title: Identification of an uncultivable Borrelia species in the hard tick Amblyomma americanum: possible agent of a Lyme disease-like illness.
abstract: Bites from the hard tick Amblyomma americanum are associated with a Lyme disease-like illness in the southern United States. To identify possible etiologic agents for this disorder, A. americanum ticks were collected in Missouri, Texas, New Jersey, and New York and examined microscopically. Uncultivable spirochetes were present in approximately 2% of the ticks. Borrelia genus-specific oligonucleotides for the flagellin and 16S rRNA genes were used for amplification of DNA. Products were obtained from ticks containing spirochetes by microscopy but not from spirochete-negative ticks. Sequences of partial genes from spirochetes in Texas and New Jersey ticks differed by only 2 of 641 nucleotides for flagellin and 2 of 1336 nucleotides for 16S rRNA. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the spirochete was a Borrelia species distinct from previously characterized members of this genus, including Borrelia burgdorferi. Gene amplification could be used to detect these spirochetes in ticks and possible mammalian hosts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284, USA.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Barbour
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Maupin
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Teltow
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piesman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001483:Base Sequence; D001898:Borrelia / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005408:Flagellin / Q000235:genetics; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D005408:Flagellin