Unusual Strain of Borrelia burgdorferi Isolated from Ixodes dentatus in Central Georgia

Abstract

A new, unusual spirochete was cultured in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly (BSK II) medium from the midgut and other tissues of the tick Ixodes dentatus. The tick was collected from leaf litter in an oak-pine wood lot in Bibb County approximately 7.2 km from Macon in central Georgia during February 1993. Characterization by indirect immunofluorescence using 5 murine monoclonal antibodies, by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of whole spirochetal lysates, and by polymerase chain reaction assay for several known DNA target sequences indicates that the spirochete is Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. It is genetically different from the B-31 reference strain of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto that is typical of strains causing Lyme borreliosis in North America. Range of infectivity and pathogenesis of the Bibb County isolate (BC-1) are unknown but being investigated. The BC-1 strain is the first B. burgdorferi isolate from I. dentatus in the southeastern United States (I. dentatus is not the common vector for Lyme borreliosis in humans). Additionally, the collection site was approximately 322 km from the Atlantic coast, far distant from where most B. burgdorferi isolates have been obtained.

Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto ospC Alleles Associated with Human Lyme Borreliosis Worldwide in Non-Human-Biting Tick Ixodes affinis and Rodent Hosts in Southeastern United States

“…Several other tick species in the I. ricinus complex and those not included in it have been found to maintain B. burgdorferi enzootically (2,4,51,(60)(61)(62). A recent report by Hamer and colleagues showed strong evidences that confirmed the presence of multiple strains of B. burgdorferi in areas with an apparent absence of I. scapularis, which means an absence of the classical spirochete maintenance cycle of I. scapularis-P. leucopus (54).…”

Solitary Erythema Migrans in Georgia and South Carolina

“…36,[43][44] Although published studies 23,39 demonstrate that B burgdorferi sensu stricto is cultivable from biopsy specimens of up to 86% of EM cases acquired in northern, endemic regions, this laboratory method is not widely practiced or available. However, failure to culture B burgdorferi in BSK II medium from EM cases in the south does not prove its absence.…”

“…Falsenegative PCR results could reflect sampling variability among tissues with sparse spirochetal distribution or the presence of B burgdorferi strains with heterologous OspA sequences. 36,43 Isolation of B burgdorferi from ticks and mammals in the southeastern United States has been documented recently. 41,46 To date, more than 200 isolates have been obtained from ticks, birds, and mammals in this region ( J.H.O., unpublished data, August 1998).…”

The Biological Survey of Canada: A Personal History

“…Ixodes dentatus may occasionally bite humans (Hall et al 1991;Anderson et al 1996), so its potential as a vector of pathogens is of concern. It is a vector of Babesia divergens McFadyean and Stockman (Telford and Spielman 1989;Goethert and Telford 2003a), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Goethert and Telford 2003b), and strains of Borrelia burgdorferi Oliver et al 1996;Lin et al 2001).…”