RETRACTED ARTICLE: Evaluating polymicrobial immune responses in patients suffering from tick-borne diseases

Garg, Kunal; Meriläinen, Leena; Franz, Ole; Pirttinen, Heidi; Quevedo-Diaz, Marco; Croucher, Stephen M.; Gilbert, Leona

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-34393-9

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 108 publications

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“…Polymicrobial infections may be synergistic in enhancing the severity of human illnesses, and more-deleterious interactions could be discovered if there was greater emphasis on a pluralistic approach to tick-borne diseases. There is an extensive literature on the topic of coinfections, and we cite the most recent for American patients (94) and for Europe (95). However, despite the high levels of tick coinfections, there is at least one therapeutic feature that could mitigate the impact of polymicrobial infections in patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polymicrobial Nature of Tick-Borne Diseases

Sánchez-Vicente

Tagliafierro

Coleman

et al. 2019

mBio

103

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Tick-borne diseases have doubled in the last 12 years, and their geographic distribution has spread as well. The clinical spectrum of tick-borne diseases can range from asymptomatic to fatal infections, with a disproportionate incidence in children and the elderly. In the last few years, new agents have been discovered, and genetic changes have helped in the spread of pathogens and ticks. Polymicrobial infections, mostly in Ixodes scapularis, can complicate diagnostics and augment disease severity. Amblyomma americanum ticks have expanded their range, resulting in a dynamic and complex situation, possibly fueled by climate change. To document these changes, using molecular biology strategies for pathogen detection, an assessment of 12 microbes (9 pathogens and 3 symbionts) in three species of ticks was done in Suffolk County, New York. At least one agent was detected in 63% of I. scapularis ticks. Borrelia burgdorferi was the most prevalent pathogen (57% in adults; 27% in nymphs), followed by Babesia microti (14% in adults; 15% in nymphs), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (14% in adults; 2% in nymphs), Borrelia miyamotoi (3% in adults), and Powassan virus (2% in adults). Polymicrobial infections were detected in 22% of I. scapularis ticks, with coinfections of B. burgdorferi and B. microti (9%) and of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum (7%). Three Ehrlichia species were detected in 4% of A. americanum ticks. The rickettsiae constituted the largest prokaryotic biomass of all the ticks tested and included Rickettsia amblyommatis, Rickettsia buchneri, and Rickettsia montanensis. The high rates of polymicrobial infection in ticks present an opportunity to study the biological interrelationships of pathogens and their vectors. IMPORTANCE Tick-borne diseases have increased in prevalence in the United States and abroad. The reasons for these increases are multifactorial, but climate change is likely to be a major factor. One of the main features of the increase is the geographic expansion of tick vectors, notably Amblyomma americanum, which has brought new pathogens to new areas. The clinical spectrum of tick-borne diseases can range from asymptomatic to fatal infections, with a disproportionate incidence in children and the elderly. In addition, new pathogens that are cotransmitted by Ixodes scapularis have been discovered and have led to difficult diagnoses and to disease severity. Of these, Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, continues to be the most frequently transmitted pathogen. However, Babesia microti, Borrelia miyamotoi (another spirochete), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Powassan virus are frequent cotransmitted agents. Polymicrobial infection has important consequences for the diagnosis and management of tick-borne diseases.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polymicrobial Nature of Tick-Borne Diseases

Sánchez-Vicente

Tagliafierro

Coleman

et al. 2019

mBio

103

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“…Studies conducted in Finland and Australia reported Chlamydia -like DNA in skin biopsies of patients suspected to have a tick bite and who were PCR-positive for Borrelia DNA as well [50–52]. A very recent study provided evidence that IgM and IgG antibodies for both C. pneumoniae and C. trachomatis can be detected in 20–30% of patients with tick bite history [71]. Those studies strongly indicated that co-infection of Borrelia with Chlamydia spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Borrelia and Chlamydia can form mixed biofilms in infected human skin tissues

Sapi

Gupta

Wawrzeniak

et al. 2019

EuJMI

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Our research group has recently shown that Borrelia burgdorferi , the Lyme disease bacterium, is capable of forming biofilms in Borrelia-infected human skin lesions called Borrelia lymphocytoma (BL). Biofilm structures often contain multiple organisms in a symbiotic relationship, with the goal of providing shelter from environmental stressors such as antimicrobial agents. Because multiple co-infections are common in Lyme disease, the main questions of this study were whether BL tissues contained other pathogenic species and/or whether there is any co-existence with Borrelia biofilms. Recent reports suggested Chlamydia -like organisms in ticks and Borrelia -infected human skin tissues; therefore, Chlamydia -specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were performed in Borrelia -positive BL tissues. Analyses of the sequence of the positive PCR bands revealed that Chlamydia spp. DNAs are indeed present in these tissues, and their sequences have the best identity match to Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Fluorescent immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization methods demonstrated the presence of Chlamydia antigen and DNA in 84% of Borrelia biofilms. Confocal microscopy revealed that Chlamydia locates in the center of Borrelia biofilms, and together, they form a well-organized mixed pathogenic structure. In summary, our study is the first to show Borrelia-Chlamydia mixed biofilms in infected human skin tissues, which raises the questions of whether these human pathogens have developed a symbiotic relationship for their mutual survival.

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“…A survey in Poland, on the other hand, found roughly 1.6% of I. ricinus ticks collected to be coinfected with Bartonella henselae and Borrelia burgdorferi [118]. Most recently, a serological analysis of more than 400 Lyme patient samples revealed that most patients possess antibodies to multiple tick-transmitted pathogens [119]. Depending on the Lyme disease patient category, between 15–33% were also seropositive for Bartonella henselae .…”

Section: Bartonella As a Coinfection In Humansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Bartonellosis: An Underappreciated Public Health Problem?

2019

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Bartonella spp. bacteria can be found around the globe and are the causative agents of multiple human diseases. The most well-known infection is called cat-scratch disease, which causes mild lymphadenopathy and fever. As our knowledge of these bacteria grows, new presentations of the disease have been recognized, with serious manifestations. Not only has more severe disease been associated with these bacteria but also Bartonella species have been discovered in a wide range of mammals, and the pathogens’ DNA can be found in multiple vectors. This review will focus on some common mammalian reservoirs as well as the suspected vectors in relation to the disease transmission and prevalence. Understanding the complex interactions between these bacteria, their vectors, and their reservoirs, as well as the breadth of infection by Bartonella around the world will help to assess the impact of Bartonellosis on public health.

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RETRACTED ARTICLE: Evaluating polymicrobial immune responses in patients suffering from tick-borne diseases

Cited by 17 publications

References 108 publications

Polymicrobial Nature of Tick-Borne Diseases

Polymicrobial Nature of Tick-Borne Diseases

Borrelia and Chlamydia can form mixed biofilms in infected human skin tissues

Human Bartonellosis: An Underappreciated Public Health Problem?

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