Recent discoveries and advancements in research on the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

Winslow, C.-B. A.; Coburn, Jenifer

doi:10.12688/f1000research.18379.1

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The well-studied and more widely known Lyme borreliosis spirochetes were given the genus name of Borreliella, while the older and less clinically studied species complex comprising the relapsing fever spirochetes retained the Borrelia designation. Since the establishment of this proposed dichotomy, there has been animated discussion among scientists both for and against the split (30)(31)(32)(33)(34).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characterization of the family-level Borreliaceae pan-genome and development of an episomal typing protocol

Socarras,

Marino,

Earl

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background The Borreliaceae family includes many obligate parasitic bacterial species which are etiologically associated with a myriad of zoonotic borrelioses including Lyme disease and vector-borne relapsing fevers. Infections by the Borreliaceae are difficult to detect by both direct and indirect methods, often leading to delayed and missed diagnoses. Efforts to improve diagnoses center around the development of molecular diagnostics (MDx), but due to deep tissue sequestration of the causative spirochaetes and the lack of persistent bacteremias, even MDx assays suffer from a lack of sensitivity. Additionally, the highly extensive genomic heterogeneity among isolates, even within the same species, contributes to the lack of assay sensitivity as single target assays cannot provide universal coverage. This within-species heterogeneity is partly due to differences in replicon repertoires and genomic structures that have likely arisen to support the complex Borreliaceae lifecycle in which these parasites have to survive in multiple hosts each with unique immune responses. Results We constructed a Borreliaceae family-level pangenome and characterized the phylogenetic relationships among the constituent taxa which supports the recent taxonomy of splitting the family into at least two genera. Gene content profiles were created for the majority of the Borreliaceae replicons, providing for the first time their unambiguous molecular typing. Conclusion Our characterization of the Borreliaceae pan-genome supports the splitting of the former Borrelia genus into two genera and provides for the phylogenetic placement of several non-species designated isolates. Mining this family-level pangenome will enable precision diagnostics corresponding to gene content-driven clinical outcomes while also providing targets for interventions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is vital to note that this reclassi cation has not been without controversy (30)(31)(32). In the years since the original proposal, some authors have argued that data other than differences in average nucleotide identity (ANI) do not support the split (30).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the family-level Borreliaceae pan-genome and development of an episomal typing protocol

Socarras,

Marino,

Earl

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…In this way, B. burgdorferi can spread throughout the body after a few days or weeks of infection, penetrating deeply into tissues where the immune system and antibiotics may fail to eradicate the infection. The protoplasmic cylinder is surrounded by an outer membrane similar to that of Gram negative, but free of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and rich in lipoproteins (Osps), which are differentially expressed in the mammalian host and in the vector [144] (Figure 5). When viewed using an electron microscope, the typical spiral shape is visible (Figures 4 and 6), sharing the characteristics of spirochetes, such as the small thickness, the spiral morphology, the presence of endoflagella and the extreme lability to environmental factors; however, it is distinguished from the other spirochetes for the features described in Table 5 [145].…”

Section: Microbiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Borreliae Part 1: Borrelia Lyme Group and Echidna-Reptile Group

Trevisan

Cinco

Trevisini

et al. 2021

Biology

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Borreliae are divided into three groups, namely the Lyme group (LG), the Echidna-Reptile group (REPG) and the Relapsing Fever group (RFG). Currently, only Borrelia of the Lyme and RF groups (not all) cause infection in humans. Borreliae of the Echidna-Reptile group represent a new monophyletic group of spirochaetes, which infect amphibians and reptiles. In addition to a general description of the phylum Spirochaetales, including a brief historical digression on spirochaetosis, in the present review Borreliae of Lyme and Echidna-Reptile groups are described, discussing the ecology with vectors and hosts as well as microbiological features and molecular characterization. Furthermore, differences between LG and RFG are discussed with respect to the clinical manifestations. In humans, LG Borreliae are organotropic and cause erythema migrans in the early phase of the disease, while RFG Borreliae give high spirochaetemia with fever, without the development of erythema migrans. With respect of LG Borreliae, recently Borrelia mayonii, with intermediate characteristics between LG and RFG, has been identified. As part of the LG, it gives erythema migrans but also high spirochaetemia with fever. Hard ticks are vectors for both LG and REPG groups, but in LG they are mostly Ixodes sp. ticks, while in REPG vectors do not belong to that genus.

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“…Finally, in the case of gene studies where the role of the gene and the protein it encodes has been deduced by any of the above methods, gene complementation in B. burgdorferi includes the use of shuttle vectors and trans-complementation for the introduction of the gene back into the mutant [64][65][66] to see if it restores the wild-type phenotype. However, genetic manipulation of B. burgdorferi has been greatly hampered by a number of limiting factors, including slow growth, low transformation efficiency, loss of plasmids during laboratory cultivation, the limited number of antibiotic markers for research purposes due to the use of antibiotics such as ampicilin and tertracycline being used to treat Lyme disease patients, and the lack of a minimal defined medium [1,67].…”

Section: Genetic Manipulation Of B Burgdorferimentioning

confidence: 99%

The need to unravel the twisted nature of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex across Europe

Strnad

Rego

2020

Microbiology

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Lyme borreliosis is a vector-borne infection caused by bacteria under the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, both in Europe and North America. Differential gene expression at different times throughout its infectious cycle allows the spirochete to survive very diverse environments within different mammalian hosts as well as the tick vector. To date, the vast majority of data about spirochetal proteins and their functions are from genetic studies carried out on North American strains of a single species, i.e. B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. The whole-genome sequences recently obtained for several European species/strains make it feasible to adapt and use genetic techniques to study inherent differences between them. This review highlights the crucial need to undertake independent studies of genospecies within Europe, given their varying genetic content and pathogenic potential, and differences in clinical manifestation.

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Recent discoveries and advancements in research on the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

Cited by 6 publications

References 56 publications

Characterization of the family-level Borreliaceae pan-genome and development of an episomal typing protocol

Characterization of the family-level Borreliaceae pan-genome and development of an episomal typing protocol

Borreliae Part 1: Borrelia Lyme Group and Echidna-Reptile Group

The need to unravel the twisted nature of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex across Europe

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