Spiroplasma – an emerging arthropod-borne pathogen?

Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine

Jacek Dutkiewicz¹  Ewa Cisak¹  Violetta Zając¹  Angelina Wójcik-Fatla¹  Anna Sawczyn¹  Jacek Sroka¹ 

[1] Department of Biological Health Hazards and Parasitology, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, Poland;

关键词: Spiroplasma spp;    plants;    insects;    ticks;    crustaceans;    pathogenicity;    humans;   

DOI  :  10.5604/12321966.1185758

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Spiroplasmais a genus of wall-less, low-GC, small Gram-positive bacteria of the internal contractile cytoskeleton, with helical morphology and motility. The genus is classified within the class Mollicutes.Spiroplasma/ host interactions can be classified as commensal, pathogenic or mutualist. The majority of spiroplasmas are found to be commensals of insects, arachnids, crustaceans or plants, whereas a small number of species are pathogens of plants, insects, and crustaceans. Insects are particularly rich sources of spiroplasmas. The bacteria are common in haematophagous arthropods: deerflies, horseflies, mosquitoes, and in ticks, where they may occur abundantly in salivary glands. The ability of spiroplasmas to propagate in rodents was experimentally proven, andSpiroplasmainfections have been reported recently in humans. Some authors have purported an etiological role ofSpiroplasmain causing transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), but convincing proof is lacking. The possibility for humans and other vertebrates to be infected withSpiroplasmaspp. in natural conditions is largely unknown, as well as the possibility of the transmission of these bacteria by ticks and haematophagous insects. Nevertheless, in the light of new data, such possibilities cannot be excluded.

【 授权许可】

Unknown