Burgdorferi

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The disease is very heterogeneous, with distinct genetic alterations in subtypes. The WHO 2022 5th edition classification identifies several minor groups of large B-cell lymphoma where the pathogenetic role of viruses (like EBV and HHV-8) is identified. Still, most cases fall into the group of DLBCL not otherwise specified (NOS). No review focuses only on this specific lymphoma type in the literature. The pathogenesis of this entity is still not fully understood, but several viruses and bacteria may have a role in the development of the disease...

BACKGROUND: Lyme borreliosis is the most common tick-borne disease in Europe and is often caused by Borrelia afzelii, which is transmitted by Ixodes ricinus ticks. The prevalence and abundance of infected ticks fluctuate in time and space, influencing human infection risk. Rodents are reservoir hosts for B. afzelii and important feeding hosts for larval ticks. In the study reported here, we examined how variation in rodent abundance is associated with B. afzelii infection prevalence in ticks, the density of nymphs (DON) and the density of infected nymphs (DIN) in the following year...

PURPOSE: Medical and veterinary filarial nematodes are transmitted by blood-feeding vectors. In dogs, these parasites are mainly represented by nematodes in which microfilariae dwell in the blood (Dirofilaria spp. and Acanthocheilonema spp.) or skin (Cercopithifilaria spp. and Onchocerca lupi). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of these filarial infections in dogs residing in a touristic, heavily populated location in the northeastern region of Brazil. METHODS: Blood samples (n = 245) were assessed by a modified Knott test, followed by a qualitative ELISA test (SNAP® 4Dx® Plus, IDEXX Laboratory, Westbrook, Maine, USA) for the detection of antibodies against Anaplasma spp...

In this report, we describe a 23-year-old female who, while pregnant, was exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi but did not develop significant signs or symptoms (joint pain, arthritis) of Lyme disease until shortly after delivering a healthy child at term. Serologic testing confirmed infection with B. burgdorferi . A 3-week course of treatment with doxycycline was completely curative. There was no evidence for congenital or perinatal transmission of this pathogen at any point pre-term or postnatally. The key reasons that could account for this unique clinical scenario are discussed in the context of previously published related reports...

Lyme disease (LD), caused in the United States primarily by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, is a tick-borne illness characterized by a spectrum of clinical manifestations depending on the stage of illness. Most clinicians are familiar with the classic bullseye appearance of the erythema migrans (EM) rash that occurs in the early stage of the disease. However, many providers may not be aware of alternate appearances for the rash. This paper reports the case of a 69-year-old female with LD, exhibiting an atypical rash with purplish discoloration that was devoid of an outer ring or central clearing...

The PilZ domain-containing protein, PlzA, is the only known cyclic di-GMP binding protein encoded by all Lyme disease spirochetes. PlzA has been implicated in the regulation of many borrelial processes, but the effector mechanism of PlzA was not previously known. Here, we report that PlzA can bind DNA and RNA and that nucleic acid binding requires c-di-GMP, with the affinity of PlzA for nucleic acids increasing as concentrations of c-di-GMP were increased. A mutant PlzA that is incapable of binding c-di-GMP did not bind to any tested nucleic acids...

INTRODUCTION: Ixodes ricinus ticks are an important vector and reservoir of pathogenic microorganisms causing dangerous infectious diseases in humans and animals. The presence of ticks in urban greenery is a particularly important public health concern due to the potential for humans and companion animals to be exposed to tick-borne diseases there. The study assessed the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in I. ricinus ticks feeding on dogs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study consisted in analyses of I...

BACKGROUND: The results of disparate clinical studies indicate abnormally frequent cases of certain microorganisms in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, these data require clarification and systematization. The study aims to study the structure of the microbial profile in children with ASD and genetic folate cycle deficiency (GFCD) and consider differences in diagnostic approaches for identifying microorganisms of different types. METHODS: The study analyzed medical data from 240 children (187 boys and 63 girls) with GFCD aged 2 to 9 years...

BACKGROUND: Genetic variation underly inter-individual variation in host immune responses to infectious diseases, and may affect susceptibility or the course of signs and symptoms. METHODS: We performed genome-wide association studies in a prospective cohort of 1138 patients with physician-confirmed Lyme borreliosis (LB), the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern hemisphere caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Genome-wide variants in LB patients-divided into a discovery and validation cohort-were compared to two healthy cohorts...

Borrelia burgdorferi , the spirochetal agent of Lyme disease, utilizes a variety of strategies to evade and suppress the host immune response, which enables it to chronically persist in the host. The resulting immune response is characterized by unusually strong IgM production and a lack of long-term protective immunity. Previous studies in mice have shown that infection with B. burgdorferi also broadly suppresses host antibody responses against unrelated antigens. Here, we show that mice infected with B. burgdorferi and concomitantly immunized with recombinant severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein had an abrogated antibody response to the immunization...

Two studies were developed to compare Borrelia burgdorferi antibody detection between the VetScan Flex4 and SNAP 4Dx Plus tests. The objective of the first study was to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of VetScan Flex4 and SNAP 4Dx Plus B. burgdorferi results using field sourced samples compared to a Western Blot reference method. The sensitivity and specificity of VetScan Flex4 were 81.9% (95% CI: 71.9%-89.5%) and 89.3% (95% CI: 85.2%-92.9%) respectively, and SNAP 4Dx Plus's sensitivity and specificity were 80...

Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia. The host factors that modulate susceptibility for Lyme disease have remained mostly unknown. Using epidemiological and genetic data from FinnGen and Estonian Biobank, we identify two previously known variants and an unknown common missense variant at the gene encoding for Secretoglobin family 1D member 2 (SCGB1D2) protein that increases the susceptibility for Lyme disease. Using live Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) we find that recombinant reference SCGB1D2 protein inhibits the growth of Bb in vitro more efficiently than the recombinant protein with SCGB1D2 P53L deleterious missense variant...

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic therapy for patients with early Lyme disease is necessary to prevent later-stage Lyme disease complications. This systematic review and meta-analysis compares shorter versus longer antibiotic regimens in treating early Lyme disease. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted up to November 2023. We examined treatment failure, complete response, and photosensitivity. Short vs...

The hard tick, Ixodes keiransi Beati, Nava, Venzal, & Guglielmone, formerly the North American lineage of Ixodes affinis Neumann, is expanding its range northward along the US East Coast. In July 2023, we collected I. keiransi adult female and nymph in a single sampling event, suggesting its range now includes southern New Jersey. In this area, I. keiransi is sympatric with northern populations of Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae), the primary vector of Lyme disease. Given its status as an enzootic vector of spirochaetes in the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, proper differentiation of these 2 species will be critical for accurate estimates of entomological risk...

Forest management practices designed to meet varied landowner objectives affect wildlife habitat and may interrupt the life-cycle stages of disease vectors, including the black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae). Ixodes scapularis transmits multiple pathogens including Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, which is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States. There is evidence that a range of active forest management practices (e.g., invasive plant removal, prescribed burning) can alter tick densities and pathogen transmission...

BACKGROUND: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-borne bacterium and the cause of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA). Here, we report a case of transfusion-transmitted (TT)-HGA involving a leukoreduced (LR) red blood cell (RBC) unit. CASE REPORT: A 64-year-old woman with gastric adenocarcinoma and multiple myeloma who received weekly blood transfusions developed persistent fevers, hypotension, and shortness of breath 1 week after receiving an RBC transfusion...

Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted via Ixodes ticks, is a common vector-borne illness in the United States, with an estimated 476,000 annual cases. While primarily known for its neurological and rheumatological manifestations, Lyme disease can also involve the cardiac system, known as Lyme carditis, which occurs in about 4% to 10% of cases. This case report details a rare instance of Lyme carditis presenting as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a 31-year-old female with no significant medical history...

Ticks are one of the most important vectors that can transmit pathogens to animals and human beings. This study investigated the dominant tick-borne bacteria carried by ticks and tick-borne infections in forestry populations in Arxan, Inner Mongolia, China. Ticks were collected by flagging from May 2020 to May 2021, and blood samples were collected from individuals at high risk of acquiring tick-borne diseases from March 2022 to August 2023. The pooled DNA samples of ticks were analyzed to reveal the presence of tick-borne bacteria using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rDNA V3-V4 region, and species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) related to sequencing was performed to confirm the presence of pathogenic bacteria in individual ticks and human blood samples...

Lyme disease is caused by  Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi), which  is a spirochete transmitted by ticks of the genus  Ixodes . Complications related to the cardiovascular system usually occur in the early phase of infection, and the most common cardiovascular complication of Lyme disease is atrioventricular block, especially third-degree heart block. We report a case of a young Caucasian male patient who presented to the emergency department (ED) with complaints of chest pain and shortness of breath...

AIMS: Urban green spaces are locations of maximal human activity, forming areas of enhanced risk for tick-borne disease (TBD) transmission. Being also limited in spatial scale, green spaces form prime targets for control schemes aiming to reduce TBD risk. However, for effective control, the key species maintaining local tick and tick-borne pathogen (TBP) populations must be identified. To determine how patterns of host utilization vary spatially, we utilized blood meal analysis to study the contributions of voles, shrews, squirrels, leporids and cervids towards blood meals and the acquisition of TBPs of juvenile Ixodes ricinus in urban and sylvatic areas in Finland...