Wide Distribution of a High-Virulence Borrelia burgdorferi Clone in Europe and North America

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Qiu, Wei-Gang ; Bruno, John F. ; McCaig, William D. ; Xu, Yun ; Livey, Ian ; Schriefer, Martin E. ; Luft, Benjamin J.
• Description:
  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.
• Subjects:
  Antigens, Bacterial Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins Borrelia Burgdorferi Genetic Drift Humans Lyme Disease Phylogeny Sequence Analysis, DNA Virulence Factors
• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 14(7):1097-1104.
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Europe ; North America
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  7
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:2a83e56d3247c388c2a142b2202ed5eb0b4fe9129bab3eaf8927b0dc98e8bbf8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/16942/cdc_16942_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 277.89 KB ]