Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Rickettsiae in Northern CA

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X17301103

Nicole Stephenson, Alexandra Blaney, Deana Clifford, Mourad Gabriel, Greta Wengerta, Patrick Foleyd, Richard N. Browne, Mark Higley, Sarah Buckenberger-Mantovani, Janet Foley
Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA

Abstract

Far northern California forests are highly biodiverse in wildlife reservoirs and arthropod vectors that may propagate rickettsial pathogens in nature. The proximity of small rural communities to these forests puts people and domestic animals at risk of vector-borne infection due to spillover from wildlife. The current study was conducted to document exposure to rickettsial pathogens in people and domestic animals in a rural community, and identify which rickettsiae are present in sylvatic and peri-domestic environments near this community. Blood samples from people, domestic animals (dogs, cats, and horses) and wild carnivores were tested for Rickettsia spp. antibodies and DNA (people and domestic animals only) by serology and real time (RT)-PCR, respectively. Ectoparasites were collected from dogs, wild carnivores and from vegetation by flagging, and tested for Rickettsia spp. DNA by RT-PCR. DNA sequencing of the rickettsial 17 kDa protein gene or the ompA gene was used for species identification. Despite a seroprevalence of 3% in people, 42% in dogs, 79% in cats, 33% in gray foxes, and 83% in bobcats, RT-PCR on blood was consistently negative, likely because the sensitivity of this test is low, as Rickettsia spp. do not often circulate in high numbers in the blood. Rickettsia spp. DNA was found in four flea species collected from bobcats and Ctenocephalides felis collected from domestic dogs. All amplicons sequenced from fleas were R. felis. Ixodes pacificus collected by flagging were commonly infected with a Rickettsia sp. endosymbiont. Rickettsia rhipicephali DNA was found in Dermacentor variabilis from dogs, black bears, a gray fox, and a D. occidentalis collected by flagging. Dermacentor variabilis from dogs and black bears also contained R. montanensis DNA. Multiple Rickettsia spp. (including species with zoonotic and pathogenic potential) were found among human biting arthropod vectors of both wild and domestic carnivores and on flags. Knowledge of the diversity of Rickettsia spp. that are present within arthropod vectors to which people and domestic animals are exposed is an essential first step is making an accurate diagnosis and in better understanding the epidemiology of these potential pathogens. Within-host and vector interaction among these species may play a role in spillover into human and domestic animals.

Category:

research, Rickettsia

White-footed Mice Competent Reservoir of Ehrlichia Muris-like Agent

http://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-017-1980-4

Experimental evaluation of Peromyscus leucopus as a reservoir host of the Ehrlichia muris-like agent

Geoffrey E. LynnEmail author, Jonathan D. Oliver, Ingrid Cornax, M. Gerard O’Sullivan and Ulrike G. Munderloh
Parasites & Vectors  201710:48
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-1980-4© The Author(s). 2017
Received: 4 October 2016Accepted: 12 January 2017Published: 28 January 2017

Abstract

Background
The Ehrlichia muris-like agent (EMLA) is a newly recognized human pathogen in the North Central United States. Although blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) have been identified as capable vectors, wild reservoirs have not yet been established for EMLA. As key hosts for I. scapularis, white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) are important reservoirs for various tick-borne pathogens, and potentially, for EMLA. The objective of this study was to evaluate reservoir competence in P. leucopus using a natural vector.

Results
Mice acquired EMLA infection from feeding ticks and were able to transmit infection to naïve ticks. Transmission between simultaneously feeding tick life stages was also demonstrated. Infections in mice were acute and severe, with systemic dissemination. Limited host survival and clearance of infection among survivors resulted in a narrow interval where EMLA could be acquired by feeding ticks.

Conclusions
Peromyscus leucopus is a competent reservoir of EMLA and likely to play a role in its enzootic transmission cycle. The duration and severity of EMLA infection in these hosts suggests that tick phenology is a critical factor determining the geographic distribution of EMLA in North America.

