Journal Article
Borrelia chilensis , a new member of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex that extends the range of this genospecies in the S outhern H emisphere
Larisa B. Ivanova; Alexandra Tomova; Daniel González‐Acuña; Roberto Murúa; Claudia X. Moreno; Claudio Hernández; Javier Cabello; Carlos Cabello; Thomas J. Daniels; Henry P. Godfrey; Felipe C. Cabello
Environmental Microbiology · Vol. 16, Issue 4 · pp. 1069-1080 · 2014
Abstract
Summary B orrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), transmitted by I xodes spp. ticks, is the causative agent of L yme disease. Although I xodes spp. ticks are distributed in both N orthern and S outhern H emispheres, evidence for the presence of B . burgdorferi s.l. in S outh A merica apart from U ruguay is lacking. We now report the presence of culturable spirochetes with flat‐wave morphology and borrelial DNA in endemic I xodes stilesi ticks collected in C hile from environmental vegetation and long‐tailed rice rats ( O ligoryzomys longicaudatus ). Cultured spirochetes and borrelial DNA in ticks were characterized by multilocus sequence typing and by sequencing five other loci (16 S and 23 S ribosomal genes, 5 S –23 S intergenic spacer, flaB , ospC ). Phylogenetic analysis placed this spirochete as a new genospecies within the L yme borreliosis group. Its plasmid profile determined by polymerase chain reaction and pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis differed from that of B . burgdorferi B 31 A 3. We propose naming this new S outh A merican member of the L yme borreliosis group B . chilensis VA 1 in honor of its country of origin.