Characterization Through Multilocus Sequence Analysis of Borrelia turdi Isolates from Portugal

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genetics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Borrelia turdi is a spirochete within the Borrelia burgdorferi complex, initially identified in Japan.
• This genospecies is primarily associated with avian hosts and their specific tick vectors, like Ixodes frontalis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To genetically characterize Borrelia turdi isolates from Portugal.
• To investigate the genetic relationship between European and Japanese Borrelia turdi strains.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of Borrelia turdi from ticks (Ixodes frontalis and Ixodes ricinus) collected from birds in Portugal.
• Genetic characterization using 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer sequencing, 16S rRNA sequencing, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of seven housekeeping genes.

Main Results:

• Borrelia turdi was isolated from Ixodes frontalis and Ixodes ricinus ticks in Portugal.
• Multilocus sequence analyses indicated that the Portuguese isolates form a distinct genetic group, separate from the reference strain Ya501.
• European isolates show genetic divergence from the original Japanese Borrelia turdi strain.

Conclusions:

• The genetic data suggest a divergence between European and Japanese Borrelia turdi populations.
• Further research with broader geographical and host sampling is needed to understand potential phylogeographical patterns within Borrelia turdi.