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Gern, Lise

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Gern, Lise
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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
    Phenology of Ixodes ricinus and infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato along a North- and South-facing altitudinal gradient on Chaumont Mountain, Switzerland
    (2007)
    Cadenas, Francisca Moran
    ;
    Rais, Olivier 
    ;
    Jouda, Fatima
    ;
    Douet, Véronique 
    ;
    Humair, Pierre-François
    ;
    Moret, Jacqueline
    ;
    Gern, Lise 
    Questing Ixodes ricinus L. ticks were collected monthly from 2003 to 2005 on the north- and south-facing slopes of Chaumont Mountain in Neuchatel, Switzerland, at altitudes varying from 620 to 1,070 in. On the south-facing slope, questing tick density was higher than on the north-facing slope, and it decreased with altitude. Density tended to increase with altitude on the north-facing slope. Saturation deficit values higher than 10 mmHg and lasting for >2 mo were often recorded on the south-facing slope, explaining seasonal patterns of questing tick activity. The overall prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was 22.4%, and prevalence differed according to exposure and among years. No difference was noticed between nymphs and adults. Four Borrelia species were identified. Mixed infections were detected in 52 ticks, B. garinii and B. valaisiana (n = 21) and B. afzelii and B. burgdorferi s.s. (n = 20) were the most frequent associations observed. The density of infected ticks varied from 3.6 to 78.7 infected nymphs per 1 00 m(2) and from 0.6 to 16.9 infected adults per 100 m(2), both slopes combined. The study on the south-facing slope was a follow-up of a previous study carried out at the same location during 1999-2001. Comparison of climatic data between the two periods showed a marked increase in saturation deficit. Substantial differences in density and phenology of ticks also were observed. At high elevations, ticks were significantly more abundant during the current study. This can be explained by rising temperatures recorded during summer at altitude, reaching values similar to those registered in the first study beneath. At the lowest altitude, adults were significantly less abundant, probably due to long-lasting high saturation deficits that impaired nymphal survival. The density of Borrelia-infected ticks was higher than in the previous study.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Evaluation of a modified culture medium for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato
    (2007)
    Rodriguez, Islay
    ;
    Lienhard, Reto
    ;
    Gern, Lise 
    ;
    Veuve, Marie Colette
    ;
    Jouda, Fatima
    ;
    Siegrist, Hans H
    ;
    Fernandez, Carmen
    ;
    Rodriguez, José Enrique
    The aim of the present study was to assess the possible use of a modified medium, prepared in the laboratory using the constituents of Barb our-Stonner-Kelly (BSK) medium and medium 199 as base, for the culture of Borrelia strains, comparing the growth of individual strains in this medium and in the BSK-H medium, and the protein profile and antigenic characteristics of Borrelia proteins expressed in these media. A qualitative evaluation of growth of Borrelia species was made with acceptable results (morphology and motility), but during a quantitative evaluation using the three main genospecies of Borrelia, the better results were obtained with a B. burgdorferi sensu stricto strain. The modified medium did not enable the growth of a B. afzelii strain. The protein profile and antigenic characteristic of the expressed proteins in the modified medium were studied with satisfactory results. These results suggest the modified medium as an alternative for the cultivation of Borrelia strains, with some limitations, in poorly-resourced laboratories.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Characterization of Borrelia lusitaniae isolates collected in Tunisia and Morocco
    (2005)
    Younsi, Hend
    ;
    Sarih, M'Hammed
    ;
    Jouda, Fatima
    ;
    Godfroid, Edmond
    ;
    Gern, Lise 
    ;
    Bouattour, Ali
    ;
    Baranton, Guy
    ;
    Postic, Danièle
    Borrelia lusitaniae is a species within the complex Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and is infrequently isolated in Europe. In contrast, this species is by far the most predominant in North Africa and in Portugal. In this study, we analyzed the genetic diversity, at several loci, of a large population of isolates from free-living Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in Tunisia and Morocco. We found a moderate diversity of the whole genome by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis as well as in the ospA gene sequences, compared to a high level of strain homogeneity in the small noncoding ribosomal spacer. In contrast, a high diversity of this locus has been previously reported for Portuguese isolates. We hypothesize that B. lusitaniae strains isolated in North Africa constitute a clone of Portuguese origin.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Ixodes ricinus density, and distribution and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection along an altitudinal gradient
    (2004)
    Jouda, Fatima
    ;
    Perret, Jean-Luc
    ;
    Gern, Lise 
    In this study, we measured the phenology of Ixodes ricinus ticks and their infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (sl) simultaneously along an altitudinal gradient to assess the impact of climate on the phenology of ticks and on their infection with B. burgdorferi sl. From 1999 to 2001, free-living I. ricinus ticks were collected monthly by flagging vegetation at three different altitudes (620, 740, and 900 in above sea level) on the slope of a mountain in Chaumont (Neuchatel, Switzerland). I. ricinus ticks were examined for the presence of B, burgdorferi sl by using direct fluorescent antibody assay and isolation of spirochetes. Borrelia species were characterized by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment-length polymorphism. Tick density and tick phenology varied with altitude. Although the peak tick density decreased and the onset of ticks was delayed with altitude, the phenology, vas much more stable among years at the highest altitudes than at the lowest. The prevalence of B. burgdorferi infection in nymphs and adults decreased with altitude. The prevalence of infection differed significantly among years, and it was significantly higher in adults (30%) than in nymphs (21%). B. burgdorferi infection in adults was positively related with adult density, but this was not observed for nymphs. Five B. burgdorferi sl genospecies were successfully : B. garinii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii, B. valaisiana, and B. lusitaniae. Mixed isolate infections were obtained from five of 140 infected ticks. The greatest diversity in Borrelia species was observed at the lowest altitude where all five Borrelia species were present, whereas at the two highest altitudes, B. lusitaniae was not observed.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    First isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from Ixodes ricinus ticks in Morocco
    (2003)
    Sarih, M'Hammed
    ;
    Jouda, Fatima
    ;
    Gern, Lise 
    ;
    Postic, Danièle
    To determine the infection rate of Ixodes ricinus (I. ricinus) ticks with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi sl) and to assess the frequency of the individual Borrelia species in this tick species, a total of 295 I. ricinus were collected in Taza region (Northeast of Morocco), from January to June 2002. The presence of B. burgdorferi A was determined by direct fluorescence antibody assay (DFA) and by PCR after culture. B. burgdorferi sl isolates were identified at the species level by restriction fragment length polymorphism. analysis of amplified products. The mean rate of I. ricinus infection with B. burgdorferi sl was 47.8%. Isolation attempts in BSK II medium resulted in 26 pure isolates. However, PCR performed on culture medium allowed to identify 82 Borrelia DNAs. B. lusitaniae has been identified from 76 out of 82 infected I. ricinus ticks (92.7%). Three ticks were infected by B. burgdorferi ss, and three other ticks were infected by B. garinii. This is the first report of the presence of B. burgdorferi A in Morocco and more specifically of B. burgdorferi ss in North Africa.