Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi in Atlantic Canadian wildlife

ByCanlyme

Abstract Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi are tick-vectored zoonotic pathogens maintained in wildlife species. Tick populations are establishing in new areas globally in response to climate change and other factors. New Brunswick is a Canadian maritime province at the advancing front of tick population establishment and has seen increasing numbers of ticks carrying B. burgdorferi, and more recently B. miyamotoi. Further, it…

Transgenic functional complementation with a transmission -associated protein restores spirochete infectivity by tick bite

ByCanlyme

Abstract The relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii and the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto each produces an abundant, orthologous, outer membrane protein, Vtp and OspC, respectively, when transmitted by tick bite. Gene inactivation studies have shown that both proteins are essential for spirochete infectivity when transmitted by their respective tick vectors. Therefore, we transformed a vtp-minus mutant of B….

Lyme disease in children: Data from the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program

ByCanlyme

Online November 30th, 2019 Abstract BACKGROUND: Lyme disease (LD) is an infectious disease that is emerging in eastern and central Canada associated with the spread of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis. National surveillance shows that children are an at-risk age group. OBJECTIVES: To study the epidemiology of LD in Canadian children using the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) to better…

The association between infectious burden and Parkinson’s disease: A case-control study

ByCanlyme

Abstract Introduction The etiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the association between common pathogenic infections and PD. Methods Antibody titers to common infectious pathogens including cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein Barr virus (EBV)，herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1), Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi), Chlamydophila pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) were measured by ELISA in serum…

Metamorphoses of Lyme disease spirochetes: phenomenon of Borrelia persisters

ByCanlyme

Parasites & Vectors 2019 12:237 Natalie Rudenko; Maryna Golovchenko; Katerina Kybicova and Marie Vancova Published May 16, 2019 Abstract The survival of spirochetes from the Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) complex in a hostile environment is achieved by the regulation of differential gene expression in response to changes in temperature, salts, nutrient content, acidity fluctuation, multiple host or vector dependent factors, and leads to the…

Detection of tick-borne infection in Morgellons disease patients by serological and molecular techniques

ByCanlyme

Marianne J Middelveen, Iris Du Cruz, Melissa C Fesler, Raphael B Stricker, Jyotsna S Shah 1Atkins Veterinary Services, Calgary, AB, Canada; 2IGeneX Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, USA; 3Union Square Medical Associates, San Francisco, CA, USA Background: Morgellons disease (MD) is a skin condition associated with Lyme disease (LD) and tick-borne illness. Patients with this skin disorder experience ulcerative lesions that contain multicolored…

History of Morgellons disease: from delusion to definition

ByCanlyme

Middelveen, et al   https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S152343 Abstract: Morgellons disease (MD) is a skin condition characterized by the presence of multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although the condition may have a longer history, disease matching the above description was first reported in the US in 2002. Since that time, the condition that…

Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease

ByCanlyme

M. Middelveen, et al. PREPRINT Abstract Introduction: Lyme disease is a tickborne illness that generates controversy among medical providers and researchers. One of the key topics of debate is the existence of persistent infection with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in patients who have been treated with recommended doses of antibiotics yet remain symptomatic. Persistent spirochetal infection…

Empirical validation of the Horowitz Multiple Systemic Infectious Disease Syndrome Questionnaire for suspected Lyme disease

ByCanlyme

International Journal of General Medicine September 4th, 2017 Purpose: Lyme disease is spreading worldwide, with multiple Borrelia species causing a broad range of clinical symptoms that mimic other illnesses. A validated Lyme disease screening questionnaire would be clinically useful for both providers and patients. Three studies evaluated such a screening tool, namely the Horowitz Multiple…

Detection of Lyme Disease Bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, in Blacklegged Ticks Collected in the Grand River Valley, Ontario, Canada

ByCanlyme

Scott et al. Received: 2016.09.29; Accepted: 2016.12.28; Published: 2017.02.08 Abstract We document the presence of blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, in the Grand River valley, Centre Wellington, Ontario. Overall, 15 (36%) of 42 I. scapularis adults collected from 41 mammalian hosts (dogs, cats, humans) were positive for the Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.)….

Ceftriaxone Pulse Dosing Fails to Eradicate Biofilm-Like Microcolony B. burgdorferi Persisters Which Are Sterilized by Daptomycin/ Doxycycline/Cefuroxime without Pulse Dosing

Byjen

Published Nov 2016 Abstract   Although the majority of Lyme disease patients can be cured, at least 10–20% of the patients continue to suffer from persisting symptoms such as fatigue, muscular and joint pain, and neurologic impairment after standard 2–4 week antibiotic treatment. While the causes for this post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms are unclear, one…

Established Population of Blacklegged Ticks with High Infection Prevalence for the Lyme Disease Bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato, on Corkscrew Island, Kenora District, Ontario

Byjen

2016; 13(11): 881-891. doi: 10.7150/ijms.16922 Abstract We document an established population of blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, on Corkscrew Island, Kenora District, Ontario, Canada. Primers of the outer surface protein A (OspA) gene, the flagellin (fla) gene, and the flagellin B (flaB) gene were used in the PCR assays to detect Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.),…

First Record of Ixodes affinis Tick (Acari: Ixodidae) Infected with Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Collected from a Migratory Songbird in Canada

Byjen

Scott, et al.  Published June 30th, 2016 Abstract Migratory songbirds transport hard-bodied ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) into Canada during northward spring migration, and some of these bird-feeding ticks harbor a wide diversity of pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, we collected a nymphal Ixodes affinis Neumann from a Common Yellowthroat, Geothylypis trichas (Linnaeus), at Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, and…

Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Borrelia garinii DNAs in patient with Hyperkeratosis lenticularis perstans (Flegel disease)

Byjen

Katarina Schwarzova, June 3, 2016 Atlas of Science Flegel disease (Hyperkeratosis lenticularis perstans – HLP) is a rare autosomal dermatosis, characterized by small, asymptomatic, reddishbrown, keratotic papules occurring most frequently over the dorsa of the feet and the lower parts of the arms and legs. The majority of cases have been reported in European patients of…

Hamilton-Wentworth area of Ontario found to have 41% of blacklegged ticks infected with Lyme disease causing bacteria

Byjen

Prevalence of the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in Blacklegged Ticks, Ixodes scapularis at Hamilton-Wentworth, Ontario John D. Scott, et al.     April 2016                                                            …

WHAT MIGHT SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH DUE TO LYME DISEASE LOOK LIKE?

Byjen

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH “Although rare, sudden cardiac death caused by Lyme disease might be an under-recognized entity,” according to researchers who describe their findings from an autopsy study on 5 case patients who died from sudden cardiac death and were found post mortem to have Lyme carditis. The cases are discussed in…