Residual brain infection in relapsing-fever borreliosis

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
D CadavidCatherine L Lawson

Abstract

Neurological involvement is common in the spirochetal infection relapsing fever (RF) in both humans and experimental animals. RF is best known for antigenic variation caused by the sequential expression of variable outer membrane lipoproteins of 2 sizes, variable small (Vsp) and variable large (Vlp) proteins. Less understood is the persistence of RF borreliae in the brain after they are cleared from the blood, referred to as residual brain infection (RBI). Our goal was to investigate the phenomenon of RBI in RF. We studied RBI in immunocompetent mice by culturing blood and perfused brain samples 1 month after intraperitoneal inoculation with Borrelia turicatae serotype 1 (Bt1). Mice deficient in Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2-/-) or in B and T cells (scid) were included for comparison. All scid mice had persistent infection in blood and brain. RBI was found in 3 (19%) of 16 immunocompetent and TLR2-/- mice. RBI was caused by either persistence of the original serotype (Bt1) or newly emerged Vsp (n=1, renamed Bt3) or Vlp serotypes. The Vsp of Bt1 (Vsp1) and Bt3 (Vsp3) were 75% identical. RBI in RF is relatively frequent and can occur by persistence of the original or newly emerged serotypes.

Citations

Oct 13, 2006·Infection and Immunity·Devin D BolzJanis J Weis
Jun 3, 2006·Journal of Bacteriology·Catherine L LawsonWolfram R Zückert
May 15, 2013·Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·Gary P Wormser, John J Halperin
Dec 13, 2006·Wiener klinische Wochenschrift·Diego Cadavid
Sep 19, 2008·Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology·Diana LondoñoDiego Cadavid
Dec 23, 2006·Journal of Neuroimmunology·Marie AnderssonBetty P Guo
Nov 6, 2009·Journal of Applied Microbiology·S J Cutler
Nov 26, 2015·Clinics in Laboratory Medicine·Sally J Cutler
May 1, 2010·The American Journal of Pathology·Diana Londoño, Diego Cadavid
Jun 6, 2009·Clinical Microbiology and Infection : the Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases·D Cadavid, D Londoño
Mar 16, 2007·Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology·Harald GelderblomDiego Cadavid
May 24, 2011·The Journal of Immunology : Official Journal of the American Association of Immunologists·Diana LondoñoDiego Cadavid

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