Biology subjects

Rudenko, N.

Publications and source records attributed to Rudenko, N..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Diverse Lyme disease spirochete species evade restriction by human complement

Disseminated human Lyme borreliosis (LB) is traditionally associated with invasive spirochete species from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex. The Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex consists of 23 spirochete species worldwide, with additional species being proposed. Interactions between the host immune system and Borrelia species have been studied for a diverse range of vertebrate reservoirs of LB spirochetes, including lizards and snakes, as well as the widely recognized rodent and bird reservoirs. Humans are the vertebrate species most susceptible to B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochetes, as demonstrated by the increasing number of diagnosed LB cases worldwide. However, few studies have evaluated differences in the borreliacidal action of human complement against specific Borrelia species. Using the serum sensitivity test, we analyzed whether complement-mediated killing of 10 spirochete species from the B. burgdorferi s.l. complex varies among healthy human individuals of different ages and sexes. Our results show that the 10 genospecies exhibit varying sensitivities to human complement and can be classified into three statistically distinct groups: high, medium, and low sensitivity. Complement sensitivity did not correlate with the known human health impact of these genospecies; similar resistance to the killing effects of human serum was found among Borrelia species that are major causes of LB worldwide and species with unclear pathogenicity to humans. Additionally, females showed reduced complement-mediated Borrelia killing compared to males for all Borrelia species in almost all age groups. Age and biological sex interacted for the Borrelia species most sensitive to human complement. Overall, the effectiveness of complement-mediated killing of the different Borrelia species tended to decrease with age, with more complex age-dependent changes observed for some Borrelia species.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Concurrent infection of human brain with multiple species of Lyme disease spirochetes

Lyme disease (LD) spirochetes are well known to be able to disseminate into the tissues of infected hosts, including humans. The diverse strategies used by spirochetes to avoid the host immune system and persist in the host include active immune suppression, induction of immune tolerance, phase and antigenic variation, intracellular seclusion, and, importantly, incursion into immune privileged sites such as the brain. Invasion of immune privileged sites, like the brain allows the spirochetes not only escape from the host immune system but also can reduce the efficacy of antibiotic therapy. Here we present a case of the detection of DNA of spirochetes from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex from multiple loci of LD patients post-mortem brain. The presence of co-infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Borrelia garinii in LD patients brain was confirmed by PCR. The presence of atypical spirochete morphology was confirmed by immunohistochemistry of the brain samples and also in tissues of experimental mice, infected with Borrelia by simultaneous injection of spirochetes subcutaneously and intraperitoneally. Even though both spirochete species were simultaneously present in brain, the brain regions where the two species were detected were different and non-overlapping.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Detection of Borrelia garinii in the USA

Borrelia garinii, is a cause of Lyme disease in Europe and Asia. For the first time, we report it in the southeastern United States in rodents. Whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that USA-located B. garinii is part of a clade consisting primarily of few European and majority of Far Eastern strains. Continued surveillance of wildlife hosts and ticks is necessary to assess the ecological status and public health risks of B. garinii in southeastern US.

microbiology↗