of the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in Ixodid Ticks

Cited by 111 publications

References 23 publications

Infection of Field-Collected Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) Larvae with Borrelia burgdorferi in Switzerland

Infection of Field-Collected Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) Larvae with Borrelia burgdorferi in Switzerland

Biology of Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi

Characterization of secA-sod operon in Borrellia burgdorferi.

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