| 1. |
- Andersson, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Co-infection with 'Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis' and Borrelia afzelii in an Ixodes ricinus tick that has bitten a human in Romania.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-9603 .- 1877-959X. ; 5:6, s. 706-708
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the vast importance of ticks as disease vectors, the infectious agents transmitted by ticks are still incompletely known in many areas. Here, we report for the first time the detection of the bacterium 'Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis' in Romania, in an Ixodes ricinus tick obtained from a human. Furthermore, the tick also had a co-infection with Borrelia afzelii. 'Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis' is one of the most recent discoveries of a tick-borne agent, and has been found in human patients in several European countries as well as in China.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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First evidence of Anaplasma platys and Hepatozoon canis co-infection in a dog from Romania - A case report.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-9603 .- 1877-959X. ; 4:4, s. 317-319
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anaplasma platys was first identified and described in North America as a Rickettsia-like, platelet-specific organism in dogs with infectious canine cyclic thrombocytopenia. In Europe, A. platys has so far mainly been described for some Mediterranean countries. Here, we describe a case of A. platys infection in a dog from Romania, confirmed by PCR. Additionally, the dog had a co-infection with Hepatozoon canis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of A. platys infection in Romania and the first case of a co-infection with A. platys and H. canis altogether. Both pathogens should be considered as possible disease agents in dogs suffering from disease associated with tick bite in south-eastern Europe.
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Martin O., et al.
(författare)
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Co-infection with Babesia divergens and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in cattle (Bos taurus), Sweden
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 8:6, s. 933-935
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Babesiosis is a severe disease in cattle worldwide. In Europe, the main causative agent of bovine babesiosis is Babesia divergens. In some areas, this species is reported to have declined or even disappeared, and its etiological role overtaken by other piroplasmid species. Moreover, co-infection with other tick-transmitted pathogens can be expected to complicate diagnosis in cattle. Hence, molecular identification of the causative agent of babesiosis should be a priority. Therefore, samples from 71 domestic cattle, 39 with clinical signs of babesiosis and 32 without, from southern Sweden were screened for Babesia spp. and Anaplasma spp. using molecular methods Babesia divergens was detected in 38 of the samples, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in 17. Co-infections with both pathogens were frequent, occurring in 18% of the animals with a B. divergens infection. The possibility of co-infection should be considered in diagnosis and treatment of bovine babesiosis.
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| 4. |
- Carlsson, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Subclinical Lyme borreliosis is common in south-eastern Sweden and may be distinguished from Lyme neuroborreliosis by sex, age and specific immune marker patterns
- 2018
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : ELSEVIER GMBH, URBAN & FISCHER VERLAG. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 9:3, s. 742-748
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Determinants of a subclinical course of Lyme borreliosis (LB) remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the extent, sex and age profiles of subclinical Borrelia seroconversion in a LB endemic area in Sweden and to map blood cellular Borrelia-specific immune marker patterns in individuals with a previous subclinical LB course compared with patients previously diagnosed with Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). Methods: A large group of 1113 healthy blood donors was screened for multiple IgG anti-Borrelia antibodies and asked to complete a health inquiry regarding previous LB. A group of subjects with anti-Borrelia-specific IgG antibodies but no previous history of LB (subclinical LB, n = 60) was identified together with 22 cases of previous LNB. Whole Borrelia spirochetes, strains B. afzelii ACA1 and B. garinii Ip90, were used for ex vivo whole blood stimulations, whereas outer surface protein enriched fractions of the same strains were used for stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). An extensive panel of immune markers was analysed in the supernatants after stimulation using multiplex bead arrays, and Borrelia-specific secretion was determined by subtracting the spontaneous secretion. Results: A total of 125/1113 blood donors reported previous clinical LB. In contrast, 66 donors denied previous LB but showed multiple IgG anti-Borrelia antibodies; these were defined as subclinical subjects, of whom 60 were available for further studies. The subclinical subjects consisted of significantly more men and had a younger age compared with the LNB patients (p amp;lt;= 0.01). Discriminant analysis revealed a distinct pattern of sex, age and PBMC B. garinii-specific levels of IL-10, IL-17A and CCL20 discriminating subclinical subjects from LNB patients. Conclusions: This study confirms that subclinical Borrelia seroconversion is common in south-eastern Sweden. The findings further suggest that male sex, younger age together with B. gariniii induced levels of IL-10, IL-17A and CCL20 may be associated with a subclinical course.
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| 5. |
- Díaz-Sánchez, Adrian Alberto, et al.
(författare)
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Development and application of a multiplex TaqMan® real-time qPCR assay for the simultaneous detection of anaplasma marginale and theileria annulata and molecular characterization of anaplasma marginale from cattle in Western Cuba."/>
- 2020
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 11:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anaplasmosis and theileriosis are considered the most important tick-borne diseases for livestock production worldwide, causing significant economic losses in tropical and subtropical regions. The present study was aimed to develop a multiplex TaqMan® qPCR assay to simultaneously detect Anaplasma marginale and Theileria annulata and to applied it to investigate naturally infected cattle in Cuba. The assay was highly specific, sensible, and efficient; it was more sensitive than a well-established nested PCR and detected 1 DNA copy of each target. Consistent repeatability and reproducibility within and between multiplex qPCR runs was shown. A total of 223 blood samples collected in western Cuba were analyzed for haemoparasites infection in cattle. The multiplex qPCR assay detected A. marginale in 213 samples (95.5%; CI: 95%; 91.9%–97.5%), but all samples were negative for T. annulata. Additionally, the genetic diversity of A. marginale was assessed using 16S rRNA, MSP1a and MSP4 nucleotide and protein sequences. The MSP1a tandem repeats ranged from three to five, and twelve different MSP1a tandem repeats of A. marginale were found, which presented genotypes C, E, and G in the 5ʹUTR microsatellite region. Phylogenetic analysis using the msp4 gene showed that Cuban strains were closely related to others previously reported in Mexico, Brazil and Asian countries. The multiplex qPCR described here proved to be a rapid, specific and cost-effective mean for the simultaneous detection of A. marginale and T. annulata. Further epidemiological studies using this assay will improve the surveillance of the associated diseases in regions where they are endemic.
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| 6. |
- Divé, Iris, et al.
(författare)
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Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection in pregnancy: Absence of virus transmission to the fetuses despite severe maternal disease - A case study.
- 2020
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Ingår i: Ticks and tick-borne diseases. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-9603 .- 1877-959X. ; 11:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an emerging infectious disease in large parts of Europe and Asia. Whereas other members of the Flaviviridae family can harm fetal development, there are only very few reports on TBE virus (TBEV) infections during pregnancy. Thus, the implications for fetal health remain largely unknown. In this study, we present detailed pre- and postnatal health assessment of three children in the context of severe maternal TBEV infection during pregnancy. Following acute TBEV infection of the mothers, intrauterine growth and development of all children were assessed by repetitive prenatal ultrasound. Postnatal examinations included clinical and virological analyses over a follow-up period of 18 months. Prenatally, no signs of intrauterine growth restrictions were observed. All neonates were delivered at term. Umbilical cord blood of the newborns tested negative for TBEV RNA. Virus-specific IgG antibodies were positive at birth but negative at 9 and 11 months of age. Importantly, IgM antibodies remained negative throughout the period of observation. Taken together, these clinical and virological data strongly suggest that fetal TBEV infection did not occur, despite severe manifestations in the mothers.
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| 7. |
- Eikeland, Randi, et al.
(författare)
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Tick-borne diseases in the North Sea region-A comprehensive overview and recommendations for diagnostics and treatment
- 2024
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : ELSEVIER GMBH. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 15:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As part of the NorthTick project, co -funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund and the North Sea Region Programme, specialists in the field of tick -borne diseases from seven North Sea countries co-operated with patient organisations and governmental health care institutions to provide this comprehensive overview of diagnostics and treatment recommendations in the region for Lyme borreliosis, Borrelia miyamotoi infection, tick -borne encephalitis, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, rickettsiosis, neoehrlichiosis and babesiosis. The main conclusion is that the recommendations in these northern countries are essentially the same, with very few differences. This overview presents the current diagnostics and provides useful clinical guidance.
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| 8. |
- Fredriksson, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
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Diagnostic patterns of serum inflammatory protein markers in children with Lyme neuroborreliosis
- 2024
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 15:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Definite diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) requires investigation of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Thus, lumbar puncture is necessary, and requires administration of sedating drugs in children. This study aimed to investigate if a pattern of different inflammatory biomarkers in serum could contribute to the selection of children for lumbar puncture in suspected LNB. Patients were included from a cohort of children who was previously investigated for LNB including serum and CSF sampling during the years 2010-2014. The multiplex proximity extension assay (PEA) inflammation panel Target 96 (Olink Bioscience, Uppsala, Sweden) was used to examine 92 biomarkers in serum. Based on the presence of CSF pleocytosis and Borrelia-specific antibodies, patients were divided into a definite LNB group (n=61) and a non-LNB control group (n=58). Following PEA and statistical analysis with multivariate logistic regression, five biomarkers remained significant (p < 0.001), which were included in a calculation of protein index. The index biomarkers were CST5, IL-15RA, CXCL10, DNER and CX3CL1. A receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed from the index, which showed an 80 % sensitivity and 81 % specificity. Area under the curve was 0.889. We offer evidence that, with further refinements, patterns of serum biomarkers might help identify those children more or less likely to have LNB, perhaps ultimately decreasing the need for lumbar punctures.
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| 9. |
- Granquist, Erik G., et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of microbial communities and symbionts in Ixodes ricinus and ungulate hosts (Cervus elaphus and Ovis aries) from shared habitats on the west coast of Norway
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 5:6, s. 780-784
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent reports suggest a potential for transmission of a newly discovered rickettsial endosymbiont, Midichloria mitochondrii, to animals and humans from feeding ticks (Ixodes ricinus). Using molecular methods: I. ricinus, sheep and red deer in Anaplasma phagocytophilum-endemic areas of Norway, were examined to see if they were infected by M. mitochondrii or related organisms like Wolbachia pipientis and Rickettsia spp. A total of 532 ticks collected from pastures, 76 blood samples from grazing lambs and 12 organ samples from hunted deer, were analyzed during the study. All larval pools, 60.4% pooled nymphs and 35.1% of adult ticks were positive for M. mitochondrii. There was a significant difference between geographical areas in the prevalence of M. mitochondrii infection among nymphs. A total of 2.2% pooled nymphs and 5.3% adult ticks were positive for A. phagocytophilum. Eleven percent of pooled nymphs were positive for Borrelia spp, 2.2% of pooled nymphs and 3.5% of adult ticks were positive for Rickettsia spp. and none of the ticks were positive for W. pipientis. The prevalence of A. phagocytophilum infection was 54% and 75% in grazing lambs and deer, respectively. No animals were positive for Borrelia spp., M. mitochondrii, Rickettsia spp. or W. pipientis. The reported findings suggest that M. mitochondrii is widespread in tick populations at different geographical sites, and may appear in co-infection with A. phagocytophilum, Borrelia spp. and Rickettsia spp. in ticks.
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| 10. |
- Gyllemark, Paula, et al.
(författare)
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Are other tick-borne infections overlooked in patients investigated for Lyme neuroborreliosis? : A large retrospective study from South-eastern Sweden
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier GMBH. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 12:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Europe, the hard tick Ixodes ricinus is considered the most important vector of human zoonotic diseases. Human pathogenic agents spread by I. ricinus in Sweden include Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia helvetica, the recently described Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Borrelia miyamotoi, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), and Babesia spp. (Babesia microti, Babesia venatorum and Babesia divergens). Since these pathogens share the same vector, co-infections with more than one tick-borne pathogen may occur and thus complicate the diagnosis and clinical management of the patient due to possibly altered symptomatology. Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., TBEV and B. miyamotoi are well-known to cause infections of the central nervous system (CNS), whereas the abilities of other tick-borne pathogens to invade the CNS are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and clinical impact of tick-borne pathogens other than B. burgdorferi s.l. in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples of patients who were under investigation for Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) in a tick-endemic region of South-eastern Sweden. CSF and serum samples from 600 patients, recruited from the Regions of center dot Ostergo center dot tland County, Jo center dot nko center dot ping County and Kalmar County in South-eastern Sweden and investigated for LNB during the period of 2009-2013, were retrospectively collected for analysis. The samples were analysed by real-time PCR for the presence of nucleic acid from B. burgdorferi s.l., B. miyamotoi, A. phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., N. mikurensis, TBEV and Babesia spp. Serological analyses were conducted in CSF and serum samples for all patients regarding B. burgdorferi s.l., and for the patients with CSF mononuclear pleocytosis, analyses of antibodies to B. miyamotoi, A. phagocytophilum, spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae, TBEV and B. microti in serum were performed. The medical charts of all the patients with CSF mononuclear pleocytosis and patients with positive PCR findings were reviewed. Of the 600 patients, 55 (9%) presented with CSF mononuclear pleocytosis, 13 (2%) of whom had Borrelia-specific antibodies in the CSF. One patient was PCRpositive for N. mikurensis, and another one was PCR-positive for Borrelia spp. in serum. No pathogens were detected by PCR in the CSF samples. Four patients had serum antibodies to B. miyamotoi, four patients to A. phagocytophilum, five patients to SFG rickettsiae, and six patients to TBEV. One patient, with antibodies to SFG
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