Genomic Analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Isolates in Taiwan

• Main Authors: En-Min You, 尤恩民
• Other Authors: Kuang-Yu Hu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 1999
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/76722094539072404687

碩士 === 國防醫學院 === 生物化學研究所 === 87 === Lyme disease is the tick-borne disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato which has been roughly subdivided into five genospecies: B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. japonica, and B. andersonii. In recent years, the spirochetes have already been isolated from the rodents in Taiwan. However, the genospecies of those Taiwan isolates have not been characterized. Thus, the present study intended to investigate the genospecies of the seven isolates in Taiwan, designed TWKM1-7, using the methods of polymerase chain reaction-sequencing (PCR-Sequencing) and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). We chose hbb gene, rrf (5S)-rrl (23S) intergenic spacer region, and ospA gene as the target genes in this study. The results of above target genes demonstrated that five isolates in Taiwan, including TWKM3-7, were the same with B31 in the sequences of hbb gene and rrf (5S)-rrl (23S) intergenic spacer region, and should be belonged to B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. The other two isolates in Taiwan, including TWKM1 and TWKM2, were different from B31 in one or two nucleotide substitutions on hbb gene and rrf (5S)-rrl (23S) intergenic spacer region. By the PCR with specific primers GI-1 and GI-2 designed from ospA gene sequence we suggested that all the isolates in Taiwan were belonged to the same genospecies with B31. The above results were indicated that seven isolates in Taiwan were closer to each other in the phylogenetic relationship, and were all genetically belonged to the genospecies of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. From all the results of above studys we can not only identify the genospecies of seven isolates in Taiwan, but also improve the detection and prevention of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Taiwan in the future.