title: High-throughput sequence typing reveals genetic differentiation and host specialization among populations of the Borrelia burgdorferi species complex that infect rodents.
abstract: Lyme disease is a zoonosis caused by various species belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterial species complex. These pathogens are transmitted by ticks and infect multiple, taxonomically distinct, host species. From an epidemiological perspective, it is important to determine whether genetic variants within the species complex are able to spread freely through the whole host community or, instead, if certain variants are restricted to particular hosts. To this end, we characterized the genotypes of members of the B. burgdorferi species complex; the bacteria were isolated from more than two hundred individuals captured in the wild and belonging to three different rodent host species. For each individual, we used a high-throughput approach to amplify and sequence rplB, a housekeeping gene, and ospC, which is involved in infection. This approach allowed us to evaluate the genetic diversity both within and among species in the B. burgdorferi species complex. Strong evidence of genetic differentiation among host species was revealed by both genes, even though they are, a priori, not constrained by the same selective pressures. These data are discussed in the context of the advancements made possible by multi-locus high-throughput sequencing and current knowledge of Lyme disease epidemiology.
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR346 Épidémiologie Animale, Saint Genès Champanelle, France.
authors.forename: Maude
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jacquot
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR346 Épidémiologie Animale, Saint Genès Champanelle, France.
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bisseux
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR346 Épidémiologie Animale, Saint Genès Champanelle, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abrial
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR346 Épidémiologie Animale, Saint Genès Champanelle, France ; MNHN-CNRS-P6, UMR 7204 Conservation des Espèces Restauration et Suivi des Populations, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Maud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marsot
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, CNR Borrelia, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferquel
authors.affiliation: MNHN-CNRS-P6, UMR 7204 Conservation des Espèces Restauration et Suivi des Populations, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Chapuis
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR346 Épidémiologie Animale, Saint Genès Champanelle, France.
authors.forename: Gwenaël
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vourc'h
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR346 Épidémiologie Animale, Saint Genès Champanelle, France.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bailly
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000382:microbiology; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods*; D058507:Host Specificity; D051379:Mice; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012589:Sciuridae / Q000382:microbiology; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins