Emerging borreliae – Expanding beyond Lyme borreliosis

Lyme borreliosis (or Lyme disease) has become a virtual household term to the exclusion of other forgotten, emerging or re-emerging borreliae. We review current knowledge regarding these other borreliae, exploring their ecology, epidemiology and pathological potential, for example, for the newly described B. mayonii. These bacteria range from tick-borne, relapsing fever-inducing strains detected in some soft ticks, such as B. mvumii, to those from bat ticks resembling B. turicatae. Some of these emerging pathogens remain unnamed, such as the borrelial strains found in South African penguins and some African cattle ticks. Others, such as B. microti and unnamed Iranian strains, have not been recognised through a lack of discriminatory diagnostic methods. Technical improvements in phylogenetic methods have allowed the differentiation of B. merionesi from other borrelial species that co-circulate in the same region. Furthermore, we discuss members that challenge the existing dogma that Lyme disease-inducing strains are transmitted by hard ticks, whilst the relapsing fever-inducing spirochaetes are transmitted by soft ticks. Controversially, the genus has now been split with Lyme disease-associated members being transferred to Borreliella, whilst the relapsing fever species retain the Borrelia genus name. It took some 60 years for the correlation with clinical presentations now known as Lyme borreliosis to be attributed to their spirochaetal cause. Many of the borreliae discussed here are currently considered exotic curiosities, whilst others, such as B. miyamotoi, are emerging as significant causes of morbidity. To elucidate their role as potential pathogenic agents, we first need to recognise their presence through suitable diagnostic approaches

Remarks on theilerioses and <i>Theileria</i>

1. Areas in which theileriasis occurs are characterized by conditions in which the native cattle do not show clinical manifestations of the disease, but introduced cattle suffer from an epizootic manifesting itself seasonally with varied intensity.2. The degree of virulence exhibited and the species of tick acting as vectors have only an indirect significance as an indication of species of the parasite.3. The facts relating to the development of Theileria in the tissues of infected animals and relation of this to developmental stages in the circulating blood are still far from clear.4. The development cycle of Theileria in the red cells of the circulating blood of sick animals is described, and proof given that this is characterized by the formation of anaplasmatic forms developing into ring-shaped forms in T. annulata and T. dispar, and probably in all forms except, possibly, T. parva.5. It is very desirable from the point of view of world economy that a special commission to study theileriasis in the different areas in which it occurs should be established on an international basis.</jats:p

Nuttallia und Piroplasma bei der Piroplasmose der Einhufer in Transkaukasien

n/

<i>Nuttallia und Piroplasma</i> bei der Piroplasmose der Einhufer in Transkaukasien

Im Jahre 1908 haben wir auf dem IX. Internationalen Tierärztlichen Kongresse im Haag einen Bericht über die Piroplasmose der Pferde und Esel in Transkaukasien erstattet und etwas später eine kurze Bemerkung darüber in russischer Sprache publiziert. Nachher haben wir aber noch einige Fälle von Piroplasmose bei den Pferden beobachtet, wobei wir die Ansicht Nuttall's bestätigen konnten über die Existenz zweier selbstständiger Arten der Pferdepiroplasmose, welche durch zwei besondere Arten von Blutparasiten der Gattung Nuttallia und Piroplasma verursacht werden.</jats:p