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Persistence mechanisms in tick-borne diseases.

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Persistence mechanisms in tick-borne diseases.

 

Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 2009 Mar;76(1):53-8.

 

Barbet AF.

 

Department of Infectious Diseases & Pathology, College of Veterinary

Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.

 

The use of new, highly sensitive diagnostic methods has revealed persistent

infections to be a common feature of different tick-borne diseases, such as

babesiosis, anaplasmosis and heartwater. Antigenic variation can contribute

to disease persistence through the continual elaboration of new surface

structures, and we know in several instances how this is achieved. Known or

suspected mechanisms of persistence in babesial parasites include

cytoadhesion and rapid variation of the adhesive ligand in Babesia bovis

and

genetic diversity in several merozoite stage proteins of different Babesia

spp. In Anaplasma, extensive variation in the pfam01617 gene family

accompanies cycling of organism levels in chronic infection. One result

from

the pioneering research at Onderstepoort is the definition of a related

polymorphic gene family that is likely involved in immunity against

heartwater disease. We are beginning to understand the sizes of the

antigenic repertoires and full definition is close, with the possibility of

applying simultaneous high-throughput sequencing to the order of 1000 small

genomes. We also, for the first time, can consider modifying these genomes

and looking at effects on persistence and virulence. However, important

biological questions remain unanswered; for example, why we are seeing a

new

emerging Anaplasma infection of humans and is infection of endothelial

cells

by Anaplasma significant to persistence in vivo.

 

http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed & id=199

67928 & retmode=ref & cmd=prlinks

PMID: 19967928 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

 

 

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