A novel relapsing fever Borrelia sp. infects the salivary glands of the molted hard tick, Amblyomma geoemydae.
A novel relapsing fever Borrelia sp. was found in Amblyomma geoemydae in Japan. The novel Borrelia sp. was phylogenetically related to the hard (ixodid) tick-borne relapsing fever Borrelia spp. Borrelia miyamotoi and B. lonestari. The novel relapsing fever Borrelia sp. was detected in 39 A. geoemydae (39/274: 14.2%), of which 14 (14/274: 5.1%) were co-infected with the novel relapsing fever Borrelia sp. and Borrelia sp. tAG, one of the reptile-associated borreliae. Transstadial transmission of the novel relapsing fever Borrelia sp. occurred in the tick midgut and the salivary glands, although Borrelia sp. tAG was only detected in the tick midgut. The difference of the borrelial niche in molted ticks might be associated with borrelial characterization.
Department of Bacteriology-I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
Ai
A
Takano
Chieko
C
Sugimori
Hiromi
H
Fujita
Teruki
T
Kadosaka
Kyle R
KR
Taylor
Toshio
T
Tsubota
Satoru
S
Konnai
Tomoko
T
Tajima
Kozue
K
Sato
Haruo
H
Watanabe
Makoto
M
Ohnishi
Hiroki
H
Kawabata
D000818:Animals; D001898:Borrelia / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D018978:Molting; D009758:Nymph; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000382:microbiology*