Dr. Richard Horowitz:
!! The discovery of this new bacteria is part of a growing international problem with ticks and emerging infections. In the last decade, we have seen an increase in the number of new bacterial infections in ticks, such as Borrelia miyamotoi, and other relapsing fever bacteria, like Borrelia bissettii. Borrelia miyamotoi was discovered in up to 4% of New England residents (NEJM), and B. bissettii was recently implicated as a human pathogen in Mendocino County, California (Girard YA, Fedorova N, Lane RS. Genetic diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi and detection of B. bissettii-like DNA in serum of north-coastal California residents. J Clin Microbiol. 2011;49:945–54). Overall, there has been a worldwide increase in the incidence of new Borrelia infections in the last 10 years, with 15 new species (1990-2010). These species include in the USA: B. burgdorferi sensu strictu, Borrelia sensu latu, and Borrelia kurtenbachii species; in Europe: Borrelia afzelii (ACA), Borrelia garinii (neuroborreliosis), B. spielmani (early skin disease), B. valaisana, B. lusitanea, and B. bavariensis; in Asia, B. japonica, B. turdi, B. tanukii, B.yangtze; in North America, Borrelia andersonii; in the southern U.S, B. americanum, and B. carolinensis; and in the Pacific U.S, B. bissettii. We have also seen an expansion of viral infections in ticks in the last few years, such as the recently discovered Heartland and Bourbon viruses, and Powassan virus.
