Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Med Mal Infect 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

IRD, AP-HM, MEPHI, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France.

Bacteria of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, responsible for Lyme disease, are members of the spirochetes phylum. Diagnostic difficulties of Lyme disease are partly due to the characteristics of spirochetes as their culture is tedious or even impossible for some of them. We performed a literature review to assess the value of the various diagnostic tests of spirochetes infections of medical interest such as Lyme borreliosis, relapsing fever borreliae, syphilis, and leptospirosis. Read More

BMC Evol Biol 2019 Feb 13;19(1):54. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

UMR BIPAR, INRA, ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France.

Background: The evolutionary history of a species is frequently derived from molecular sequences, and the resulting phylogenetic trees do not include explicit functional information. Here, we aimed to assess the functional relationships among bacteria in the Spirochaetes phylum, based on the biological processes of 42,489 proteins in reference proteomes of 34 Spirochaetes species. We tested the hypothesis that the species in the genus Borrelia might be sufficiently different to warrant splitting them into two separate genera. Read More

Transbound Emerg Dis 2019 Feb 10. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.

Tick-borne diseases (TBD), caused by borrelial, rickettsial, and babesial pathogens, are common across the United States and can cause severe clinical disease in susceptible hosts, such as domestic dogs. However, there are limited TBD molecular epidemiological reports for dogs in Texas, and none for the non-Lyme borrelial pathogen responsible for causing tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF). Therefore, data to support the prevalence of TBRF in the canine population is inadequate. Read More

Acta Trop 2019 Feb 5;192:91-103. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechny, University of São Paulo, Brazil.

Microorganisms harbored by Chilean autochthonous ticks have been scarcely studied and current knowledge is restricted to three species of hard ticks only. The current study aimed to assess the presence of Anaplasmataceae, Borrelia and Hepatozoon agents in ticks collected directly from the environment, on reptiles, birds and mammals in twelve localities from northern, central and southern regions of the country and Antarctica. Ticks were identified by means of a morphological and molecular approach. Read More

Clin Med Insights Blood Disord 2019 15;12:1179545X18821160. Epub 2019 Jan 15.

Laboratory Oncology Unit, Dr. B.R.A. Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, New Delhi, India.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) accounts for 30% to 40% of the newly diagnosed adult non-Hodgkin lymphomas, but rarely presents in leukaemic phase. Here in, we report a case of DLBCL presenting in leukaemic phase and masquerading as acute leukaemia. A 28-year-old woman presented to our outpatient department with complaints of fever for 1 week. Read More

J Pediatr 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Child Health and Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address:

Objective: To determine the lifetime prevalence of allergies in childhood nephrotic syndrome, the seasonality of presentation and relapses, and the impact of allergies on subsequent relapses.

Study Design: In a longitudinal cohort of children with nephrotic syndrome (ages 1-18 years), assessment for allergic diseases was conducted using the validated and modified version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire at enrollment. Outcomes included frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome, relapse rates, and the relapse-free duration after initial steroid therapy. Read More

East Mediterr Health J 2019 Jan 23;24(11):1082-1087. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health and National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Background: Ticks are able to transmit important diseases to humans, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Q fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, summer Russian encephalitis, and relapsing fever.

Aims: To determine the repellency effect of 1% flumethrin pour-on formulation against hard ticks.

Methods: The concentration of flumethrin pour-on formulation was 1 mg/10 kg body weight and was administered on the dorsal midline from the head to the base of the tail. Read More

BMC Nephrol 2019 Jan 29;20(1):27. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Peking University First Hospital; Peking University Institute of Nephrology, Key Laboratory of Renal Disease, Ministry of Health of China; and Key Laboratory of Chronic Kidney Disease Prevention and Treatment (Peking University), Ministry of Education, 8 Xishiku Street; Xicheng District, Beijing, China.

Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is characterized by excessive activation of the immune system due to infection, autoimmune diseases, or malignancy. As an aggressive and life-threatening clinical syndrome, HLH secondary to peritoneal dialysis associated peritonitis (PDAP) has never been reported.

Case Presentation: A 34-year-old female peritoneal dialysis (PD) patient was hospitalized for fever, progressively multi-organ damage (including cytopenias, abnormalities of coagulation and liver enzyme) after an episode of organism-specific peritonitis. Read More

Wiad Lek 2018 ;71(8):1636-1638

Sumy State University, Sumy, Ukraine.

Objective: Introduction: In this study, we investigated the possible involvement of Human herpesvirus 7 in multiple sclerosis. The aim: To contribute to clarifying the controversy on the association between Human Herpesviruses 7 (HHV-7) and multiple sclerosis (MS) studying patient with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Patients And Methods: Case study: Young female admitted to adult tertiary referral, infectious diseases hospital, Kyiv, Ukraine, with signs of a focal neurological deficit. Read More

Mult Scler 2019 Jan 18:1352458518819098. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.

Background:: Daclizumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds the high-affinity interleukin-2 receptor and was approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis. Due to severe inflammatory brain disorders, the approval was suspended in March 2018.

Objective And Methods:: This retrospective cohort study summarizes clinical, laboratory, radiological, and histological findings of seven patients who developed meningo-/encephalitis after daclizumab therapy. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Jan;98(3):e14189

Department of Rheumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116023, China.

Rationale: The precise cause of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) remains unclear. Herein we present a case of refractory GPA occurring after trauma.

Patient Concerns: A 43-year-old man suffered fractures of the left orbital in an accident, and then received surgical repair. Read More

Infect Immun 2019 Jan 14. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, and Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

The global public health impact of relapsing fever (RF) spirochetosis is significant, as the pathogens exist on five of seven continents. The hallmark sign of infection is episodic fever and the greatest threat is to the unborn. With the goal of better understanding the specificity of B cell responses and the role of immune responses in pathogenicity, we infected Rhesus macaques with (a new world RF spirochete species) by tick bite and monitored the immune responses generated in response to the pathogen. Read More

J Clin Microbiol 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Tufts University, North Grafton, MA; Imugen, Inc., Norwood, MA.

disease (BMD) is a newly recognized borreliosis that is co-transmitted by ticks wherever Lyme disease is zoonotic. Unlike sensu lato, the agent of Lyme disease, is closely related to relapsing fever spirochetes such as Some authors have suggested that the disease caused by should be considered a hard-tick transmitted relapsing fever, and thus the main mode of confirming a diagnosis for that infection, microscopy to analyze a blood smear, may have clinical utility. To determine whether blood smears may detect in the blood of acute BMD patients, we made standard malariological thick smears from anticoagulated blood samples that were previously determined to be contain this agent (by PCR) and analyzed them for morphological evidence of spirochetes. Read More

Mult Scler Relat Disord 2018 Dec 29;28:167-171. Epub 2018 Dec 29.

Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of GuangZhou Medical University, 250# Changgang east Road, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China; Institute of Neuroscience and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Neurogenetics and Channelopathies, 250# Changgang east Road, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China.

Background: In this study, we describe clinical findings in a patient with autoimmune inflammatory meningoencephalitis who was negative for antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP-IgG).

Methods: Serum and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from the patient as part of a study of 520 patients with neurological syndromes. Antibodies against GFAP and other proteins associated with neurological disorders were measured by rat brain- and cell-based indirect immunofluorescence assays. Read More

PLoS One 2018 26;13(12):e0208432. Epub 2018 Dec 26.

Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority and National Reference Center for Borrelia, Oberschleissheim, Germany.

The genus Borrelia, originally described by Swellengrebel in 1907, contains tick- or louse-transmitted spirochetes belonging to the relapsing fever (RF) group of spirochetes, the Lyme borreliosis (LB) group of spirochetes and spirochetes that form intermittent clades. In 2014 it was proposed that the genus Borrelia should be separated into two genera; Borrelia Swellengrebel 1907 emend. Adeolu and Gupta 2014 containing RF spirochetes and Borreliella Adeolu and Gupta 2014 containing LB group of spirochetes. Read More

J Orthop Case Rep 2018 May-Jun;8(3):3-6

Department of Orthopaedics, Government Medical College, Kozhikode, Kerala, India.

Introduction: Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is an idiopathic inflammatory disorder of bone seen primarily in children and adolescents. It is part of the clinical picture of non-bacterial osteomyelitis and typically presents a relapsing course with both remissions and spontaneous exacerbations. CRMO is typically seen in the metaphysis of long bones. Read More

Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2018 9;11:561-569. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

IGeneX Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, USA.

