Search results for "Arthropod Vector"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
Competition between strains of Borrelia afzelii inside the rodent host and the tick vector
2018
Multiple-strain pathogens often establish mixed infections inside the host that result in competition between strains. In vector-borne pathogens, the competitive ability of strains must be measured in both the vertebrate host and the arthropod vector to understand the outcome of competition. Such studies could reveal the existence of trade-offs in competitive ability between different host types. We used the tick-borne bacteriumBorrelia afzeliito test for competition between strains in the rodent host and the tick vector, and to test for a trade-off in competitive ability between these two host types. Mice were infected via tick bite with either one or two strains, and these mice were subse…
A large-scale screening for the taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus, and the meadow tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, in southern Scandinavia, 2016
2019
Abstract The taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus, has previously been limited to eastern Europe and northern Asia, but recently its range has expanded to Finland and northern Sweden. The species is of medical importance, as it, along with a string of other pathogens, may carry the Siberian and Far Eastern subtypes of tick-borne encephalitis virus. These subtypes appear to cause more severe disease, with higher fatality rates than the central European subtype. Until recently, the meadow tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, has been absent from Scandinavia, but has now been detected in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Dermacentor reticulatus carries, along with other pathogens, Babesia canis and Rickettsia r…
Network of Cells and Mediators of Innate and Adaptive Cutaneous Immunity
2017
The skin is a major surface organ that translates external signals from the environment into local and systemic immune responses. As such, it is also strongly involved in fighting against cutaneous pathogens transmitted by arthropod vectors to the host. By harboring various skin-resident as well as highly motile immune cells and unique molecules, the skin orchestrates resulting immune responses against pathogens. Only an understanding of the complexity of skin immunity will lead to a better assessment of vector-induced alterations of resulting antipathogen immunity.
What Could Be a Primary Cause of Multiple Sclerosis: Is It an Autoimmunity Triggered by Chronic Protozoan Infection?
2013
The generally accepted paradigm of multiple sclerosis is the autoimmune one; still, a body of evidence suggests that this disease may actually be triggered by an infectious factor. In this paper, it is hypothesized that multiple sclerosis may actually be a rare complication of a protozoan infection, which is usually asymptomatic but in some susceptible individuals is accompanied by autoimmune attack against the nervous tissue. If multiple sclerosis were actually caused by such an infection, then a microorganism responsible should exhibit several properties: it (i) is transmitted by an arthropod vector; (ii) is characterized by specific metabolism of the lipids; (iii) should be dependent on …