Tick salivary gland extract-activated transmission of Borrelia afzelii spirochaetes

Folia Parasitol (Praha). 2002;49(2):153-9.

Abstract

Saliva-activated transmission of Borrelia afzelii Canica, Nato, du Merle, Mazie, Baranton et Postic, 1993 was demonstrated using salivary gland extract (SGE) from Ixodes ricinus (L., 1758) ticks and C3H mice. Injection of Borrelia spirochaetes together with SGE increased the level of bacteraemia and accelerated the appearance of bacteria in the urinary bladder, compared with the injection of spirochaetes alone. More I. ricinus nymphs became infected when feeding on mice inoculated with B. afzelii plus SGE. Analysis of cytokines produced by cells of draining lymph nodes from SGE-treated mice showed a suppression of proinflammatory cytokines IFN-gamma, IL-6 and GM-CSF following a transient upregulation in comparison with the control mice infected without SGE.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arthropod Vectors*
  • Borrelia burgdorferi Group* / growth & development
  • Borrelia burgdorferi Group* / isolation & purification
  • Borrelia burgdorferi Group* / pathogenicity
  • Female
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / analysis
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / biosynthesis
  • Host-Parasite Interactions
  • Incidence
  • Interferon-gamma / analysis
  • Interferon-gamma / biosynthesis
  • Interleukin-10 / analysis
  • Interleukin-10 / biosynthesis
  • Interleukin-6 / analysis
  • Interleukin-6 / biosynthesis
  • Ixodes / cytology
  • Ixodes / microbiology*
  • Lyme Disease / epidemiology
  • Lyme Disease / microbiology
  • Lyme Disease / transmission*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C3H
  • Salivary Glands / cytology
  • Salivary Glands / metabolism
  • Urinary Bladder / growth & development
  • Urinary Bladder / parasitology

Substances

  • Interleukin-6
  • Interleukin-10
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor