Complications of pregnancy and transplacental transmission of relapsing-fever borreliosis.
Relapsing-fever borreliosis caused by Borrelia duttonii is a common cause of complications of pregnancy, miscarriage, and neonatal death in sub-Saharan Africa. We established a murine model of gestational relapsing fever infection for the study of the pathological development of these complications. We demonstrate that B. duttonii infection during pregnancy results in intrauterine growth retardation, as well as placental damage and inflammation, impaired fetal circulation, and decreased maternal hemoglobin levels. We show that spirochetes frequently cross the maternal-fetal barrier, resulting in congenital infection. Furthermore, we compared the severity of infection in pregnant and nonpregnant mice and show that pregnancy has a protective effect. This model closely parallels the consequences of human gestational infection, and our results provide insight into the mechanisms behind the complications of pregnancy that have been reported in human relapsing-fever infection.
Larsson
Christer
C
Department of Molecular Biology, Umea University, Umea, Sweden.
Andersson
Marie
M
Guo
Betty P
BP
Nordstrand
Annika
A
Hagerstrand
Inga
I
Carlsson
Sara
S
Bergstrom
Sven
S
D000818:Animals; D016470:Bacteremia; D001898:Borrelia; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation; D020567:Fetal Weight; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D010920:Placenta / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D021041:Placental Circulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D012061:Relapsing Fever / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission*
D006454:Hemoglobins