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Post by LymeEnigma on Jun 24, 2008 9:32:16 GMT -8
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Post by LymeEnigma on Jun 25, 2008 19:53:33 GMT -8
Discovery of Lyme Disease Bug Clone May Explain Disease Spread: Newswise — Benjamin Luft, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Stony Brook University Medical Center, and colleagues discovered that a certain clone of Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete that causes Lyme disease, appears to be the most common strain causing Lyme disease in North America and Europe, and may account for the increase in cases for the past 20 years. Their investigation and findings of the ospC-A clone are reported in the July 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, which is currently available on line at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/upcoming.htm. According to Dr. Luft, Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States with more than 20,000 cases reported annually. While B. burgdorferi is the primary pathogen in the United States, clones of the pathogen are known to cause major disease. The ospC-A clone was one of the first strains ever identified. Full article: www.newswise.com/articles/view/542096/
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Post by LymeEnigma on Jul 6, 2008 17:28:10 GMT -8
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Post by LymeEnigma on Jul 6, 2008 17:29:42 GMT -8
PubMed article abstract: Wide Distribution of a High-Virulence Borrelia burgdorferi Clone in Europe and North America. Qiu WG, Bruno JF, McCaig WD, Xu Y, Livey I, Schriefer ME, Luft BJ. Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, New York, USA; Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA; Baxter Innovations GmBH, Orth/Donau, Austria; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. The A and B clones of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, distinguished by outer surface protein C (ospC) gene sequences, are commonly associated with disseminated Lyme disease. To resolve phylogenetic relationships among isolates, we sequenced 68 isolates from Europe and North America at 1 chromosomal locus (16S-23S ribosomal RNA spacer) and 3 plasmid loci (ospC,dbpA, and BBD14). The ospC-A clone appeared to be highly prevalent on both continents, and isolates of this clone were uniform in DNA sequences, which suggests a recent trans-oceanic migration. The genetic homogeneity of ospC-A isolates was confirmed by sequences at 6 additional chromosomal housekeeping loci (gap, alr, glpA, xylB, ackA, and tgt). In contrast, the ospC-B group consists of genotypes distinct to each continent, indicating geographic isolation. We conclude that the ospC-A clone has dispersed rapidly and widely in the recent past. The spread of the ospC-A clone may have contributed, and likely continues to contribute, to the rise of Lyme disease incidence. PMID: 18598631 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18598631?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum*edited to add link. |
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