Complications of Pregnancy and Transplacental Transmission of Relapsing‐Fever Borreliosis

Larsson, Christer; Andersson, Marcus; Guo, Betty P.; Nordstrand, Annika; Hägerstrand, Inga; Carlsson, Sara; Bergström, Sven

doi:10.1086/508425

Cited by 35 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Initially, the two B. recurrentis strains A11 and A17, and B. duttonii strain 1120K3 were inoculated into immunocompetent wild-type BALB/c mice, NUDE mice lacking T-cells, SCID mice lacking B- and T-cells, and SCID BEIGE mice lacking B-, T-, and NK-cells. As expected, only B. duttonii established detectable infection in the BALB/c mice (Figure 1A), which concurred with the results of similar previous experiments [22],[24]. The total B. duttonii spirochetemia did not differ significantly between NUDE mice and BALB/c mice (Figure 1A–B), and neither the A11 nor the A17 B. recurrentis strain caused detectable spirochetemia in BALB/c or NUDE mice, indicating that T-cells are of minor importance for RF immune defense.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

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A Novel Animal Model of Borrelia recurrentis Louse-Borne Relapsing Fever Borreliosis Using Immunodeficient Mice

et al. 2009

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Louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) borreliosis is caused by Borrelia recurrentis, and it is a deadly although treatable disease that is endemic in the Horn of Africa but has epidemic potential. Research on LBRF has been severely hampered because successful infection with B. recurrentis has been achieved only in primates (i.e., not in other laboratory or domestic animals). Here, we present the first non-primate animal model of LBRF, using SCID (-B, -T cells) and SCID BEIGE (-B, -T, -NK cells) immunocompromised mice. These animals were infected with B. recurrentis A11 or A17, or with B. duttonii 1120K3 as controls. B. recurrentis caused a relatively mild but persistent infection in SCID and SCID BEIGE mice, but did not proliferate in NUDE (-T) and BALB/c (wild-type) mice. B. duttonii was infectious but not lethal in all animals. These findings demonstrate that the immune response can limit relapsing fever even in the absence of humoral defense mechanisms. To study the significance of phagocytic cells in this context, we induced systemic depletion of such cells in the experimental mice by injecting them with clodronate liposomes, which resulted in uncontrolled B. duttonii growth and a one-hundred-fold increase in B. recurrentis titers in blood. This observation highlights the role of macrophages and other phagocytes in controlling relapsing fever infection. B. recurrentis evolved from B. duttonii to become a primate-specific pathogen that has lost the ability to infect immunocompetent rodents, probably through genetic degeneration. Here, we describe a novel animal model of B. recurrentis based on B- and T-cell-deficient mice, which we believe will be very valuable in future research on LBRF. Our study also reveals the importance of B-cells and phagocytes in controlling relapsing fever infection.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Thus, in this paper we present the first non-primate animal model for studies of LBRF. We also characterize B. recurrentis infection and compare it with the closely related species B. duttonii , which is virulent in wild-type mice and has been studied extensively in mouse models [21],[22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Animal Model of Borrelia recurrentis Louse-Borne Relapsing Fever Borreliosis Using Immunodeficient Mice

et al. 2009

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“…Pregnant mice had fewer bacteria blood-borne and less severe symptoms than nonpregnant animals, suggesting an attenuating effect of pregnancy on maternal relapsing fever. If this is also the case in humans, diagnosis may be more difficult in pregnant women than in other patients [33].…”

Section: Figure 3 Erythrocyte Rosettingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current issues in relapsing fever

Larsson

Andersson²,

Bergström³

2009

Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases

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“…5 Although some patients may experience jaundice, splenomegaly, and hepatomegaly, fatality rates are low (2%-5%). 52,60,87,89,90 Because of the potential adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, aggressive and prompt treatment of TBRF is essential, and Jongen et al 52 suggest that the benefits of tetracycline therapy outweigh the potential adverse effects. 49,60 Maternal, fetal, and pregnancy outcomes all appear to be adversely affected by TBRF.…”

Section: Tick-borne Relapsing Fevermentioning

confidence: 99%

Arthropod-Borne Bacterial Diseases in Pregnancy

Dotters‐Katz¹,

Kuller²,

Heine³

2013

Obstetrical &Amp; Gynecological Survey

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Arthropod-borne bacterial diseases affect more than 25,000 Americans every year and thousands more around the world. These infections present a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians because they mimic many other pathologic conditions and are often low on or absent from the differential diagnosis list. Diagnosis is particularly challenging during pregnancy, as these infections may mimic common pregnancy-specific conditions, such as typical and atypical preeclampsia, or symptoms of pregnancy itself. Concerns regarding the safety in pregnancy of some indicated antibiotics add a therapeutic challenge for the prescriber, requiring knowledge of alternative therapeutic options for many arthropod-borne bacterial diseases. Physicians, especially those in endemic areas, must keep this class of infections in mind, particularly when the presentation does not appear classic for more commonly seen conditions. This article discusses presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of the most common of these arthropod-borne bacterial diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick-borne relapsing fever, typhus, plague, cat-scratch disease, and Carrión disease.

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Complications of Pregnancy and Transplacental Transmission of Relapsing‐Fever Borreliosis

Cited by 35 publications

References 33 publications

A Novel Animal Model of Borrelia recurrentis Louse-Borne Relapsing Fever Borreliosis Using Immunodeficient Mice

A Novel Animal Model of Borrelia recurrentis Louse-Borne Relapsing Fever Borreliosis Using Immunodeficient Mice

Current issues in relapsing fever

Arthropod-Borne Bacterial Diseases in Pregnancy

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