Occurrence of multiple infections with different Borrelia burgdorferi genospecies in Danish Ixodes ricinus nymphs

Vennestrøm, J.; Egholm, H.; Jensen, Per Moestrup

doi:10.1016/j.parint.2007.07.004

Cited by 30 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…We detected high numbers of coinfections (27.5%) with multiple genospecies among the B. burgdorferi sensu lato-positive ticks, similarly to other studies (42,43). In Denmark, coinfections with multiple strains were detected even more frequently than single infections (42).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Approaches for Reverse Line Blot-Based Detection of Microbial Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Austria and Impact of the Chosen Method

Schötta

Wijnveld

Stockinger

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Ticks transmit a large number of pathogens capable of causing human disease. In this study, the PCR-reverse line blot (RLB) method was used to screen for pathogens in a total of 554 Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from all provinces of Austria. These pathogens belong to the genera Borrelia, Rickettsiae, Anaplasma/Ehrlichia (including "Candidatus Neoehrlichia"), Babesia, and Coxiella. The pathogens with the highest detected prevalence were spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, in 142 ticks (25.6%). Borrelia afzelii (80/142) was the most frequently detected species, followed by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (38/142) and Borrelia valaisiana (36/142). Borrelia garinii/Borrelia bavariensis, Borrelia lusitaniae, and Borrelia spielmanii were found in 28 ticks, 5 ticks, and 1 tick, respectively. Rickettsia spp. were detected in 93 ticks (16.8%): R. helvetica (39/93), R. raoultii (38/93), R. monacensis (2/ 93), and R. slovaca (1/93). Thirteen Rickettsia samples remain uncharacterized. "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis," Babesia spp. (B. venatorum, B. divergens, B. microti), and Anaplasma phagocytophilum were found in 4.5%, 2.7%, and 0.7%, respectively. Coxiella burnetii was not detected. Multiple microorganisms were detected in 40 ticks (7.2%), and the cooccurrence of Babesia spp. and "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis" showed a significant positive correlation. We also compared different PCRRLBs for detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Rickettsia spp. and showed that different detection approaches provide highly diverse results, indicating that analysis of environmental samples remains challenging. IMPORTANCE This study determined the wide spectrum of tick-borne bacterial and protozoal pathogens that can be encountered in Austria. Surveillance of (putative) pathogenic microorganisms occurring in the environment is of medical importance, especially when those agents can be transmitted by ticks and cause disease. The observation of significant coinfections of certain microorganisms in field-collected ticks is an initial step to an improved understanding of microbial interactions in ticks. In addition, we show that variations in molecular detection methods, such as in primer pairs and target genes, can considerably influence the final results. For instance, detection of certain genospecies of borreliae may be better or worse by one method or the other, a fact of great importance for future screening studies.KEYWORDS Austria, Babesia, Borrelia burgdorferi, Ixodes ricinus, method comparison, reverse line blot, Rickettsia, tick screening T icks carry and transmit a variety of pathogens (bacteria, protozoa, viruses) that can lead to serious infections in humans (1). In Europe, the majority of vector-borne diseases are caused by tick-borne pathogens; thus, knowledge about such pathogens is of medical relevance.The hard tick Ixodes ricinus is the most important vector in Europe (2) and the most

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Approaches for Reverse Line Blot-Based Detection of Microbial Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Austria and Impact of the Chosen Method

Schötta

Wijnveld

Stockinger

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…In comparison, other studies have shown various prevalences of coinfections in field-collected ticks: 3% among adult ticks in England (21), 4% in both adults and nymphs in Switzerland (15), 14% in nymphs in the United States (34), 64% in nymphs in Denmark (33), and 16% among adults and nymphs in Slovakia and Poland (22). In the study conducted in Slovakia and Poland, 5% of all the positive ticks were coinfected with different strains of one particular species (i.e., B. garinii or B. valaisiana).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…The fact that we also identified B. lusitaniae for the first time in Sweden may be important, because it is possible that some strains of this species give rise to human LB (6). In addition, there is evidence that B. lusitaniae is becoming established in the northern part of Europe (33).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Diversity ofBorreliaSpecies in Ticks That Have Bitten Humans in Sweden

et al. 2010

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Members of the genus Borrelia are among the most common infectious agents causing tick-borne disease in humans worldwide. Here, we developed a Light Upon eXtension (LUX) real-time PCR assay that can detect and quantify Borrelia species in ticks that have fed on humans, and we applied the assay to 399 such ticks. Borrelia PCR-positive ticks were identified to species level by sequencing the products of conventional PCR performed using Borrelia group-specific primers. There was a 19% prevalence of Borrelia spp. in the detached ticks, and the number of spirochetes per Borrelia PCR-positive tick ranged from 2.0 ؋ 10 2 to 4.9 ؋ 10 5 , with a median of 7.8 ؋ 10 3 spirochetes. Adult ticks had a significantly larger number of spirochetes, with a median of 8.4 ؋ 10 4 compared to the median of nymphs of 4.4 ؋ 10 4 . Adult ticks also exhibited a higher prevalence of Borrelia (33%) than nymphs (14%). Among the identified species, Borrelia afzelii was found to predominate (61%) and was followed by B. garinii (23%), B. valaisiana (13%), B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (1%), B. lusitaniae (1%), and B. miyamotoi-like (1%). Also, 3% of the ticks were coinfected with multiple strains of B. afzelii. Notably, this is the first report of B. lusitaniae being detected in ticks in Sweden. Our LUX real-time PCR assay proved to be more sensitive than a corresponding TaqMan assay. In conclusion, the novel LUX real-time PCR method is a rapid and sensitive tool for detection and quantification of Borrelia spp. in ticks.Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-borne disease in humans in Europe (26), and it is caused by spirochetes belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. That group comprises the species B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii, and B. garinii, which are usually transmitted by the vector Ixodes ricinus. Furthermore, there have been reports of B. valaisiana, B. lusitaniae, and B. spielmanii being detected in samples of human skin and cerebrospinal fluid (5, 7, 30), which suggests that those three species can also give rise to LB. It is often hard to distinguish the clinical symptoms of LB from those of other diseases (10), and hence, it can be difficult to establish a correct diagnosis, especially if the patient is unable to recall having a tick bite.Today, diagnosis is based mainly on serological tests, although some PCR-based approaches, such as the TaqMan real-time PCR assay (3, 12), have been developed to detect Borrelia species in clinical samples. Even if real-time PCR is not yet considered to be a routine method in clinical practice, it can nonetheless provide valuable information about Borrelia infections, with regard to species type and the number of spirochetes present. Additional major advantages of PCR in this context are its simplicity, sensitivity, robustness, and speed.Other assays besides the TaqMan assay include a method based on SYBR green dye chemistry (37) and another using Light Upon eXtension (LUX) (Invitrogen Corporation). Compared to the SYBR green real-time PCR assay, the LUX assay o...

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“…Seabirds in the Arctic regions of Norway carry Ixodes uriae ticks from which B. garinii spirochetes were isolated (31). In Danish Ixodes ricinus three different genospecies were simultaneously present in at least 40% of the ticks (32). Borrelia sensu stricto was found in blood plasma from nearly half of the erythema migrans of American patients when large volumes of blood plasma were used as source of spirochete cultivation (33).…”

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confidence: 99%

Destruction of spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi round-body propagules (RBs) by the antibiotic Tigecycline

Brorson

Scythes³

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Occurrence of multiple infections with different Borrelia burgdorferi genospecies in Danish Ixodes ricinus nymphs

Cited by 30 publications

References 28 publications

Approaches for Reverse Line Blot-Based Detection of Microbial Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Austria and Impact of the Chosen Method

Approaches for Reverse Line Blot-Based Detection of Microbial Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Austria and Impact of the Chosen Method

Prevalence and Diversity ofBorreliaSpecies in Ticks That Have Bitten Humans in Sweden

Destruction of spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi round-body propagules (RBs) by the antibiotic Tigecycline

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