Evolution of northeastern and midwestern Borrelia burgdorferi, United States.
The per capita incidence of human Lyme disease in the northeastern United States is more than twice that in the Midwest. However, the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, in the tick vector is nearly identical in the 2 regions. The disparity in human Lyme disease incidence may result from a disparity in the human invasiveness of the bacteria in the Northeast and Midwest caused by fundamentally different evolutionary histories. B. burgdorferi populations in the Northeast and Midwest are geographically isolated, enabling evolutionary divergence in human invasiveness. However, we found that B. burgdorferi populations in the Northeast and Midwest shared a recent common ancestor, which suggests that substantial evolutionary divergence in human invasiveness has not occurred. We propose that differences in either animal ecology or human behavior are the root cause of the differences in human incidence between the 2 regions.
Brisson
Dustin
D
Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6018, USA. dbrisson@sas.upenn.edu
Vandermause
Mary F
MF
Meece
Jennifer K
JK
Reed
Kurt D
KD
Dykhuizen
Daniel E
DE
D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000382:microbiology; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D009511:New England / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D008074:Lipoproteins; C072045:OspA protein; C079616:OspC protein; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; C077030:OspB protein, Borrelia burgdorferi