Genotypic variation and mixtures of Lyme Borrelia in Ixodes ticks from North America and Europe.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Lyme disease, caused by various species of Borrelia, is transmitted by Ixodes ticks in North America and Europe. Studies have shown the genotype of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) or the species of B. burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) affects the ability of the bacteria to cause local or disseminated infection in humans.

Methodology/principal findings

We used a multilocus PCR electrospray mass spectrometry assay to determine the species and genotype Borrelia from ticks collected in New York, Connecticut, Indiana, Southern Germany, and California and characterized isolates from parts of the United States and Europe. These analyses identified 53 distinct genotypes of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto with higher resolution than ospC typing. Genotypes of other membe

SUBMITTER: Crowder CD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2871049 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature