| borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection in larval ixodes ricinus (acari: ixodidae) feeding on blackbirds in northwestern italy. | birds belonging to 59 species (n = 1,206) were live captured in piemonte, northwestern italy, in 2001. ixodes ricinus (l.) larvae were collected from 59 birds belonging to nine species, and nymphs were recovered on 79 birds belonging to 10 species. eurasian blackbirds, turdus merula l., had significantly higher levels of infestation by ticks than other passerine species. larval i. ricinus of blackbirds peaked in summer, when prevalence was 39% (95% confidence interval 24.2-55.5) and mean number ... | 2005 | 15799526 |