| parasites of cottontail rabbits of southern illinois. | fifteen species of parasites including haemaphysalis leporispalustris, ixodes dentatus, amblyomma americanum, cediopsylla simplex, odontopsyllus multispinosus, cuterebra sp., obeliscoides cuniculi, trichostrongylus calcaratus, trichostrongylus affinis, longistriata noviberiae, dermatoxys veligera, trichuris sp., mosgovoyia sp., taenia pisiformis, and hasstilesia tricolor as well as coccidia oocysts were collected from 96 cottontail rabbits (sylvilagus floridanus) confined to a pen in southern il ... | 1992 | 1491303 |
| new host of ixodes dentatus (acari: ixodidae), and first record in tennessee. | two specimens of ixodes dentatus marx were found in southwestern tennessee in shelby county during a 14-mo tick survey. this was the first record for this tick in tennessee. an adult female was found on a dry ice trap and one larva was found on a live-trapped peromyscus leucopus, the first time this tick has been reported from p. leucopus. this may be another combination of vector and host in the ecology and transmission of b. burgdorferi in the wild. | 1992 | 1495084 |
| borrelia burgdorferi in ticks (acari: ixodidae) from coastal virginia. | ixodid ticks removed from hosts and from vegetation during march-november 1987 at sites in coastal virginia and north carolina were examined for borrelia burgdorferi. b. burgdorferi was evident in nine (22%) ixodes cookei packard removed from rice rats (oryzomys palustris), a white-footed mouse (peromyscus leucopus), and raccoons (procyon lotor); four (6%) amblyomma americanum (l.) removed from raccoons; and two (3%) dermacentor variabilis (say) removed from a raccoon and a rice rat. b. burgdorf ... | 1991 | 1941936 |
| parasitization of humans in west virginia by ixodes cookei (acari: ixodidae), a potential vector of lyme borreliosis. | in 32 collections, two larvae, 33 nymphs, and one adult female ixodes cookei packard were collected from humans in west virginia from august 1987 to may 1990. most were attached. the ticks were found in 14 counties and were the most abundant ixodes found biting humans. one nymphal i. cookei was removed from the left axilla of a 39-yr-old woman who lives and works in monongalia and marion counties, w. va. the bite was the center of an expanding erythematous lesion reaching 4 cm in diameter, clear ... | 1991 | 2033612 |
| bird-feeding ticks transstadially transmit borrelia burgdorferi that infect syrian hamsters. | bird-feeding ixodes dammini ticks were documented for the first time to successfully molt and transstadially pass borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes that were indistinguishable by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis from the type b31 strain. forty-six of 73 blood-engorged larvae and 50 of 66 fully-fed nymphs, removed from wild-caught birds, successfully molted. borreliae were isolated from 21 of 78 partially- and fully-fed larvae off birds, including six specimens that molted ... | 1990 | 2304189 |
| serologic analyses of cottontail rabbits for antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi. | an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed to detect antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi in cottontail rabbits captured in millbrook, n.y., and new york, n.y. five antigenically variable strains of b. burgdorferi were analyzed to determine the variability of serologic test results. in analyses of 79 serum samples, seropositivity ranged from 56% for a strain cultured from kidney tissues of a cottontail rabbit to 68% for a strain isolated from a larva of ixodes dentatus, a tick that parasit ... | 1990 | 2351732 |
| epizootiology of borrelia in ixodes tick vectors and reservoir hosts. | four north american and two european species of ixodes ticks harbor borreliae. three of the north american species--ixodes dammini, ixodes scapularis, and ixodes pacificus--and two old world species--ixodes ricinus and ixodes persulcatus--feed on a wide range of hosts, including humans; the north american ixodes dentatus has a predilection for cottontail rabbits and rarely parasitizes humans. in lyme disease foci in north america where i. dammini is common, borrelia burgdorferi or similar types ... | 1989 | 2682957 |
| competence of a rabbit-feeding ixodes (acari: ixodidae) as a vector of the lyme disease spirochete. | we compared the development of the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi johnson, schmid, hyde, steigerwalt and brenner, in subadult rabbit-feeding ixodes dentatus marx with that in mouse-feeding i. dammini spielman, clifford, piesman and corwin. rabbits were infected with spirochetes by the bites of i. dammini that had been infected naturally in a zoönotic site. larval ticks of both species were permitted to engorge simultaneously on each of these infected hosts. spirochetes were presen ... | 1989 | 2709387 |
| enzootic transmission of the agent of lyme disease in rabbits. | to determine whether cottontail rabbits (sylvilagus floridanus) maintain an enzootic cycle of transmission of the lyme disease spirochete (borrelia burgdorferi), we examined the prevalence of infection in ticks and rabbits in a location in which rabbits were abundant. of 72 unfed nymphal ixodes dentatus swept from vegetation, 32% were infected by this spirochete, as determined by darkfield microscopy and indirect immunofluorescence using monoclonal antibody h5332. infected ticks were reared from ... | 1989 | 2802026 |
| antigenically variable borrelia burgdorferi isolated from cottontail rabbits and ixodes dentatus in rural and urban areas. | spirochetes were isolated from 71 subadult ixodes dentatus removed from cottontail rabbits captured in millbrook, n.y., and in new york, n.y. spirochetes were also cultured from kidney tissues of six rabbits. while all isolates reacted with monoclonal antibody h9724, which identifies the spirochetes as borreliae, more than half did not bind with antibody h5332 and even fewer reacted with h3ts, both of which were produced to outer surface protein a of borrelia burgdorferi. sodium dodecyl sulfate- ... | 1989 | 2913024 |
| avian and mammalian hosts for spirochete-infected ticks and insects in a lyme disease focus in connecticut. | spirochetes and their vectors and reservoirs were studied in a lyme disease focus in east haddam, connecticut, from mid-may through september 1983. ixodes dammini subadults were comparable in number on white-footed mice (peromyscus leucopus) (means = 2.9 +/- 3.6 sd) to those on 27 different species of birds (means = 2.3 +/- 4.2 sd) representing 11 families within the order passeriformes. less commonly found ticks on birds (means less than or equal to 0.1) were immature ixodes dentatus and haemap ... | 1984 | 6516460 |
| metazoan parasites of the eastern cottontail rabbit in western kentucky. | forty-five eastern cottontail rabbits (sylvilagus floridanus allen), collected over a 15 mo period from two areas of western kentucky, were examined for disease conditions, helminth and arthropod parasites. a single lymphosarcoma, two cutaneous papillomas and the following parasites were identified: hasstilesia tricolor, taenia pisiformis, cittotaenia variabilis, raillietina stilesiella, obeliscoides cuniculi, trichuris leporis, longistriata noviberiae, trichostrongylus calcaratus, dermatoxys ve ... | 1983 | 6842731 |
| identification of novel insertion elements, restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns, and discontinuous 23s rrna in lyme disease spirochetes: phylogenetic analyses of rrna genes and their intergenic spacers in borrelia japonica sp. nov. and genomic group 21038 (borrelia andersonii sp. nov.) isolates. | borrelia spp. associated with lyme disease possess an rrna gene organization consisting of a single 16s rrna gene followed by a spacer of several kilobases and a tandem repeat of a 23s (rrl)-5s (rrf) rrna gene cluster. the restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) patterns for these genes have been widely used to classify lyme disease spirochete isolates. we analyzed the rrna gene organization and sequences for two ixodes ovatus isolates from japan (ika2 and ho14) and two group 21038 isola ... | 1995 | 7494041 |
| interspecific differences between small mammals as hosts of immature dermacentor variabilis (acari: ixodidae) and a model for detection of high risk areas of rocky mountain spotted fever. | fourteen species of small mammals were captured from july 1990 through august 1991 in tennessee, from which 1,217 immature dermacentor variabilis and 1 ixodes dentatus were collected. mammal species were given scores of importance (ts) as hosts to immature d. variabilis based on mean intensity and prevalence. the rice rat ranked the highest, with a ts = 5, followed by the golden mouse ts = 4, white-footed mouse ts = 3, pine vole ts = 2, cotton rat ts = 1, with the norway rat, house mouse, and sh ... | 1996 | 8885876 |
| novel borrelia burgdorferi isolates from ixodes scapularis and ixodes dentatus ticks feeding on humans. | seven cultures of borrelia burgdorferi differing from strains b31 and zs7 were identified from among 99 isolates from ixodes scapularis ticks and from white-footed mice (peromyscus leucopus) and 1 isolate from an ixodes dentatus tick. five of the six novel isolates from i. scapularis and the isolate from i. dentatus were from ticks feeding on humans. the six isolates from i. scapularis lacked ospa and ospb, four possessed an ospd band, and two reacted with an anti-ospc monoclonal antibody. restr ... | 1996 | 8904407 |
| unusual strain of borrelia burgdorferi isolated from ixodes dentatus in central georgia. | a new, unusual spirochete was cultured in barbour-stoenner-kelly (bsk ii) medium from the midgut and other tissues of the tick ixodes dentatus. the tick was collected from leaf litter in an oak-pine wood lot in bibb county approximately 7.2 km from macon in central georgia during february 1993. characterization by indirect immunofluorescence using 5 murine monoclonal antibodies, by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of whole spirochetal lysates, and by polymerase chain rea ... | 1996 | 8973402 |
| ticks (acari: ixodida) uncommonly found biting humans in north carolina. | collection records are presented that document human-biting by otobius megnini, amblyomma maculatum, haemaphysalis leporispalustris, ixodes cookei, ixodes dentatus, and rhipicephalus sanguineus in north carolina. these species are either extremely rare in north carolina or they are normally considered non-human feeders. the record of otobius megnini represents the first collection of this species in north carolina in over 50 years. it is proposed that immature rhipicephalus sanguineus feed on hu ... | 1997 | 9221733 |
| first isolation and cultivation of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from missouri. | five borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolates from missouri are described. this represents the first report and characterization of such isolates from that state. the isolates were obtained from either ixodes dentatus or amblyomma americanum ticks that had been feeding on cottontail rabbits (sylvilagus floridanus) from a farm in bollinger county, mo., where a human case of lyme disease had been reported. all isolates were screened immunologically by indirect immunofluorescence by using monoclona ... | 1998 | 9431909 |
| analysis of the organization of multicopy linear- and circular-plasmid-carried open reading frames in borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolates. | plasmid cp8.3 of borrelia afzelii ip21 carries several open reading frames (orfs) and a 184-bp inverted repeat (ir) element. it has been speculated that this plasmid may encode factors involved in virulence or infectivity. in this report, we have characterized the distribution, molecular variability, and organization of orfs 1, 2, and 4 and the ir elements among isolates of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. orfs 1 and 2 are contained within a segment of cp8.3 that is bordered by the i ... | 1998 | 9488408 |
| first records of amblyomma americanum, ixodes (ixodes) dentatus, and ixodes (ceratixodes) uriae (acari: ixodidae) from maine. | the first records of 3 ixodid tick species collected in the state of maine are reported. a total of 23 records of the lone star tick, amblyomma americanum (l., 1758), in 11 counties from hosts with no history of travel outside the state demonstrates that this tick is now a resident of maine. ixodes dentatus marx, 1899 is recorded from waldo and lincoln counties, and ixodes uriae white, 1852 is recorded from matinicus rock in knox county. this is the first report of i. uriae from the eastern unit ... | 1998 | 9645873 |
| genetic divergence and evolutionary instability in ospe-related members of the upstream homology box gene family in borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex isolates. | a series of related genes that are flanked at their 5' ends by a conserved upstream sequence element called the upstream homology box (uhb) have been identified in borrelia burgdorferi. these genes have been referred to as the uhb or erp gene family. we previously demonstrated that among a limited number of b. burgdorferi isolates, the uhb gene family is variable in composition and organization. prior to this report the uhb gene family in other species of the b. burgdorferi sensu lato complex ha ... | 1998 | 9746562 |
| genospecies identification and characterization of lyme disease spirochetes of genospecies borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolated from rodents in taiwan. | lyme disease spirochetes of the genospecies borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato were identified and characterized for the first time in taiwan. seven isolates, designated twkm1 to twkm7, were purified from the ear tissues of three species of rodents captured from seven localities of taiwan. the immunological characteristics of these taiwan isolates were compared with those of other genospecies of lyme disease spirochetes by analyzing the protein profiles and reactivities with b. burgdorferi-specific ... | 1998 | 9774551 |
| expanded diversity among californian borrelia isolates and description of borrelia bissettii sp. nov. (formerly borrelia group dn127). | up to now, the only species in the complex borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato known to cause lyme borreliosis in the united states has been b. burgdorferi sensu stricto. however, some atypical strains closely related to the previously designated genomic group dn127 have been isolated in the united states, mostly in california. to explore the diversity of b. burgdorferi sensu lato group dn127, we analyzed the nucleotide sequences of the rrf-rrl intergenic spacer regions from 19 atypical strains (18 ... | 1998 | 9817861 |
| molecular genetic key for the identification of 17 ixodes species of the united states (acari:ixodidae): a methods model. | a taxonomic key, based on restriction enzyme analysis of the second internal-transcribed spacer (its-2) in the nuclear ribosomal dna gene, was developed for identification of 17 ixodes tick species in the united states. this key includes: ixodes affinis neumann, ixodes angustus neumann, ixodes baergi cooley and kohls, ixodes brunneus koch, ixodes cookei packard, ixodes dentatus marx, ixodes jellisoni cooley and kohls, ixodes kingi bishopp, ixodes minor neumann, ixodes muris bishopp and smith, ix ... | 1999 | 10461941 |
| q fever. | q fever is a zoonosis with a worldwide distribution with the exception of new zealand. the disease is caused by coxiella burnetii, a strictly intracellular, gram-negative bacterium. many species of mammals, birds, and ticks are reservoirs of c. burnetii in nature. c. burnetii infection is most often latent in animals, with persistent shedding of bacteria into the environment. however, in females intermittent high-level shedding occurs at the time of parturition, with millions of bacteria being r ... | 1999 | 10515901 |
| molecular typing of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato: taxonomic, epidemiological, and clinical implications. | borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the spirochete that causes human lyme borreliosis (lb), is a genetically and phenotypically divergent species. in the past several years, various molecular approaches have been developed and used to determine the phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity within the lb-related spirochetes and their potential association with distinct clinical syndromes. these methods include serotyping, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, dna-dna reassociation analysis, rrna gene restri ... | 1999 | 10515907 |
| isolation, cultivation, and characterization of borrelia burgdorferi from rodents and ticks in the charleston area of south carolina. | twenty-eight borrelia burgdorferi isolates from the charleston, s.c., area are described. this represents the first report and characterization of the lyme disease spirochete from that state. the isolates were obtained from december 1994 through december 1995 from the tick ixodes scapularis, collected from vegetation, and from the rodents peromyscus gossypinus (cotton mouse), neotoma floridana (eastern wood rat), and sigmodon hispidus (cotton rat). all isolates were screened immunologically by i ... | 2000 | 10618074 |
| evaluation of whole-cell and ospc enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for discrimination of early lyme borreliosis from ospa vaccination. | a recombinant lyme borreliosis vaccine consisting of outer surface protein a (ospa) is commercially available for vaccination of humans against infection with borrelia burgdorferi. vaccination with ospa induces an antibody response that makes serologic interpretation of infection with b. burgdorferi difficult, especially by screening tests based on whole-cell preparations of b. burgdorferi. we show that an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with b. burgdorferi sensu stricto 50772, which lacks the ... | 2000 | 10618107 |
| prevalence of lyme disease borrelia spp. in ticks from migratory birds on the japanese mainland. | borrelia sp. prevalence in ticks on migratory birds was surveyed in central japan. in autumn, a total of 1,733 birds representing 40 species were examined for ticks. a total of 361 ticks were obtained from 173 birds of 15 species, and these ticks were immature haemaphysalis flava (94.4%), haemaphysalis longicornis, ixodes columnae, ixodes persulcatus, ixodes turdus, and an unidentified ixodes species. of these, 27 juveniles of h. flava on turdus pallidus, turdus cardis, or emberiza spodocephala, ... | 2000 | 10698761 |
| distribution of twelve linear extrachromosomal dnas in natural isolates of lyme disease spirochetes. | we have analyzed a panel of independent north american isolates of the lyme disease agent spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi (sensu stricto), for the presence of linear plasmids with sequence similarities to the 12 linear plasmids present in the b. burgdorferi type strain, isolate b31. the frequency of similarities to probes from each of the 12 b31 plasmids varied from 13 to 100% in the strain panel examined, and these similarities usually reside on plasmids similar in size to the cognate b31 plas ... | 2000 | 10762248 |
| tick infestations of birds in coastal georgia and alabama. | mist-netted birds were examined for ticks on jekyll island, glynn co., georgia (32 bird species) in 1996-1998, and at fort morgan, baldwin co., alabama (36 species) in 1998 during fall migration. sixty-two (14.7%) of 423 birds from jekyll island and 22 (13.3%) of 165 birds from fort morgan were infested with ticks. the mean number of ticks per infested bird was 2.0 on jekyll island and 6.3 at fort morgan. ten species of birds were infested with ticks on jekyl1 island where 87% of all ticks were ... | 2000 | 10780541 |
| genetic diversity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks from mainland portugal. | to date borrelia lusitaniae is the only genospecies of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolated from ixodes ricinus ticks collected in portugal and tunisia. this suggests that the genospecies diversity of b. burgdorferi sensu lato decreases toward the southwestern margin of its old world subtropical range. in order to further explore the genetic diversity of b. burgdorferi sensu lato from this region, 55 i. ricinus and 27 hyalomma marginatum questing adults, collected during the spring of 1998 f ... | 2000 | 10834965 |
| attachment of borrelia burgdorferi within ixodes scapularis mediated by outer surface protein a. | borrelia burgdorferi outer surface protein (osp) a has been used as a lyme disease vaccine that blocks transmission: ospa antibodies of immune hosts enter ticks during blood feeding and destroy spirochetes before transmission to the host can occur. b. burgdorferi produce ospa in the gut of unfed ixodes scapularis ticks, and many spirochetes repress ospa production during the feeding process. this preferential expression suggests that ospa may have an important function in the vector. here we sho ... | 2000 | 10953031 |
| detection of borreliacidal antibodies in dogs after challenge with borrelia burgdorferi-infected ixodes scapularis ticks. | detection of borreliacidal antibodies is an accurate serodiagnostic test for confirmation of lyme disease in humans. in this study, 13 pathogen-free beagles, 12 to 26 weeks old, were infected with borrelia burgdorferi by tick challenge. dogs were monitored for clinical signs and symptoms of lyme disease along with borreliacidal antibody production against b. burgdorferi sensu stricto isolates 297 and 50772. ten (77%) dogs developed lameness in one or more legs within 210 days after attachment of ... | 2000 | 11015381 |
| specificities and sensitivities of four monoclonal antibodies for typing of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolates. | borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of lyme borreliosis, is genetically more heterogeneous than previously thought. in europe five genospecies have been described from the original b. burgdorferi sensu lato (sl): b. burgdorferi sensu stricto (ss), b. garinii, b. afzelii, b. lusitaniae, and b. valaisiana. in the united states, b. burgdorferi ss as well as b. bissettii in california and b. andersonii on the east coast were differentiated. in asia, b. japonica has been identified along, with b. garinii ... | 2001 | 11238225 |
| genetic heterogeneity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the southern united states based on restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analysis. | fifty-six strains of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, isolated from ticks and vertebrate animals in missouri, south carolina, georgia, florida, and texas, were identified and characterized by pcr-restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) analysis of rrf (5s)-rrl (23s) intergenic spacer amplicons. a total of 241 to 258 bp of intergenic spacers between tandemly duplicated rrf (5s) and rrl (23s) was amplified by pcr. msei and drai restriction fragment polymorphisms were used to analyze these ... | 2001 | 11427560 |
| genetic diversity of the outer surface protein c gene of southern borrelia isolates and its possible epidemiological, clinical, and pathogenetic implications. | the ospc genes of 20 southern borrelia strains were sequenced. the strains consisted of b. burgdorferi sensu stricto, b. andersonii, b. bissettii, one undescribed genospecies, mi-8, and one probably new borrelia species, txw-1. a high degree of similarity exists between b. burgdorferi sensu stricto and b. bissettii and between b. bissettii and b. andersonii. lateral transfers of the ospc gene probably occurred between b. burgdorferi sensu stricto and b. bissettii and between b. bissettii and b. ... | 2002 | 12089279 |
| host associations and seasonal occurrence of haemaphysalis leporispalustris, ixodes brunneus, i. cookei, i. dentatus, and i. texanus (acari: ixodidae) in southeastern missouri. | hemaphysalis leporispalustris (packard), ixodes brunneus koch, ixodes cookei packard, ixodes dentatus marx, and ixodes texanus banks were collected during a 3-yr study of pathogen-tick-host interactions in southeastern missouri. h. leporispalustris was collected from the eastern cottontail rabbit, northern bobwhite, and carolina wren, and it was active all year. i. brunneus was collected by drag and from passerine birds during december, march, and april. i. cookei was collected from raccoons and ... | 2003 | 12597662 |
| enzootic transmission of the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis among cottontail rabbits. | to determine whether the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (hge) (anaplasma phagocytophilum) may be maintained in a parallel enzootic cycle between cottontail rabbits and their ticks, we sampled these hosts from a zoonotic site during five transmission seasons. evidence of infection was sought by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction from rabbit blood or splenic tissue, and from ticks collected from rabbits or from vegetation. approximately 27% of all rabbits sampled contained evidence ... | 2003 | 12887018 |
| enzootic transmission of anaplasma bovis in nantucket cottontail rabbits. | serological studies of cottontail rabbits sampled from nantucket island, mass., have suggested exposure to at least two ehrlichiae. the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (anaplasma phagocytophilum) is intensely enzootic in rabbits there, but the identity of the other ehrlichial infection remains undescribed. we sampled rabbits over five transmission seasons and tested their blood and tissues for evidence of infection using pcr targeting an ehrlichia genus-wide 16s rdna target. sequence an ... | 2003 | 12904385 |
| an enzootic transmission cycle of lyme borreliosis spirochetes in the southeastern united states. | lyme borreliosis, or lyme disease (ld), is a tick-borne zoonotic infection of biomedical significance, caused by borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) spirochetes and transmitted by ixodes species ticks. it usually circulates among wildlife vertebrate reservoirs and vector ticks but may infect humans, causing multisystem problems. in far western and northern north america, the host reservoirs, tick vectors, and genospecies of borrelia are well known but not so in the southern u.s., where there ... | 2003 | 14500917 |
| enzootic transmission of babesia divergens among cottontail rabbits on nantucket island, massachusetts. | specific ticks seem to locally serve as vector for characteristic microbial assemblages (guilds) comprising spirochetes, piroplasms, ehrlichiae, and arboviruses. borrelia andersoni and anaplasma phagocytophilum are intensely transmitted between cottontail rabbits. to test the hypothesis that a piroplasm may also be maintained in rabbits, we sampled these hosts from nantucket island, massachusetts and tested their blood and tissues by a polymerase chain reaction for evidence of infection. surpris ... | 2003 | 14695079 |
| evaluation of groel gene analysis for identification of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. | the nucleotide sequences of the groel genes, the flagellin genes, and the 16s rrna genes from 22 reference strains of borrelia were compared. groel sequence analysis is useful not only in interspecies differentiation but also in intraspecies differentiation of borrelia afzelii and borrelia garinii isolates. | 2004 | 15004091 |
| genotypic diversity of francisella tularensis infecting dermacentor variabilis ticks on martha's vineyard, massachusetts. | martha's vineyard, mass., has been the site of two outbreaks of tularemia (1978 and 2000). although most patients from both outbreaks presented with pneumonic disease and although aerosol transmission has been suggested, the bite of a dog tick and exposure to rabbits remain the only proven modes of transmission. the factors that precipitated the tularemia outbreaks or the proximal determinants of human risk remain undescribed. we sought to test the hypothesis that the ongoing outbreak is due to ... | 2004 | 15528681 |
| identification of a new borrelia species among small mammals in areas of northern spain where lyme disease is endemic. | the role of small mammals as reservoir hosts for borrelia burgdorferi was investigated in several areas where lyme disease is endemic in northern spain. a low rate of infestation by ixodes ricinus nymphs was found in the small mammal populations studied that correlated with the near-absence of b. burgdorferi sensu lato in 184 animals tested and with the lack of transmission of b. burgdorferi sensu lato to i. ricinus larvae that fed on them. in contrast, questing ticks collected at the same time ... | 2005 | 15746336 |
| molecular identification and analysis of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in lizards in the southeastern united states. | lyme borreliosis (lb) group spirochetes, collectively known as borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, are distributed worldwide. wild rodents are acknowledged as the most important reservoir hosts. ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of b. burgdorferi sensu lato in the eastern united states, and in the southeastern united states, the larvae and nymphs mostly parasitize certain species of lizards. the primary aim of the present study was to determine whether wild lizards in the southeastern united ... | 2005 | 15870353 |
| in vitro cultivation of a zoonotic babesia sp. isolated from eastern cottontail rabbits (sylvilagus floridanus) on nantucket island, massachusetts. | a babesia sp. found in eastern cottontail rabbits (sylvilagus floridanus) on nantucket island, massachusetts, is the same organism that caused human babesiosis in missouri and kentucky, on the basis of morphology and identical small-subunit rrna (ssu rrna) gene sequences. continuous cultures of the rabbit parasite were established from infected blood samples collected from two cottontail rabbits livetrapped on nantucket island. hl-1 medium or minimal essential medium alpha medium supplemented wi ... | 2005 | 16081941 |
| tick-borne rickettsioses around the world: emerging diseases challenging old concepts. | during most of the 20th century, the epidemiology of tick-borne rickettsioses could be summarized as the occurrence of a single pathogenic rickettsia on each continent. an element of this paradigm suggested that the many other characterized and noncharacterized rickettsiae isolated from ticks were not pathogenic to humans. in this context, it was considered that relatively few tick-borne rickettsiae caused human disease. this concept was modified extensively from 1984 through 2005 by the identif ... | 2005 | 16223955 |
| tick infestations of the eastern cottontail rabbit (sylvilagus floridanus) and small rodentia in northwest alabama and implications for disease transmission. | studies were conducted over a four-county area of northwest alabama to determine the association of eastern cottontail rabbits with dermacentor variabilis, the eastern united states vector of rocky mountain spotted fever. a secondary objective was to compare infestations of this tick on rabbits with infestations on commonly encountered rodent species as a means of determining the relative importance of each in the disease transmission cycle. these epidemiologic surveys were conducted in response ... | 2005 | 16599149 |
| migratory songbirds disperse ticks across canada, and first isolation of the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi, from the avian tick, ixodes auritulus. | during a 3-yr comprehensive study, 196 ixodid ticks (9 species) were collected from 89 passerine birds (32 species) from 25 localities across canada to determine the distribution of avian-associated tick species and endogenous lyme disease spirochetes, borrelia burgdorferi johnson, schmid, hyde, steigerwalt, and brenner. we report the following first records of tick parasitism on avian hosts: the rabbit-associated tick, ixodes dentatus marx, from manitoba and ontario; the mouse tick, ixodes muri ... | 2005 | 17089744 |
| role of migratory birds in introduction and range expansion of ixodes scapularis ticks and of borrelia burgdorferi and anaplasma phagocytophilum in canada. | during the spring in 2005 and 2006, 39,095 northward-migrating land birds were captured at 12 bird observatories in eastern canada to investigate the role of migratory birds in northward range expansion of lyme borreliosis, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, and their tick vector, ixodes scapularis. the prevalence of birds carrying i. scapularis ticks (mostly nymphs) was 0.35% (95% confidence interval [ci] = 0.30 to 0.42), but a nested study by experienced observers suggested a more realistic infe ... | 2008 | 18245258 |
| ectoparasites and associated pathogens of free-roaming and captive animals in zoos of south carolina. | a survey of ectoparasites and their associated pathogens was conducted in two south carolina zoos, from 2004 to 2007. dead, wild birds and mammals, as well as captive animals examined during routine veterinary checks constituted the study populations. ectoparasites were tested for species of anaplasma, bartonella, coxiella burnetii, ehrlichia, rickettsia, and trypanosoma. forty-six species of ectoparasites were collected from 133 free-roaming and captive hosts and their associated nesting and be ... | 2009 | 18973443 |
| metapopulation structure for perpetuation of francisella tularensis tularensis. | outbreaks of type a tularemia due to francisella tularensis tularensis are typically sporadic and unstable, greatly hindering identification of the determinants of perpetuation and human risk. martha's vineyard, massachusetts has experienced an outbreak of type a tularemia which has persisted for 9 years. this unique situation has allowed us to conduct long-term eco-epidemiologic studies there. our hypothesis is that the agent of type a tularemia is perpetuated as a metapopulation, with many sma ... | 2009 | 19627585 |
| delineation of a new species of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, borrelia americana sp. nov. | analysis of borrelia isolates collected from ticks, birds, and rodents from the southeastern united states revealed the presence of well-established populations of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, borrelia bissettii, borrelia carolinensis, and borrelia sp. nov. multilocus sequence analysis of five genomic loci from seven samples representing borrelia sp. nov. isolated from nymphal ixodes minor collected in south carolina showed their close relatedness to california strains known as genomospec ... | 2009 | 19846628 |
| niche partitioning of borrelia burgdorferi and borrelia miyamotoi in the same tick vector and mammalian reservoir species. | the lyme borreliosis agent borrelia burgdorferi and the relapsing fever group species borrelia miyamotoi co-occur in the united states. we used species-specific, quantitative polymerase chain reaction to study both species in the blood and skin of peromyscus leucopus mice and host-seeking ixodes scapularis nymphs at a connecticut site. bacteremias with b. burgdorferi or b. miyamotoi were most prevalent during periods of greatest activity for nymphs or larvae, respectively. whereas b. burgdorferi ... | 2009 | 19996447 |
| Widespread dispersal of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected ticks collected from songbirds across Canada. | Abstract Millions of Lyme disease vector ticks are dispersed annually by songbirds across Canada, but often overlooked as the source of infection. For clarity on vector distribution, we sampled 481 ticks (12 species and 3 undetermined ticks) from 211 songbirds (42 species/subspecies) nationwide. Using PCR, 52 (29.5%) of 176 Ixodes ticks tested were positive for the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. Immature blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, collected from infested songbird ... | 2011 | 21864130 |
| global ecology and epidemiology of borrelia garinii spirochetes. | lyme borreliosis (lb) is a tick-transmitted infectious disease caused by borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s. l.). in europe, three different borrelia species are the main causative agents of lb: b. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), borrelia afzelii, and borrelia garinii. the latter depends heavily on birds as its main reservoir hosts. in fact, birds can act both as biological carriers of borrelia and transporters of infected ticks. the seasonal migration of many bird species not only aid in the ... | 2011 | 22957111 |
| natural history of zoonotic babesia: role of wildlife reservoirs. | babesiosis is an emerging zoonotic disease on all inhabited continents and various wildlife species are the principal reservoir hosts for zoonotic babesia species. the primary vectors of babesia are ixodid ticks, with the majority of zoonotic species being transmitted by species in the genus ixodes. species of babesia vary in their infectivity, virulence and pathogenicity for people. various factors (e.g., increased interactions between people and the environment, increased immunosuppression, ch ... | 2012 | 24533312 |
| wild birds and urban ecology of ticks and tick-borne pathogens, chicago, illinois, usa, 2005-2010. | bird-facilitated introduction of ticks and associated pathogens is postulated to promote invasion of tick-borne zoonotic diseases into urban areas. results of a longitudinal study conducted in suburban chicago, illinois, usa, during 2005-2010 show that 1.6% of 6,180 wild birds captured in mist nets harbored ticks. tick species in order of abundance were haemaphysalis leporispalustris, ixodes dentatus, and i. scapularis, but 2 neotropical tick species of the genus amblyomma were sampled during th ... | 2012 | 23017244 |
| serum antibodies to whole-cell and recombinant antigens of borrelia burgdorferi in cottontail rabbits. | archived serum samples, from 95 eastern cottontail rabbits (sylvilagus floridanus) captured in new york, new york, usa and millbrook, new york, usa, during 1985-86, were analyzed in solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisa) for total and class-specific immunoglobulin (ig) m antibodies to whole-cell or recombinant antigens of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. using a polyvalent conjugate, rabbit sera contained antibodies to whole-cell and recombinant antigens (protein [p]35, p37, o ... | 2012 | 22247369 |
| single-tube real-time pcr assay for differentiation of ixodes affinis and ixodes scapularis. | ixodes affinis neumann (1899) and ixodes scapularis say (1821) are tick vectors of the etiologic agent of lyme disease, borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. ixodes affinis and i. scapularis are morphologically very similar, and as they are sympatric in the mid- and south-atlantic u.s. coastal states, their accurate identification is crucial to studies of disease and vector ecology in this area. this work describes a rapid, single-tube sybr(®) green-based real-time pcr assay for differentiation of ... | 2013 | 24192510 |
| population-based passive tick surveillance and detection of expanding foci of blacklegged ticks ixodes scapularis and the lyme disease agent borrelia burgdorferi in ontario, canada. | we identified ticks submitted by the public from 2008 through 2012 in ontario, canada, and tested blacklegged ticks ixodes scapularis for borrelia burgdorferi and anaplasma phagocytophilum. among the 18 species of ticks identified, i. scapularis, dermacentor variabilis, ixodes cookei and amblyomma americanum represented 98.1% of the 14,369 ticks submitted. rates of blacklegged tick submission per 100,000 population were highest in ontario's eastern region; d. variabilis in central west and easte ... | 2014 | 25171252 |
| detection of lyme borrelia in questing ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) and small mammals in louisiana. | lyme borreliosis is caused by spirochetes from the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex. in the united states, b. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.; johnson, schmid, hyde, steigerwalt, and brenner) is the most common cause of human lyme borreliosis. with >25,000 cases reported annually, it is the most common vector-borne disease in the united states. although approximately 90% of cases are contained to the northeastern and great lake states, areas in canada and some southern states are ... | 2014 | 24605479 |
| avian migrants facilitate invasions of neotropical ticks and tick-borne pathogens into the united states. | migratory birds have the potential to transport exotic vectors and pathogens of human and animal health importance across vast distances. we systematically examined birds that recently migrated to the united states from the neotropics for ticks. we screened both ticks and birds for tick-borne pathogens, including rickettsia species and borrelia burgdorferi. over two spring seasons (2013 and 2014), 3.56% of birds (n = 3,844) representing 42.35% of the species examined (n = 85) were infested by ti ... | 2015 | 26431964 |
| abundance and infection rates of ixodes scapularis nymphs collected from residential properties in lyme disease-endemic areas of connecticut, maryland, and new york. | | 2015 | 26047204 |
| opening the black box of anaplasma phagocytophilum diversity: current situation and future perspectives. | anaplasma phagocytophilum is a zoonotic obligate intracellular bacterium known to be transmitted by ticks belonging to the ixodes persulcatus complex. this bacterium can infect several mammalian species, and is known to cause diseases with variable symptoms in many domestic animals. specifically, it is the causative agent of tick-borne fever (tbf), a disease of important economic impact in european domestic ruminants, and human granulocytic anaplasmosis (hga), an emerging zoonotic disease in asi ... | 2015 | 26322277 |
| first detection of heartland virus (bunyaviridae: phlebovirus) from field collected arthropods. | heartland virus (hrtv), the first pathogenic phlebovirus (family: bunyaviridae) discovered in the united states, was recently described from two missouri farmers. in 2012, we collected 56,428 ticks representing three species at 12 sites including both patients' farms. amblyomma americanum and dermacentor variabilis accounted for nearly all ticks collected. ten pools composed of deplete nymphs of a. americanum collected at a patient farm and a nearby conservation area were reverse transcription-p ... | 2013 | 23878186 |
| associations of passerine birds, rabbits, and ticks with borrelia miyamotoi and borrelia andersonii in michigan, u.s.a. | wild birds contribute to maintenance and dissemination of vectors and microbes, including those that impact human, domestic animal, and wildlife health. here we elucidate roles of wild passerine birds, eastern cottontail rabbits (sylvilagus floridanus), and ixodes dentatus ticks in enzootic cycles of two spirochetes, borrelia miyamotoi and b. andersonii in a region of michigan where the zoonotic pathogen b. burgdorferi co-circulates. | 2012 | 23057837 |
| distribution of ticks and the risk of lyme disease and other tick-borne pathogens of public health significance in ontario, canada. | over the past two decades, the northward spread of ixodes scapularis across ontario, canada, has accelerated and the risk of lyme disease has increased. active surveillance is a recognized and effective method for detecting reproducing populations of i. scapularis. in this study, we conducted field sampling consistent with an active surveillance approach from may to october 2014 at 104 sites in central, eastern, and southern ontario to determine the current distribution of i. scapularis and othe ... | 2016 | 26870937 |
| new records of ixodes affinis (acari: ixodidae) parasitizing avian hosts in southeastern virginia. | ixodes affinis neumann (acari: ixodidae) is a hard-bodied tick species distributed throughout much of the southeastern united states. although i. affinis does not parasitize humans, it is a competent vector of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the causative-agent of lyme disease, and thus contributes to the enzootic maintenance of this pathogen. this study presents evidence of i. affinis parasitizing five new host passerine species. during 2012-2014, 1,888 birds were captured and examined for ... | 2016 | 26586535 |
| ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) distribution surveys in the chicago metropolitan region. | considering recent studies confirming an increased risk of contracting lyme disease near metropolitan chicago, we surveyed a more comprehensive area to assess whether the geographical distribution and establishment of ixodes scapularis (say) populations across northeast illinois are widespread or limited in occurrence. from may through october 2008 and from april through october 2009, 602 i. scapularis ticks of all three life stages (larva, nymph, adult) were collected from sites in cook, dupage ... | 2012 | 22897059 |