Detection of [five pathogens] in Ticks by a Multiplex Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR Assay

[AndyPR]

Paper from Ian Lipkin and his team at the Center for Infection and Immunity.

Abstract xodes scapularis ticks are implicated in transmission of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi, Babesia microti, and Powassan virus. We describe the establishment and implementation of the first multiplex real-time PCR assay with the capability to simultaneously detect and differentiate all five pathogens in a single reaction. The application of this assay for analysis of ticks at sites in New York and Connecticut revealed a high prevalence of B. microti in ticks from Suffolk County, NY. These findings are consistent with reports of a higher incidence of babesiosis from clinicians managing the care of patients with tick-borne diseases in this region.

IMPORTANCE The understanding of pathogen prevalence is an important factor in the determination of human risks for tick-borne diseases and can help guide diagnosis and treatment. The implementation of our assay addresses a critical need in surveillance of tick-borne diseases, through generation of a comprehensive assessment of pathogen prevalence in I. scapularis. Our finding of a high frequency of ticks infected with Babesia microti in Suffolk County, NY, implicates this agent as a probable frequent cause of non-Lyme tick-borne disease in this area.

Full paper http://msphere.asm.org/content/2/2/e00151-17

Also an article on these results

Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health report elevated levels of a pathogen responsible for the tick-borne disease babesiosis in Suffolk County, New York, where rates are the highest in the state. Results are published in the journal mSphere.

Researchers developed and employed a method to simultaneously test for five common pathogens carried by deer ticks: Babesia microti, the pathogen behind babesiosis; Borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of Lyme disease; as well as Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Powassan virus—pathogens responsible for other tick-borne infections.

The team collected and tested 318 adult and nymph ticks at five sites in Suffolk County (Southampton, Manorville, Southold, Islip, Huntington) and three sites in Connecticut (Mansfield, Stamford, Greenwich). Nymphal ticks are about the size of a poppy seed, emerge in warmer months, and are responsible for the majority of tick-borne disease.

https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/pu...r-details-rise-tick-borne-disease-long-island

 

[duncan]

Sigh.

Old news, at least in the Lyme community. But it is a good thing to have a single PCR that can identify each of these pathogens. I will be interested in its sensitivity levels.