Lyme disease: aetiopathogenesis, factors for disease development and control.

Lyme disease is caused by infection with several genospecies from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex, and is transmitted by ixodid ticks. Human disease is an infrequent sequel to infection, which suggests that multiple factors underlie disease development. Several innate immune defects modulating disease development are observed in both natural and experimental infections, and significant heterogeneity exists between B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochaetes. These factors create a panel of presentations from asymptomatic carriage to overt and variable disease. In this short review we summarise the host immune responses associated with Lyme disease in humans, domestic species and laboratory mouse strains, and discuss B. burgdorferi s.l. pathogenicity. We also describe briefly the epidemiology of Lyme disease, and current options for the treatment and prevention.

Fluid absorption in the small intestine of healthy game birds and those infected with Spironucleus spp.

Absorption of fluid by the small intestine of 4-week-old to 12-week-old farmed pheasants and partridges has been studied using an inverted sac technique. The mean rate of absorption was 54 +/- 4 (mean +/- standard error of the mean) microl/g dry tissue/min in pheasants and 49 +/- 3 microl/g dry tissue/min in partridges. Use of inhibitors and ion substitution suggested transepithelial transport driven by baso-lateral Na+/K+ pumps, in combination with mucosal Na+-coupled transporters, including Cl(-)-coupled transporters. Absorption was more than halved to 17 +/- 2 microl/g dry tissue/min (P < 0.001) in birds that were very heavily infected with Spironucleus spp. in their small intestine and showing a syndrome of diarrhoea, depression and loss of weight to severe emaciation. Birds carrying light to moderate levels of infection with Spironucleus had very variable rates of absorption that were statistically similar to the controls. Doubling the glucose concentration in the buffer to 40 mM significantly enhanced absorption.