Abstract
Characterisation of Borrelia strains from Ixodes ricinus ticks is important in the epidemiological surveillance of vector-borne pathogens. Multilocus sequences analysis (MLSA) is a molecular genotyping tool with high discriminatory power that has been applied in evolutionary studies and for the characterisation of Borrelia genospecies. MLSA was used to study genetic variations in Borrelia strains isolated from I. ricinus ticks collected from the woodlands in Skodje. The results demonstrate that the 50 Borrelia strains were separated into 36 sequence types (STs) that were not previously represented in the MLST database. A distance matrix neighbour-joining tree (bootstrapped 500 iterations) showed four deeply branched clusters, and each deeply branched cluster represented one Borrelia genospecies. The mean pairwise genetic differences confirm the genospecies clustering. The combination of alleles separates the Borrelia strains from northwest Norway from the strains in the MLST database, thus identifying new STs. Although a highly divergent B. afzelii population could be expected, the heterogeneity among the B. garinii strains is more unusual. The present study indicates that the circulation of strains between migrating birds and stationary birds in this coastal region may play a role in the evolution of B. garinii strains.
Highlights
Ticks are considered important carriers of pathogenic microorganisms in the northern hemisphere [1], and Ixodes ricinus ticks are associated with a diverse microbiota [2].Borrelia spirochetes are one of the pathogens transmitted to humans by I. ricinus ticks [3], and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) represents a bacterial species complex that comprises several Borrelia genospecies associated with Lyme borreliosis (LB) [4]
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii are causative agents of human LB in Norway [5], and the prevalence of LB is monitored by the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases (MSIS)
A total of 50 strains were sequenced across all eight loci for the present study
Summary
Borrelia spirochetes are one of the pathogens transmitted to humans by I. ricinus ticks [3], and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) represents a bacterial species complex that comprises several Borrelia genospecies associated with Lyme borreliosis (LB) [4]. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii are causative agents of human LB in Norway [5], and the prevalence of LB is monitored by the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases (MSIS). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is a molecular typing tool that is used to characterise pathogenic microorganisms [12], and MLST can be used as a tool for the epidemiological surveillance and tracking of infectious diseases [13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
