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Gern, Lise

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Gern, Lise
Affiliation principale
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Ancien.ne collaborateur.trice
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https://libra.unine.ch/handle/123456789/303

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  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    PCR-reverse line blot typing method underscores the genomic heterogeneity of Borrelia valaisiana species and suggests its potential involvement in Lyme disease
    (2003)
    Godfroid, Edmond
    ;
    Hu, Chang Min
    ;
    Humair, Pierre-François
    ;
    Bollen, Alex
    ;
    Gern, Lise 
    Detection of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex in biological samples is currently done by conventional immunological and molecular biological methods. To improve on the accuracy of these methods and to simplify the procedure for testing large numbers of samples, a solid-phase sandwich hybridization system readily applicable to the detection of PCR products has been designed. This colorimetric detection system relies on the use of polybiotinylated detection probes and of specific capture oligonucleotides covalently linked at allocated positions on nylon membrane strips. From a phylogenetic analysis on a great number of ospA gene sequences, we have designed and synthesized a set of PCR primers specific to the five Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies present in Europe and a subset of probes (capture and detection probes) specific to these five genospecies (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. valaisiana, and B. lusitaniae). This combined PCR hybridization system was evaluated with a large number of various B. burgdorferi isolates and clinical specimens. These analyses clearly showed that the system could be used as a typing method to distinguish five genospecies belonging to the B. burgdorferi sensu lato complex. In addition, the study showed that B. valaisiana strains might be more heterologous than suspected up to now and clustered into three genomic groups.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Transmission cycles of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato involving Ixodes ricinus and/or I-hexagonus ticks and the European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, in suburban and urban areas in Switzerland
    (1997)
    Gern, Lise 
    ;
    Rouvinez, Evelyne
    ;
    Toutoungi, Lina Naime
    ;
    Godfroid, Edmond
    European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus Linnaeus, 1758, is a common host of Ixodes ricinus L, and I. hexagonus Leach, vectors of the Lyme disease spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. TO investigate whether hedgehogs are reservoirs for B. burgdorferi, hedgehogs were captured in a suburban area suitable for both tick species and in an urban area where I, ricinus is absent. The infection status of the hedgehogs was determined by xenodiagnosis using I. ricinus and I. hexagonus larvae. I. hexagonus and/or I. ricinus were found on;ll hedgehogs (n = 8) from the suburban area. In contrast, only I. hexagonus was infesting animals (n = 5) from the urban area. A total of 12/13 hedgehogs harboured B. burgdorferi infected ticks. Xenodiagnostic I. ricinus and I. hexagonus larvae that fed on hedgehogs became infected. The results clearly show that European hedgehogs are reservoir hosts of the Lyme disease spirochetes. DNA of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii and B. afzelii was detected in culture from ear biopsy and needle aspiration material and characterized by using a genospecies-specific PCR assay. One hedgehog presented a mixed infection of the skin with B, burgdorferi sensu stricto and B. garinii. This study also identifies an enzootic transmission cycle in an urban area involving E. europaeus and I. hexagonus. The close association of I. hexagonus with the burrows of its hosts mean that the risks of contact between I. hexagonus and humans may be low.