| role of birds in thuringia, germany, in the natural cycle of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the lyme disease spirochaete. | three hundred and twenty-two birds belonging to 35 species were live-captured in reifenstein, middle germany, from march to october 2004, to investigate their role as hosts of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and its vector ticks. a total of 141 ixodes ricinus ticks collected from 53 birds belonging to eight species was investigated for the prevalence of b. burgdorferi by a pcr-rflp analysis of the ospa gene. three of these bird species, the blackbird (turdus merula), the song thrush (t. philomel ... | 2006 | 16530003 |