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Published on: November 25, 2022
Multispacer sequence typing relapsing fever Borreliae in Africa
Haitham Elbir1, Elbir Haitham, Gregory Gimenez
1Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), UMR CNRS 6236 IRD 198, Faculté de Médecine, Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
Background:
In Africa, relapsing fevers are neglected arthropod-borne infections caused by closely related Borrelia species. They cause mild to deadly undifferentiated fever particularly severe in pregnant women. Lack of a tool to genotype these Borrelia organisms limits knowledge regarding their reservoirs and their epidemiology.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
Genome sequence analysis of Borrelia crocidurae, Borrelia duttonii and Borrelia recurrentis yielded 5 intergenic spacers scattered between 10 chromosomal genes that were incorporated into a multispacer sequence typing (MST) approach. Sequencing these spacers directly from human blood specimens previously found to be infected by B. recurrentis (30 specimens), B. duttonii (17 specimens) and B. crocidurae (13 specimens) resolved these 60 strains and the 3 type strains into 13 species-specific spacer types in the presence of negative controls. B. crocidurae comprised of 8 spacer types, B. duttonii of 3 spacer types and B. recurrentis of 2 spacer types.
Conclusions/Significance:
Phylogenetic analyses of MST data suggested that B. duttonii, B. crocidurae and B. recurrentis are variants of a unique ancestral Borrelia species. MST proved to be a suitable approach for identifying and genotyping relapsing fever borreliae in Africa. It could be applied to both vectors and clinical specimens.
Insights
A new multispacer sequence typing (MST) method effectively genotypes African relapsing fever Borrelia species. This tool aids in understanding the epidemiology and reservoirs of these neglected arthropod-borne infections.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Relapsing fevers in Africa are neglected arthropod-borne infections caused by Borrelia species.
- These infections cause undifferentiated fever, posing significant risks, especially to pregnant women.
- Limited genotyping tools hinder understanding of Borrelia reservoirs and epidemiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel genotyping tool for African relapsing fever Borrelia species.
- To improve the understanding of Borrelia epidemiology and reservoirs in Africa.
Main Methods:
- Genome sequence analysis identified 5 intergenic spacers from 10 chromosomal genes.
- These spacers were incorporated into a multispacer sequence typing (MST) approach.
- MST was applied to human blood specimens infected with Borrelia recurrentis, Borrelia duttonii, and Borrelia crocidurae.
Main Results:
- The MST approach successfully resolved 60 strains and 3 type strains into 13 species-specific spacer types.
- Borrelia crocidurae yielded 8 spacer types, Borrelia duttonii 3, and Borrelia recurrentis 2.
- Phylogenetic analysis suggested these species are variants of a single ancestral Borrelia species.
Conclusions:
- Multispacer sequence typing (MST) is a suitable method for identifying and genotyping African relapsing fever borreliae.
- The developed MST approach can be applied to both clinical specimens and vectors.
- This advancement facilitates research into the epidemiology and reservoirs of these neglected infections.
