First Image Using Cryo-Electron Tomography Of The Pathogens Causing Borreliosis / New Features Of Various Pathogen Types Identified

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: Body Aches;  Neurology / Neuroscience;  Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 16 Feb 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Tiny details in three dimensions

They are borne by ticks and can cause acute and chronic symptoms in joints, muscles and the nervous system - the bacteria that cause Lyme borreliosis, which 80,000 people in Germany contract every year. Heidelberg researchers have now succeeded in identifying their structure more accurately. Using a cryo-tomography microscope, the previously unknown detailed structure of the spirochete bacteria can be shown in three dimensions. One finding - that borrelia types in North America more often affect the joints and in Europe the skin and nervous system as well - seems to stem from the characteristics of their motility system.

The research group headed by Professor Reinhard Wallich, Institute of Immunology, and Dr. Friedrich Frischknecht, Department of Parasitology at the Hygiene Institute of Heidelberg University Hospital has published its findings in cooperation with colleagues from Munich and Freiburg in "Molecular Microbiology". Among other things, the researchers hope to gain new insights into the various clinical symptoms of the disease.

Shock freezing maintains original condition / Resolution up to 5 nanometers

In cryo-electron tomography the organism is shock frozen so that its original condition is retained. Chemical pretreatment, which is often associated with modifying structures and properties, is no longer necessary. Resolution of five to seven nm allows tiniest structures to be viewed. "The new technology is a quantum leap for research, comparable with the step from simple x-ray images to three-dimensional computer tomography in clinical diagnostics," stated Dr. Frischknecht.

The bacteria have developed many strategies to avoid the immune response of humans. Borrelias, like the syphilis pathogens, are spirochetes bacteria. The spiral-shaped, actively motile bacteria have flexible, pliable bodies that are moved with the aid of complex organs, flagella. A correlation between the motility and infectiousness of the pathogen has long been presumed.

The Heidelberg researchers have now for the first time compared the characteristics of the three human pathogenic species that cause Lyme borreliosis that occur in Europe and cause varying symptoms. While in North America, the major symptom is joint inflammation, in Europe, the skin or nervous system may also be affected. With the aid of cryo-tomographic microscopy, they have successfully shown that the three pathogen types have varying numbers of flagella. In addition, structures were identified for the first time that could play an important role in the reproduction of the bacteria.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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References:

Comparative cryo-electron tomography of pathogenic Lyme disease spirochetes
Mikhail Kudryashev, Marek Cyrklaff, Wolfgang Baumeister, Markus M. Simon, Reinhard Wallich, Friedrich Frischknecht
Published Online: Feb 4 2009 7:27AM
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06613.x

More information on the Internet:

http://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/Immunologie.106593.0.html

Contacts:

Dr. Friedrich Frischknecht
Heidelberg University Hospital
Hygiene Institute
Department of Parasitology
Im Neuenheimer Feld 324
69120 Heidelberg

Prof. Dr. Reinhard Wallich
Heidelberg University Hospital
Institute of Infection Immunology
Im Neuenheimer Feld 305
69120 Heidelberg

Heidelberg University Hospital and School of Medicine

Health care, research, and teaching of international reputation. The Heidelberg University Hospital is one of the largest and most prestigious medical centers in Germany; the medical school at Heidelberg University is an internationally renowned biomedical research institute in Europe. Their common goal is to develop new therapies and implement them quickly in patient care. Hospital and medical school employ around 7,000 people and are active in training and qualification. In more than 40 clinics and departments with 1,600 beds, some 500,000 in and outpatients are seen and treated every year. Currently, approx. 1,300 future physicians are studying in Heidelberg; the Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (HeiCuMed) is the top medical training program in Germany. (as of 12/2008)

http://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/

Source: Dr. Friedrich Frischknecht
University Hospital Heidelberg