The propensity of different Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto genotypes to cause disseminated infections in humans

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2008 May;78(5):806-10.

Abstract

Lineages of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, can be characterized by distinct alleles at the outer surface protein C (ospC) locus. The lineages marked by ospC genotypes have been shown to be differentially invasive in different species of mammals, including humans; genotypes A, B, I, and K effectively disseminate to human blood and cerebrospinal fluid. In this report, we extend the sample of genotypes isolated from human blood to include genotypes N, H, C, M, and D, and rank each by their probability of disseminating from ticks to the blood of humans. Our results demonstrate that only some genotypes of B. burgdorferi present in ticks have a high propensity to disseminate in humans.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blood / microbiology
  • Borrelia burgdorferi / classification
  • Borrelia burgdorferi / genetics*
  • Borrelia burgdorferi / pathogenicity*
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid / microbiology
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Ixodes / genetics
  • Ixodes / microbiology
  • Lyme Disease / blood
  • Lyme Disease / transmission*
  • Mammals
  • Species Specificity