Category:

Lyme, research, Ticks

Possible Transfusion-Transmitted Babesia divergens-like/MO-1 in Arkansas Patient

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/cid/cix216/3067352/Possible-Transfusion-Transmitted-Babesia-divergens?redirectedFrom=fulltext  Mary J. Burgess, MD Eric R. Rosenbaum, MD, MPH Bobbi S. Pritt, MD, MSc Dirk T. Haselow, MD, PhD Katie M. Ferren, MD Bashar N. Alzghoul, MD Juan Carlos Rico, MD Lynne M. Sloan, BS Poornima Ramanan, MD Raghunandan Purushothaman, MD Robert W. Bradsher, MD    Published March 13, 2017

A patient with asplenia and multiple red blood cell transfusions acquired babesiosis infection with Babesia divergens-like/MO-1 and not Babesia microti, the common United States species. He had no known tick exposure. This is believed to be the first transfusion-transmitted case and the fifth documented case of Babesia divergens-like/MO-1.

Category:

Babesia, research, Transmission

MyLymeData to Present Results

My mom used to always say, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”

That’s exactly what MyLymeData is all about. It uses big data research tools which allow patients to quickly and privately pool their experiences to determine which treatments work best. The project can accelerate research into the disease, by helping scientists identify the most promising areas to investigate.

“Up until now, studies of people with Lyme disease were few and far between,” according to Lorraine Johnson, CEO of LymeDisease.org, sponsor of the MyLymeData project. “The largest one funded by the National Institutes of Health enrolled 129 patients—more than 15 years ago.”

https://www.lymedisease.org/mylymedata-so-important/  Go to this link to hear Johnson present statistics about the abysmal lack of research on Lyme/MSIDS. (1 minute long)

A patient education conference called MyLymeData2017: Overcoming Lyme Disease will be held April 8 in San Ramon, California, and will present the results from the first national large-scale longitudinal study of patients with Lyme disease ever conducted, and will also include the following presentations: 

Lorraine Johnson, CEO of LymeDisease.org. “Latest Results from MyLymeData”

Ray Stricker, MD. “Designer Drugs for Lyme Disease: The New Pharma Frontier?”

Christine Green, MD, “How to Combat Stealth Pathogens Like Lyme & Co-infections”

Raj Patel, MD, “Treating Mold Illness in the Context of Lyme Disease”

Jennifer Sugden, ND, “Pediatric Lyme Disease”

The event will be held at the San Ramon Community Center, 12501 Alcosta Blvd., in San Ramon, from 1-5 pm on April 8. Pre-registration is $35. Admission at the door is $40.

Register here:  http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=xsuluhcab&oeidk=a07edsnvpa3f512a2be

More than 7000 patients have enrolled since MyLymeData began in November 2015. This puts it in the top 10% of patient-powered big data registries in the nation. Recruitment for the project is on-going.

https://www.lymedisease.org/mylymedata/  Please have your voice heard and be a part of this project that is revolutionizing research done on Tick Borne Illness.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Treatment

Novel Borrelia Found in Canadian Rabbit

Detection of Borrelia Genomospecies 2 in Ixodes spinipalpis Ticks Collected from a Rabbit in Canada

John D. Scott, Kerry L. Clark, Janet E. Foley, John F. Anderson, Lance A. Durden, Jodi M. Manord, and Morgan L. Smith

Journal of Parasitology, 103(1):38-46. 2017

http://doi.org/10.1645/16-127

Abstract

Lyme disease is a serious health problem, with many patients requiring in-depth clinical assessment and extended treatment. In the present study, we provide the first records of the western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus, and Ixodes spinipalpis parasitizing eastern cottontails, Sylvilagus floridanus. We also documented a triple co-infestation of 3 tick species (Ixodes angustus, I. pacificus, I. spinipalpis) feeding on an eastern cottontail. Notably, we discovered a unique member of the Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in Canada.

Ixodes spinipalpis ticks, which were collected from an eastern cottontail on Vancouver Island, British Columbia (BC), were positive for B. burgdorferi s.l.  With the use of polymerase chain reaction amplification on the tick extracts and DNA sequencing on the borrelial amplicons, we detected Borrelia genomospecies 2, a novel subgroup of the B. burgdorferi s.l. complex. Based on 416 nucleotides of the flagellin B (flaB) gene, our amplicons are identical to the Borrelia genomospecies 2 type strain CA28. Borrelia genomospecies 2 is closely related genetically to other B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies, namely Borrelia americana, Borrelia andersonii, and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) that cause Lyme disease.

Like some other borrelial strains, Borrelia genomospecies 2 can be missed by current Lyme disease serology. Health-care providers must be aware that Borrelia genomospecies 2 is present in I. pacificus and I. spinipalpis ticks in far-western North America, and patients with clinical symptoms of Lyme disease need to be assessed for potential infection with this pathogen.

 

Category:

Lyme, research, Ticks