''Borrelia mayonii'' is a

Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that, unlike gram-positive bacteria, do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. Their defining characteristic is that their cell envelope consists ...

, host-associated spirochete that is capable of causing

Lyme disease Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of ''Borrelia'' bacteria, Disease vector, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. It is the most common disease spread by ticks in th ...

. This

organism An organism is any life, living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Many criteria, few of them widely accepted, have be ...

can infect various

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

hosts such as

humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

via the bite of a black legged tick.

Phylogenetic information

''Borrelia mayonii'' was identified as a ''sensu lato'' (broad sense), genospecies (Bbsl) of the known microbe, '' Borrelia burgdorferi''. A genospecies is a cluster of organisms with similar core

gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

s that usually does not undergo

genetic recombination Genetic recombination (also known as genetic reshuffling) is the exchange of genetic material between different organisms which leads to production of offspring with combinations of traits that differ from those found in either parent. In eukaryot ...

with diverged organisms. Two isolates, gene strains, of ''B. mayonii'', named MN14-1420 and MN14-1539, were sequenced, process of arranging a chain of genetic information to match up to a specific organism's genetic code, and compared to the

genome A genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding genes, other functional regions of the genome such as ...

or genetic material of ''Borrelia burgdorferi''. With a

nucleotide Nucleotides are Organic compound, organic molecules composed of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both o ...

similarity of 93.83% in the linear chromosome compared to other known genospecies, ''B. mayonii'' can be considered a new genospecies (Bbsl).

Discovery

''Borrelia mayonii'' is a bacterial genospecies discovered in the Midwestern United States by Pritt and colleagues at the

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

in Minnesota during routine

polymerase chain reaction The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method widely used to make millions to billions of copies of a specific DNA sample rapidly, allowing scientists to amplify a very small sample of DNA (or a part of it) sufficiently to enable detailed st ...

(PCR) of the ''oppA1'' gene of ''B. burgdorferi'' in 2016. According to Pritt, six samples were atypical and did not resemble any known species. These atypical

microorganism A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic scale, microscopic size, which may exist in its unicellular organism, single-celled form or as a Colony (biology)#Microbial colonies, colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen ...

s were later named after the Mayo Clinic as a new genospecies. The spirochaete, a flexible and spiral twist

bacterium Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the ...

, was also detected in the blood of infected individuals using PCR and

microscopy Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view subjects too small to be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of microscopy: optical mic ...

and was cultivated or grown in a modified Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly (BSK) plate, a microbial growth plate consisting of bovine serum

albumin Albumin is a family of globular proteins, the most common of which are the serum albumins. All of the proteins of the albumin family are water- soluble, moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experience heat denaturation. Alb ...

and rabbit serum, at 34 °C under oxygen levels lower than that of normal atmospheric conditions, centrifuged at 8000 X g for 10 minutes, isolated using Qiagen DNA kit, and washed using dH₂O. This genospecies has the potential to cause

(Lyme borreliosis).

Genomics

The ''B. mayonii'' genome is about 1.31 megabase pairs (Mbp) with an average 26.9% GC (

guanine Guanine () (symbol G or Gua) is one of the four main nucleotide bases found in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA, the others being adenine, cytosine, and thymine ( uracil in RNA). In DNA, guanine is paired with cytosine. The guanine nucleoside ...

and

cytosine Cytosine () (symbol C or Cyt) is one of the four nucleotide bases found in DNA and RNA, along with adenine, guanine, and thymine ( uracil in RNA). It is a pyrimidine derivative, with a heterocyclic aromatic ring and two substituents attac ...

) content. It has a linear chromosome with an additional 15

plasmid A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria and ...

s, eight linear and seven circular. The genomes of the two isolates have similar plasmids seen in '' Borrelia burgdorferi''. The MN14-1420 isolate have a vls locus, a specific position on a

chromosome A chromosome is a package of DNA containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes, the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with nucleosome-forming packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells, the most import ...

, consisting of 24 silent cassettes, a mobile gene that floats around. ''B. burgdorferi'' has 15 silent cassettes with a vlsE expression site. The vls locus with the vlsE site, as it is present in strain ''B. burgdorferi'' B31, encodes a lipoprotein, a fatty protein, that allows ''B. burgdorferi'' to infect various

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

ian hosts. ''B. mayonii'' may also use this locus as a mechanism of evading host

immune system The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...

. However, the isolates lack various genomic regions seen in ''B. burgdorferi'' such as the region that codes for CspZ (complement inhibitor) and BB_K32 (fibronectin binding protein).

Metabolism

Since this organism is an obligate parasite, its metabolism outside of the host is unclear. However, ''B. mayonii'' has genes for purine salvage, a type of nucleotide salvage, and metabolism, but its use of these genes is unknown. According to Integrated Microbial Genomes System, this parasite has genes that allow this organism to synthesize various

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

s such as

L-alanine Alanine (symbol Ala or A), or α-alanine, is an α- amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an amine group and a carboxylic acid group, both attached to the central carbon atom which also carries a methyl group si ...

, L-glutamate,

glycine Glycine (symbol Gly or G; ) is an amino acid that has a single hydrogen atom as its side chain. It is the simplest stable amino acid. Glycine is one of the proteinogenic amino acids. It is encoded by all the codons starting with GG (G ...

, L-asparagine, and L-glutamine.

Disease

Infection by ''B. mayonii'' is transferred from the bite of ''

Ixodes scapularis ''Ixodes scapularis'' is a hard-bodied tick found in much of the eastern half of North America. It is commonly known as the deer tick, owing to its habit of parasitizing the white-tailed deer. It is also sometimes known as the black-legged tick ( ...

'', which is also called black legged tick or deer tick. ''B. mayonii'' causes Lyme disease like ''B. burgdorferi'', with the symptoms of

fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...

headache A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...

, rash, neck pain, and arthritis. However, ''B. mayonii'' also has additional symptoms differentiating it from ''B. burgdorferi'', such as

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat. Over 30 d ...

vomiting Vomiting (also known as emesis, puking and throwing up) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, pre ...

, macular rash, and neurological symptoms. To identify infection with ''B. mayonii'', blood smears, slides with blood samples on them for use with a

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory equipment, laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic ...

, may be used. Mayonii spirochetes in blood smears indicate a positive infection for Lyme disease caused by ''B. mayonii''. Additionally, PCR testing may be used. To treat this infection, the current drug of choice is

doxycycline Doxycycline is a Broad-spectrum antibiotic, broad-spectrum antibiotic of the Tetracycline antibiotics, tetracycline class used in the treatment of infections caused by bacteria and certain parasites. It is used to treat pneumonia, bacterial p ...

, an

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

, over a 2- to 4-week course.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q25441290 Lyme disease mayonii Bacteria described in 2016