First insights in the variability of Borrelia recurrentis genomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Borrelia recurrentis is the causative agent of louse-borne relapsing fever, endemic to the Horn of Africa. New attention was raised in Europe, with the highest number of cases (n = 45) reported among migrants in 2015 in Germany and sporadically from other European countries. So far only one genome was sequenced, hindering the development of specific molecular diagnostic and typing tools. Here we report on modified culture conditions for B. recurrentis and the intraspecies genome variability of six isolates isolated and cultured in different years in order to explore the possibility to identify new targets for typing and examine the molecular epidemiology of the pathogen.

Methodology/principal findings

Two historical isolates from Ethiopia and four isolates from mi

SUBMITTER: Marosevic D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5612729 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature