Characterization Through Multilocus Sequence Analysis of Borrelia turdi Isolates from Portugal.

In this study, we isolated B. turdi from five I. frontalis feeding on Turdus merula, Turdus philomelos, Parus major and Troglodytes troglodytes, and one Ixodes ricinus feeding on a T. merula in Portugal. These isolates were genetically characterised according to their 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer, 16S rRNA and through typing of seven housekeeping genes (multilocus sequence typing). Multilocus sequence analyses revealed that the strains isolated in our study, although belonging to B. turdi genospecies, are not identical to the B. turdi reference strain Ya501. Instead, our strains are separated into a clear defined group, suggesting that the European samples diverged genetically from the strain originally detected in Japan. Population analysis of 5S-23S rRNA sequences can further resolve subpopulations within B. turdi, but more samples from a large geographical scale and host range would be needed to assess potential phylogeographical patterns within this genospecies.
PMID: 26311126 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Microbial Ecology - August 27, 2015 Category: Microbiology Authors: Norte AC, Araújo PM, da Silva LP, Tenreiro PQ, Ramos JA, Núncio MS, Zé-Zé L, de Carvalho IL Tags: Microb Ecol Source Type: research