Background: Morgellons disease (MD) is a skin condition associated with Lyme disease (LD) and tick-borne illness. Patients with this skin disorder experience ulcerative lesions that contain multicolored filamentous collagen and keratin inclusions. Infection with various species of and other tick-borne pathogens has been detected in tissue and body fluid specimens from MD patients. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019 02 27;10(2):352-359. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States. Electronic address:

The hard tick-borne relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia miyamotoi, has recently gained attention as a cause of human illness, but fundamental aspects of its enzootic maintenance are still poorly understood. Challenges to experimental studies with B. miyamotoi-infected vector ticks include low prevalence of infection in field-collected ticks and seemingly inefficient horizontal transmission from infected immunocompetent rodents to feeding ticks. Read More

J Med Entomol 2018 Dec 4. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Biology, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA.

Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is a potentially serious vector-borne disease endemic to the western United States. Vector surveillance is compromised by the nidicolous life history of the three Ornithodoros species that transmit TBRF to people in this region. Large-scale stationary trapping methods were developed to survey a wide geographical range of Ornithodoros spp. Read More

Cell Microbiol 2019 Feb 4;21(2):e12987. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

The relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia turicatae possesses a complex life cycle in its soft-bodied tick vector, Ornithodoros turicata. Spirochetes enter the tick midgut during a blood meal, and, during the following weeks, spirochetes disseminate throughout O. turicata. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 Nov 13;11:CD012774. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Karjoo Family Center for Pediatric Gastroenterology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 725, Irving Street, Suit 501, Syracuse, NY, USA, 13210.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing disease of the gastrointestinal tract that is thought to be associated with a complex interplay between microbes and the immune system, leading to an abnormal inflammatory response in genetically susceptible individuals. Dysbiosis, characterized by the alteration of the composition of the resident commensal bacteria in a host compared to healthy individuals, is thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), two subtypes of IBD. There is growing interest to correct the underlying dysbiosis through the use of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for the treatment of IBD. Read More

Pract Neurol 2018 Nov 13. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.

A 65-year-old man presented with transient neurological symptoms, followed by rapid cognitive decline, myoclonus and fevers. He had evidence of scleritis and an arthropathy. This paper reports the clinicopathological conference discussed at the Association of British Neurologists Annual Meeting 2017. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2018 Nov 13. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo.

Background: Relapsing fever is an infectious disease previously neglected in Africa, which imposes a large public health burden in the country. We aimed to investigate and report on a case of relapsing fever borreliosis in Zambia.

Methods: A previously unknown Borrelia species was isolated from the blood of a febrile patient. Read More

Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2018 Dec 3;175:134-136. Epub 2018 Nov 3.

Department of Neurology and Stroke Unit "A. Cardarelli Hospital", via A. Cardarelli 9, 80131, Naples, Italy; Multiple Sclerosis Centre "A. Cardarelli Hospital", via A. Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy.

Alemtuzumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting the CD52 antigen used in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). CD52 is expressed by lymphocytes and monocytes but less by neutrophils and not by platelets. We present a case of a 38-year-old woman with RRMS who developed early neutropenia with thrombocytopenia after alemtuzumab infusion. Read More

J Theor Biol 2019 Feb 9;462:97-108. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6 A, Turku FI-20520, Finland. Electronic address:

Bacteria of the genus Borrelia cause vector-borne infections like the most important hard tick-borne disease in the northern hemisphere, Lyme borreliosis (LB), and soft tick or louse transmitted relapsing fevers (RF), prevalent in temperate and tropical areas. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l. Read More

Sichuan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban 2018 Sep;49(5):803-807

Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of clinical manifestation, imaging, fiber-bronchoscope finding and pulmonary function testing in the patients of relapsing polychodriti with respiratory symptoms.

Methods: The clinical data of 33 patients with RP in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from May 2007 to May 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into respiratory group (21 cases) and non-respiratory group (12 cases) based on whether the respiratory symptoms were main involvement, and the data of the two groups were statistically analyzed. Read More

Med Princ Pract 2018 Oct 30. Epub 2018 Oct 30.

Objective: To present a case of relapsing and resistant Sweet's syndrome that developed during pregnancy together with an onset of Crohn's disease, showing complete resolution with the use of infliximab.

Clinical Presentation And Intervention: A 30- year old pregnant woman presented with fever, skin lesions and diarrhea. Skin biopsy confirmed neutrophilic dermatosis and she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease after endoscopy. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 10 29;12(10):e0006877. Epub 2018 Oct 29.

Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.

Background: In low elevation arid regions throughout the southern United States, Borrelia turicatae is the principal agent of tick-borne relapsing fever. However, endemic foci and the vertebrate hosts involved in the ecology of B. turicatae remain undefined. Read More

APMIS 2018 Nov;126(11):831-837

Independent Researcher, Barcelona, Spain.

During World War I, a mysterious new disease affected soldiers on both sides of battle field. The first reports described a relapsing fever of unknown origin with body lice being suggested as the vector. The outbreak affected >1 000 000 people, mostly soldiers fighting in front-line trenches. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2018 Oct 15;12(1):299. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital and Post-graduate Training Institute, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Western Province, Sri Lanka.

Background: Lymphadenopathy is not an uncommon presentation of adult onset Still's disease: it is present in up to two thirds of patients with adult onset Still's disease. The characteristic appearance of lymphadenopathy is described as intense, paracortical immunoblastic hyperplasia. Changes in light microscopy may resemble lymphoma, but immunohistochemistry reveals a benign polyclonal B cell hyperplasia. Read More

Int J Gen Med 2018 21;11:373-382. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Union Square Medical Associates, San Francisco, CA, USA,

Background: spirochetes are tick-borne Gram-negative bacteria that cause disease in humans and animals. Although many studies have focused on (Bb), the agent of Lyme disease, recent studies have examined the role of Relapsing Fever (RFB) in human disease. In this pilot study, we have evaluated serological reactivity against Bb and RFB in patients residing in California. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2018 Sep 30;2018. Epub 2018 Sep 30.

1st Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

Familial Mediterranean fever and beta-thalassaemia are two genetic disorders, with a largely common geographical distribution. However, they have not much else in common, as the first is an autoinflammatory disorder, while the other is a haemoglobinopathy. We describe a patient with known beta-thalassaemia intermedia who presented with recurrent fevers and he was diagnosed with familial Mediterranean fever 2 years later. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2018 Sep 28;19:1146-1151. Epub 2018 Sep 28.

Clinic of Cardiovascular Disease, San Martino Policlinic Hospital, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.

BACKGROUND Mitral valve aneurysms (MVAs) are uncommon conditions frequently associated with aortic valve endocarditis. They may be complicated by perforation and severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Optimal treatment of MVA, and in particular the best timing for surgery, are uncertain. Read More

Perit Dial Int 2018 Sep 25. Epub 2018 Sep 25.

Department of Renal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, , Department of Renal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, , singapore, Singapore.

Background: The incidence of elderly patients receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) has increased. This study aimed to examine the clinical presentation and outcomes of peritonitis in elderly PD patients compared with younger PD patients.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective, observational cohort study included all adult PD patients who developed peritonitis between January 2011 and December 2014. Read More

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018 10 24;115(41):10422-10427. Epub 2018 Sep 24.

Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway;

Louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) is known to have killed millions of people over the course of European history and remains a major cause of mortality in parts of the world. Its pathogen, , shares a common vector with global killers such as typhus and plague and is known for its involvement in devastating historical epidemics such as the Irish potato famine. Here, we describe a European and historical genome of , recovered from a 15th century skeleton from Oslo. Read More

Infect Genet Evol 2018 Dec 18;66:72-81. Epub 2018 Sep 18.

The Vector and Water-Borne Pathogen Research Group, The School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia.

Borrelia are tick-borne bacteria that in humans are the aetiological agents of Lyme disease and relapsing fever. Here we present the first genomes of B. turcica and B. Read More

Mult Scler Relat Disord 2018 Nov 11;26:52-54. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI), University of Genoa, Italy; Ospedale Policlinico San Martino IRCCS, Genoa, Italy; Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.

Background: Alemtuzumab is a monoclonal antibody approved for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The only report of Serum Sickness (SS) in a MS patient occurred during treatment with natalizumab. Non-protein drugs, such as some antibiotics, may induce "SS-like" reactions (SSLR), whose clinical and laboratory features may partially overlap with the traditional SS. Read More

Arch Iran Med 2018 Sep 1;21(9):428-433. Epub 2018 Sep 1.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.

In Iran and also throughout the world, Dr. Mahmoud Bahmanyar (1919-2007) is acknowledged as a well-known researcher mainly in the field of rabies and plague. As an expert of plague for the World Health Organization (WHO), he accomplished many missions in several countries such as India, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Yemen, and Brazil. Read More

Neurol Sci 2018 Dec 31;39(12):2107-2113. Epub 2018 Aug 31.

Brain Mapping Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Background And Aim: Interferon beta is currently the first line treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Different formulations of interferon beta are available. Avonex and CinnoVex are two interferon beta-1a being prescribed by neurologists in Iran. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2018 11 17;24(11):2003-2009. Epub 2018 Nov 17.

In March 2017, a patient became febrile within 4 days after visiting a rustic conference center in Austin, Texas, USA, where Austin Public Health suspected an outbreak of tickborne relapsing fever a month earlier. Evaluation of a patient blood smear and molecular diagnostic assays identified Borrelia turicatae as the causative agent. We could not gain access to the property to collect ticks. Read More

Appl Environ Microbiol 2018 Aug 24. Epub 2018 Aug 24.

Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College Medicine, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

Vector competence refers to the ability of an arthropod to acquire, maintain, and successfully transmit a microbial pathogen. Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) spirochetes are globally distributed pathogens, and most species are transmitted by argasid ticks in the genus A defining characteristic in vector competence is an apparent specificity of a species of TBRF spirochete to a given tick species. In arid regions of the southern United States, is the primary cause of TBRF. Read More

J Med Entomol 2018 Oct;55(6):1642-1647

Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Borrelia genus consists of spirochete bacteria known to cause Lyme disease (LD) and relapsing fever in humans. Borrelia pathogens are commonly transmitted via arthropod vectors such as ticks, mites, or lice. Here, we report the molecular screening of LD group Borrelia sp. Read More

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2019 Jan 8;93(1):24-29. Epub 2018 Aug 8.

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 4467 TAMUx, College Station, TX 77843, United States. Electronic address:

Borrelia hermsii is a non-Lyme borreliosis pathogen that is responsible for causing tick-borne relapsing fever in humans and animals in the western United States. B. hermsii has been described to encompass two divergent genomic groups, GGI and GGII, which have been suggested to maintain a unique geographical distribution and potential range of pathogenicity. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2018 09;24(9):1770-1772

Borrelia miyamotoi disease is a hard tick-borne relapsing fever illness that occurs across the temperate climate zone. Human B. miyamotoi disease in immunocompetent patients has been described in Russia, North America, and Japan. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2018 09;24(9):1659-1664

Tickborne relapsing fever caused by Borrelia species is rarely reported in travelers returning from Africa. We report a case of a 71-year-old woman who sought treatment at University Medical Center in Freiburg, Germany, in 2015 with recurrent fever after traveling to southern Africa. We detected spirochetes in Giemsa-stained blood smears. Read More

Prim Care 2018 Sep 9;45(3):379-391. Epub 2018 Jul 9.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.

Close interaction with nature can lead to tick-borne illnesses, which are seen most frequently in primary care clinics when patients present symptoms. Considerable morbidity can result from untreated infections. Fortunately, these illnesses are often easily managed when diagnosed early. Read More

Healthcare (Basel) 2018 Aug 14;6(3). Epub 2018 Aug 14.

ID-FISH Technology Inc., 797 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA.

Accurate laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis), caused by the spirochete (BB), is difficult and yet important to prevent serious disease. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presently recommends a screening test for serum antibodies followed by confirmation with a more specific Western blot (WB) test to detect IgG and IgM antibodies against antigens in whole cell lysates of BB. species related to BB cause tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF). Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 09 2;9(6):1537-1554. Epub 2018 Aug 2.

Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008 Salamanca, Spain. Electronic address:

Ticks are hematophagous vectors of great medical and veterinary importance because they transmit numerous pathogenic microorganisms to humans and animals. The argasid Ornithodoros erraticus is the main vector of tick-borne human relapsing fever and African swine fever in the Mediterranean Basin. Tick enterocytes express bioactive molecules that perform key functions in blood digestion, feeding, toxic waste processing and pathogen transmission. Read More

Wien Klin Wochenschr 2018 Aug 3;130(15-16):484-490. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

The recent proposal of splitting the genus Borrelia into two genera in the newly formed family of Borreliaceae, i. e. Borrelia and Borreliella has motivated us to reflect upon how these organisms has been characterized and differentiated. Read More

JAMA 2018 08;320(7):635-636

Division of Infectious Diseases, New York Medical College, Valhalla.