Blood-Borne Candidatus Borrelia algerica in a Patient with Prolonged Fever in Oran, Algeria

Abstract

Abstract. To improve the knowledge base of Borrelia in north Africa, we tested 257 blood samples collected from febrile patients in Oran, Algeria, between January and December 2012 for Borrelia species using flagellin gene polymerase chain reaction sequencing. A sequence indicative of a new Borrelia sp. named Candidatus Borrelia algerica was detected in one blood sample. Further multispacer sequence typing indicated this Borrelia sp. had 97% similarity with Borrelia crocidurae, Borrelia duttonii, and Borrelia recurrentis. In silico comparison of Candidatus B. algerica spacer sequences with those of Borrelia hispanica and Borrelia garinii revealed 94% and 89% similarity, respectively. Candidatus B. algerica is a new relapsing fever Borrelia sp. detected in Oran. Further studies may help predict its epidemiological importance.Relapsing fever borreliae are arthropod-borne pathogens causing mild to deadly septicemia and miscarriage.1 In Africa, cultured representatives include tick-borne Borrelia crocidurae, Borrelia duttonii, and Borrelia hispanica transmitted by Ornithodoros soft ticks and louse-borne Borrelia recurrentis.

Louse-Borne Relapsing Fever (Borrelia recurrentis) in a Somali Refugee Arriving in Italy: A Re-emerging Infection in Europe?

“…Finally, the identification of the microorganism at the species level should be actively pursued, because several tick-borne borreliae (e.g., Borrelia duttonii , Borrelia hispanica , and Borrelia crocidurae ) have been documented in Africa [ 15 , 16 ]. Moreover, several species that are pathogenic for humans, but not yet completely characterized, were recently reported from Northern and Eastern Africa [ 19 , 20 ].…”

Laboratory Diagnosis of Tick-Borne African Relapsing Fevers: Latest Developments

“…PCR-based detection of specific sequences is the modern method for POC laboratory diagnosis ( 15 ). Total DNA is most often extracted from blood using a QIAamp DNA Micro kit according to the manufacturer’s protocol (QIAGEN, Hilden, Germany) ( 4 , 22 ). Because of the close genetic and genomic proximity of the relapsing fever borreliae, as illustrated by 16S rRNA gene sequence variability ≤1%, confirmed by B. duttonii and B. recurrentis genomics, indicating that the two organisms belonged to the same bacterial species ( 22 – 24 ), molecular tests may detect relapsing fever borreliae without providing species identification.…”

“…Relapsing fevers are a concern for public health in local populations as well as for foreigners visiting endemic African countries. Currently, three cultured tick-borne species ( Borrelia crocidurae , Borrelia duttonii , and Borrelia hispanica) ( 2 ) are in circulation, in addition to the as yet uncultured Borrelia merionesi in Ornithodoros ticks in Morocco ( 3 ), Candidatus Borrelia algerica in febrile patients in Algeria ( 4 ) and an unnamed new species in Ornithodoros porcinus ticks in Tanzania ( 5 ), in the blood of Spheniscus demersus penguins in South Africa ( 6 ), in Rhipicephalus evertsi ticks from Nigeria ( 7 ), and new Borrelia species distinct from the Lyme disease and recurrent fever groups detected in Amblyomma cohaerens in Ethiopia ( 8 ). B. hispanica is prevalent in the north, B. crocidurae in the west, and B. duttonii in the east of Africa ( 1 , 2 ).…”

“…Currently, detection of relapsing fever borreliae in Africa relies upon the observation of spirochaeta in smears of peripheral blood; however, the high morphological similarity between species does not allow for identification at the species level. Molecular methods, detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms in the 16S rRNA and flaB genes, 16S-23S ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer (IGS), multispacer sequence typing (MST), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and multiplex quantitative real-time PCR ( 4 , 13 , 14 ), may not be routinely available in most endemic regions ( 15 ). Nevertheless, rapid diagnosis of relapsing fever is warranted, since these cases require specific treatment and prophylaxis in order to avoid contact with small rodents and their ticks ( 12 ).…”

Detection of relapsing fever Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp. and Anaplasmataceae bacteria in argasid ticks in Algeria

“…Currently, two agents of tick-borne relapsing fever have been detected in North Africa, namely Borrelia crocidurae and Borrelia hispanica [ 8 ]. An uncultured bacterium, “ Borrelia merionesi , ” has also been detected in Ornithodoros ticks in Morocco [ 9 ], and “ Candidatus Borrelia algerica” has been reported in febrile patients in Algeria [ 10 ]. In Algeria, since the first human case of TBRF reported by Sergent in 1908 [ 11 ], the disease has been largely neglected, and recent epidemiological data are lacking.…”