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- Carlströmer Berthén, Nellie, et al.
(författare)
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The AxBioTick Study: Borrelia Species and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Ticks, and Clinical Responses in Tick-Bitten Individuals on the Aland Islands, Finland
- 2023
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Ingår i: Microorganisms. - : MDPI. - 2076-2607. ; 11:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The AxBioTick Study: Borrelia Species and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Ticks, and Clinical Responses in Tick-Bitten Individuals on the Aland Islands, Finlandby Nellie Carlströmer Berthén 1,2,*,† , Eszter Tompa 3,† , Susanne Olausson 1,2, Clara Nyberg 1, Dag Nyman 1,2, Malin Ringbom 1,4, Linda Perander 1,4, Joel Svärd 3, Per-Eric Lindgren 3,5, Pia Forsberg 3, Peter Wilhelmsson 3,5,‡, Johanna Sjöwall 3,6,‡ and Marika Nordberg 1,4,‡ 1Borrelia Research Group of the Aland Islands, 22100 Mariehamn, The Aland Islands, Finland2Bimelix AB, 22100 Mariehamn, The Aland Islands, Finland3Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Division of Inflammation and Infection, Linkoping University, 581 83 Linkoping, Sweden4The Aland Islands Healthcare Services, 22100 Mariehamn, The Aland Islands, Finland5Clinical Microbiology, Laboratory Medicine, County Hospital Ryhov, 551 85 Jonkoping, Sweden6Department of Infectious Diseases, Vrinnevi Hospital, 603 79 Norrkoping, Sweden*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.†These authors contributed equally to the study.‡These authors contributed equally to the study.Microorganisms 2023, 11(5), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11051100Received: 30 March 2023 / Revised: 17 April 2023 / Accepted: 19 April 2023 / Published: 22 April 2023(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens)Download Browse Figures Versions NotesArticle Views585 AbstractThe AxBioTick study was initiated to investigate the prevalence of ticks and tick-borne pathogens and their impact on antibody and clinical responses in tick-bitten individuals on the Aland Islands. This geographical area is hyperendemic for both Lyme borreliosis (LB) and Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Blood samples and ticks were collected from 100 tick-bitten volunteers. A total of 425 ticks was collected, all determined to Ixodes ricinus using molecular tools. Of them 20% contained Borrelia species, of which B. garinii and B. afzelii were most common. None contained the TBE virus (TBEV). Blood samples were drawn in conjunction with the tick bite, and eight weeks later. Sera were analyzed for Borrelia- and TBEV-specific antibodies using an ELISA and a semiquantitative antibody assay. In total 14% seroconverted in Borrelia C6IgG1, 3% in TBEV IgG, and 2% in TBEV IgM. Five participants developed clinical manifestations of LB. The high seroprevalence of both Borrelia (57%) and TBEV (52%) antibodies are likely attributed to the endemic status of the corresponding infections as well as the TBE vaccination program. Despite the similar prevalence of Borrelia spp. detected in ticks in other parts of Europe, the infection rate in this population is high. The AxBioTick study is continuing to investigate more participants and ticks for co-infections, and to characterize the dermal immune response following a tick bite.
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- Dessau, Ram B, et al.
(författare)
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Study of a Cohort of 1,886 Persons To Determine Changes in Antibody Reactivity to Borrelia burgdorferi 3 Months after a Tick Bite
- 2015
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Ingår i: Clinical and Vaccine Immunology. - 1556-6811 .- 1556-679X. ; 22:7, s. 823-827
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The most frequent clinical manifestation is a rash called erythema migrans. Changes in antibody reactivity to B. burgdorferi 3 months after a tick bite are measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). One assay is based on native purified flagellum antigen (IgG), and the other assay is based on a recombinant antigen called C6 (IgG or IgM). Paired samples were taken at the time of a tick bite and 3 months later from 1,886 persons in Sweden and the Åland Islands, Finland. The seroconversion or relative change is defined by dividing the measurement units from the second sample by those from the first sample. The threshold for the minimum level of significant change was defined at the 2.5% level to represent the random error level. The thresholds were a 2.7-fold rise for the flagellar IgG assay and a 1.8-fold rise for the C6 assay. Of 1,886 persons, 102/101 (5.4%) had a significant rise in antibody reactivity in the flagellar assay or the C6 assay. Among 40 cases with a diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis, the sensitivities corresponding to a rise in antibodies were 33% and 50% for the flagellar antigen and the C6 antigen, respectively. Graphical methods to display the antibody response and to choose thresholds for a rise in relative antibody reactivity are shown and discussed. In conclusion, 5.4% of people with tick bites showed a rise in Borrelia-specific antibodies above the 2.5% threshold in either ELISA but only 40 (2.1%) developed clinical Lyme borreliosis.
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- Fryland, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Biomarkers in blood a few days after a bite by a Borrelia burgdorferi infected tick: : Asymptomatic Borrelia burgdorferi-infected subjects show higher Th1-associated response compared with subjects who later develop Lyme borreliosis
- 2012
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The clinical outcome following infection with Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) differs between individuals, ranging from asymptomatic infection to Lyme borreliosis (LB) with persistent symptoms post-treatment. Previous studies in mice and humans have generated the hypothesis that a successful outcome of B. burgdorferi s.l. infection is associated with an early strong pro-inflammatory T helper (Th)1-like immune response. The aim of this study was to assess the early course of events in B. burgdorferi s.l.-associated inflammation by screening for possible early immune biomarkers in peripheral blood from newly tick-bitten persons. The study subjects bitten by B. burgdorferi s.l.-infected ticks were divided into (1) those later developing clinical LB, (2) those who developed anti-B. burgdorferi s.l. antibodies but not clinical LB, (3) those who neither developed antibodies nor clinical LB. A fourth group consisted of bitten study subjects without development of antibodies or clinical LB. Two sets of samples, both comprising all four groups, were collected in order to repeat the analyses and confirm the data. Sera or plasma collected a few days after the tick bite were analysed for 18 biomarkers (IL-1β, IL-6, CXCL8/IL-8, IL-12p70, IL-17A, IL-27, TNF, CCL18, CCL20, CCL22, CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, calprotectin, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9) by multiplex bead assay and ELISA. In the first set of samples, the neutrophil activation marker calprotectin was increased in subjects who developed clinical LB compared with subjects who developed antibodies against B. burgdorferi s.l. but did not develop LB. However, the finding could not be confirmed in the second set of samples, thus the study failed to identify an early prognostic marker for development of clinical LB. Interestingly, both sets of samples showed increases in two different Th1-associated markers, CXCL10 and IL-12p70, respectively, in subjects who following a bite by a B. burgdorferi s.l.-infected tick developed antibodies against B. burgdorferi s.l. but did not develop LB compared with subjects who developed clinical LB, thus supporting the hypothesis of an early strong Th1-response being important for optimal resolution of B. burgdorferi s.l. infection.
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- Fryland, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Low risk of developing Borrelia burgdorferi infection in the south-east of Sweden after being bitten by a Borrelia burgdorferi-infected tick
- 2011
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Ingår i: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. - : Elsevier Science B. V., Amsterdam. - 1201-9712. ; 15:3, s. E174-E181
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The risk of developing Lyme borreliosis (LB) from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bb)-infected ticks in Sweden is largely unknown. In the current study, we investigated the prevalence of Bb in ticks that had bitten humans and the risk of developing LB from Bb-infected ticks. Methods: Health questionnaires, blood samples, and ticks were collected from 394 tick-bitten study subjects in the County of Ostergotland, Sweden, at the time of the tick bite. Questionnaires and blood samples were also collected 3 months later. Ticks were screened for Bb DNA with PCR, while sera were analyzed for antibodies against Bb using two ELISA assays. Seroconversion, i.e., an at least two-fold increase in anti-Bb antibodies after 3 months, was confirmed using a Strip-Immunoassay. Results: Seventy-five of 397 ticks collected from the study subjects were determined to be Bb-positive. Sixty-four of the tick-bitten subjects had been bitten by Bb-infected ticks. Four of them showed seroconversion and were therefore considered to have an active Bb infection. None of these four subjects had sought health care due to symptoms, but one reported symptoms. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the risk of developing LB after being bitten by a Bb-infected tick is low, and asymptomatic Bb infections appear to be more frequent than symptomatic infections.
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- Henningsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Low risk of seroconversion or clinical disease in humans after a bite by an Anaplasma phagocytophilum-infected tick
- 2015
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 6:6, s. 787-792
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The risk of contracting human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) after a tick bite is mainly unknown. In this study we investigated the clinical and serological response in 30 humans bitten by ticks positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Group A), 30 humans bitten by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.)-positive ticks (Group B), and 30 humans bitten by ticks negative for both A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. (Group C). Ticks, blood samples and questionnaires were collected from tick-bitten humans at 34 primary healthcare centres in Sweden and in the Åland Islands, Finland, at the time of the tick bite and after three months. A total of 2553 ticks detached from humans in 2007-2009 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and 31 (1.2%) were positive for A. phagocytophilum, 556 (21.8%) were positive for B. burgdorferi s.l., and eight (0.3%) were co-infected by A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. The overall prevalence of Anaplasma IgG antibodies in the included participants (n=90) was 17%, and there was no significant difference between the groups A-C. Only one of the participants (in Group C) showed a four-fold increase of IgG antibodies against A. phagocytophilum at the three-month follow-up, but reported no symptoms. The frequency of reported symptoms did not differ between groups A-C, and was unrelated to the findings of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. in the detached ticks. We conclude that the risk for HGA or asymptomatic seroconversion after a tick bite in Sweden or in the Åland Islands is low, even if the tick is infected by A. phagocytophilum.
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- Jenkins, Andrew, et al.
(författare)
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Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks from Norway : evaluation of a PCR test targeting the chromosomal flaB gene
- 2012
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Ingår i: Experimental & applied acarology. - : Springer. - 0168-8162 .- 1572-9702. ; 58:4, s. 431-439
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A consensus TaqMan real-time PCR test targeting the chromosomal flaB gene of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was constructed. The test was compared with a recently published generic Light Upon eXtension (LUX) 16S rRNA real-time PCR test (Wilhelmsson et al. in J Clin Microbiol 48:4169-4176, 2010) on material consisting of 242 Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from dogs and cats in Northern Norway (n = 139) and Telemark County in Southern Norway (n = 103). Ticks positive in either test were further tested by nested PCR amplification of the 5S-23S rRNA intergenic-spacer region followed by sequencing for species identification. A tick was defined as Borrelia positive if two of three tests were positive. Thirty-four of the 242 (14 %) ticks satisfied this definition of positivity. Of these ticks 32 were positive both in the rRNA and flaB test, while two were positive only in the rRNA test. One tick was positive only in the rRNA test and was considered false positive since PCR for sequencing failed. The sensitivity of the flaB test was 94 % and the specificity 100 %. It was possible to determine the species present using Tm analysis. Among ticks from Northern Norway the prevalence of Borrelia was 13 %, whereas the prevalence in Telemark was 16 %. Among identified species (n = 33) B. afzelii was found in 16 (47 %), B. garinii in 15 (44 %) and B. valaisiana in 2 (6 %) ticks, respectively. The flaB test is a rapid, sensitive and specific test for detection and quantification of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in I. ricinus ticks. This is the first report on Borrelia prevalence in I. ricinus in Northern Norway.
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