Genes, Vol. 13, Pages 1604: Large-Scale Sequencing of Borreliaceae for the Construction of Pan-Genomic-Based Diagnostics

Genes, Vol. 13, Pages 1604: Large-Scale Sequencing of Borreliaceae for the Construction of Pan-Genomic-Based Diagnostics Genes doi: 10.3390/genes13091604 Authors: Kayla M. Socarras Benjamin S. Haslund-Gourley Nicholas A. Cramer Mary Ann Comunale Richard T. Marconi Garth D. Ehrlich The acceleration of climate change has been associated with an alarming increase in the prevalence and geographic range of tick-borne diseases (TBD), many of which have severe and long-lasting effects—particularly when treatment is delayed principally due to inadequate diagnostics and lack of physician suspicion. Moreover, there is a paucity of treatment options for many TBDs that are complicated by diagnostic limitations for correctly identifying the offending pathogens. This review will focus on the biology, disease pathology, and detection methodologies used for the Borreliaceae family which includes the Lyme disease agent Borreliella burgdorferi. Previous work revealed that Borreliaceae genomes differ from most bacteria in that they are composed of large numbers of replicons, both linear and circular, with the main chromosome being the linear with telomeric-like termini. While these findings are novel, additional gene-specific analyses of each class of these multiple replicons are needed to better understand their respective roles in metabolism and pathogenesis of these enigmatic spirochetes. Historically, such studies were challenging due to a dearth of both anal...
Source: Genes - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research