Co-feeding transmission facilitates strain coexistence in Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent.

ABSTRACT: Coexistence of multiple tick-borne pathogens or strains is common in natural hosts and can be facilitated by resource partitioning of the host species, within-host localization, or by different transmission pathways. Most vector-borne pathogens are transmitted horizontally via systemic host infection, but transmission may occur in the absence of systemic infection between two vectors feeding in close proximity, enabling pathogens to minimize competition and escape the host immune response. In a laboratory study, we demonstrated that co-feeding transmission can occur for a rapidly-cleared strain of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent, between two stages of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis while feeding on their dominant host, Peromyscus leucopus. In contrast, infections rapidly be

SUBMITTER: States SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5474356 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature