How Many "Lyme" Borrelia ARE There?

[LymeEnigma]

This one definitely appears to be quite exceptional ... who knows how many other similar strains are out there?

iai.asm.org/cgi/reprint/75/10/4817

"Borrelia spielmanii sp. nov. has recently been shown to be a novel human pathogenic genospecies that causes Lyme disease in Europe. In order to elucidate the immune evasion mechanisms of B. spielmanii, we compared the abilities of isolates obtained from Lyme disease patients and tick isolate PC-Eq17 to escape from complement-mediated bacteriolysis. Using a growth inhibition assay, we show that four B. spielmanii isolates, including PC-Eq17, are serum resistant, whereas a single isolate, PMew, was more sensitive to complement-mediated lysis. All isolates activated complement in vitro, as demonstrated by covalent attachment of C3 fragments; however, deposition of the later activation products C6 and C5b-9 was restricted to the moderately serum-resistant isolate PMew and the serum-sensitive B. garinii isolate G1. Furthermore, serum adsorption experiments revealed that all B. spielmanii isolates acquired the host alternative pathway regulators factor H and factor H-like protein (FHL-1) from human serum. Both complement regulators retained their factor I-mediated C3b inactivation activities when bound to spirochetes. In addition, two distinct factor H and FHL-1 binding proteins, BsCRASP-1 and BsCRASP-2, were identified, which we estimated to be approximately 23 to 25 kDa in mass. A further factor H binding protein, BsCRASP-3, was found exclusively in the tick isolate, PC-Eq17. This is the first report describing an immune evasion mechanism utilized by B. spielmanii sp. nov., and it demonstrates the capture of human immune regulators to resist complement-mediated killing."

[LymeEnigma]

I know I've already posted this abstract in a different thread, but it is so damned fascinating ... and I think it is relevant to the above post:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=8684157&ordinalpos=1&itool=
EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus

A new Borrelia species isolated from patients with relapsing fever in Spain.
Anda P, Sánchez-Yebra W, del Mar Vitutia M, Pérez Pastrana E, Rodríguez I, Miller NS, Backenson PB, Benach JL.

Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Virología e Inmunología Sanitarias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.

BACKGROUND: Lyme disease and tick-borne relapsing fever are worldwide systemic borrelioses caused by several Borrelia species transmitted by hard ticks (family Ixodidae) and soft ticks (family Argasidae), respectively. A previous seroepidemiological study of Lyme borreliosis showed several serologically reactive patients with clinically atypical presentations, and this discovery led to the hypothesis that some of the cases of Lyme borreliosis had been caused by another borrelia organism. METHODS: Blood from patients in southern Spain who had suspected Lyme disease or relapsing-fever borreliosis was cultured before treatment began. Isolates of Borrelia spp were inoculated into several strains of mice of different ages. The 16S rRNA and flagellin in genes of Borrelia spp were sequenced by PCR and assessed by phylogenetic analyses. FINDINGS: We isolated a species of Borrelia from three patients with relapsing fever and from Ornithodorus spp ticks in southern Spain. This organism (refractory to in-vitro cultivation) caused a relapsing spirochaetaemia with multiple organ involvement in laboratory mice that recreated the human disease. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this organism is a previously unrecognised species. INTERPRETATION: We have discovered a new borrelia pathogen that is closely related to the other tick-borne agents of relapsing fever in Europe and Africa, and which causes a relapsing systemic disease with serological similarities to Lyme borreliosis.

[tanzi2u]

And from Brazil...

(if this has already been posted somewhere, I'll delete. Great pictures at the end of this full text article. I was impressed with how these researchers seem ahead of the curve- realizing how bad the available testing is, and the need for longer course of Abx.)

www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2007000400002

Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
Braz J Med Biol Res, April 2007, Volume 40(4) 443-456 (Review)

Description of Lyme disease-like syndrome in Brazil. Is it a new tick borne disease or Lyme disease variation?

E. Mantovani1, I.P. Costa3, G. Gauditano1, V.L.N. Bonoldi1, M.L. Higuchi2 and N.H. Yoshinari1

Abstract

An emerging clinical entity that reproduces clinical manifestations similar to those observed in Lyme disease (LD) has been recently under discussion in Brazil. Due to etiological and laboratory particularities it is named LD-like syndrome or LD imitator syndrome. The condition is considered to be a zoonosis transmitted by ticks of the genus Amblyomma, possibly caused by interaction of multiple fastidious microorganisms originating a protean clinical picture, including neurological, osteoarticular and erythema migrans-like lesions. When peripheral blood of patients with LD-like syndrome is viewed under a dark-field microscope, mobile uncultivable spirochete-like bacteria are observed. PCR carried out with specific or conservative primers to recognize Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto or the genus Borrelia has been negative in ticks and in biological samples. Two different procedures, respectively involving hematoxylin and eosin staining of cerebrospinal fluid and electron microscopy analysis of blood, have revealed spirochetes not belonging to the genera Borrelia, Leptospira or Treponema. Surprisingly, co-infection with microorganisms resembling Mycoplasma and Chlamydia was observed on one occasion by electron microscopy analysis. We discuss here the possible existence of a new tick-borne disease in Brazil imitating LD, except for a higher frequency of recurrence episodes observed along prolonged clinical follow-up.

[LymeEnigma]

That article is new to me. Thank you so much for posting it, Tanzi2u!

How many more, I wonder?

[itsybitsyone]

Probably plenty we don't know about...because I don't think anyone is looking for new discoveries.

[LymeEnigma]

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2008 May

Borrelia bissettii Isolates Induce Pathology in a Murine Model of Disease.

Schneider BS, Schriefer ME, Dietrich G, Dolan MC, Morshed MG, Zeidner NS.
Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO., Institut Pasteur, Département de Parasitologie, Unités de Réponses précoces aux Parasites et Immunopathologie, 25 Rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.

The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is a tick-borne pathogen that causes Lyme disease. Although B. burgdorferi sensu lato is a diverse group of bacteria, only three genospecies, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii, are known to be pathogenic and commonly recognized to cause human disease. To assess the potential of another common genospecies, Borrelia bissettii, to induce disease, a mouse model was employed. Two Colorado isolates of B. bissettii (CO-Bb) induced lesions of the bladder, heart, and femorotibial joint 8 weeks after inoculation into mice. In contrast, two British Columbia (BC-Bb) isolates, could not be cultured or amplified by PCR from target organs, and did not induce lesions. Consistent with pathology and culture results, the antibody response in mice to BC-Bb was minimal compared to CO-Bb, indicating either transient localized infection or rapid immune clearance of BC-Bb. Although sequence analysis of the rrf (5S)-rrl (23S) intergenic spacer region indicated 99% homology between CO-Bb and BC-Bb, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) analysis indicated five distinct protein differences between these low-passage isolates. These studies support the prospect that B. bissettii may indeed be the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis cases in Eastern Europe, associated with the atypical Borrelia strain 25015, and in other regions. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that B. bissettii can induce pathology in a vertebrate host.

PMID: 18454594
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18454594?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

[LymeEnigma]

Another great find by LNE's Yvonne: www.answers.com/topic/lyme-disease-microbiology?cat=health

[LymeEnigma]

Short Report: The Propensity of Different Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto Genotypes
to Cause Disseminated Infections in Humans: brisson.bio.upenn.edu/files/Dykhuizen2008.pdf