Dataset Information

Far-Reaching Dispersal of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato-Infected Blacklegged Ticks by Migratory Songbirds in Canada.

ABSTRACT: Lyme disease has been documented in northern areas of Canada, but the source of the etiological bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) has been in doubt. We collected 87 ticks from 44 songbirds during 2017, and 24 (39%) of 62 nymphs of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, were positive for Bbsl. We provide the first report of Bbsl-infected, songbird-transported I. scapularis in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Newfoundland and Labrador; north-central Manitoba, and Alberta. Notably, we report the northernmost account of Bbsl-infected ticks parasitizing a bird in Canada. DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and DNA sequencing reveal that these Bbsl amplicons belong to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bbss), which is pathogenic to humans. Based on our findings, health-care providers should be aware that migratory songbirds widely disperse B. burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis in Canada's North, and local residents do not have to visit an endemic area to contract Lyme disease.

SUBMITTER: Scott JD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6164468 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Far-Reaching Dispersal of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato-Infected Blacklegged Ticks by Migratory Songbirds in Canada.

Scott John D JD Clark Kerry L KL Foley Janet E JE Bierman Bradley C BC Durden Lance A LA

Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) 20180725 3

Lyme disease has been documented in northern areas of Canada, but the source of the etiological bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) has been in doubt. We collected 87 ticks from 44 songbirds during 2017, and 24 (39%) of 62 nymphs of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, were positive for Bbsl. We provide the first report of Bbsl-infected, songbird-transported I. scapularis in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Newfoundland and Labrador; north-central Manitoba, and Al ...[more]

PMID: 30044388

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Project description:Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) DNA was detected by PCR in Ixodes persulcatus Schulze, 1930, Haemaphysalis concinna Koch, 1844, Haemaphysalis japonica douglasi Nuttall et Warburton, 1915 and Dermacentor silvarum Olenev, 1932 ticks collected in the Amur region, the Jewish Autonomous region, the Sakhalin region and on the Khabarovsk territory. Infection rate of I. persulcatus with B. burgdorferi s.l. 10-69% exceeded the corresponding values of three other tick species in all examined regions during 1999-2014 despite different tick abundance and dominance structure. Bacterial loads estimated on the base of quantitative real time PCR varied from 102 to 109 genome-equivalents per a tick with maximal values for I. persulcatus and H. japonica. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene and 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer nucleotide sequences revealed two species: 1) Borrelia garinii of Asian type NT29 with several isolates of European type 20047; 2) Borrelia afzelii with identical sequences of the majority of studied isolates and VS461 reference strain in all regions except the Sakhalin Island where B. afzelii was not found. Borrelia miyamotoi of the relapsing fever group was detected as monoinfection or in combination with B. burgdorferi s.l. in 4.0 ± 0.9% and 4.8 ± 0.9% I. persulcatus ticks, respectively. Multiple locus sequence analysis of three fragments of 16S rRNA, glpQ and p66 genes proved that all the Far Eastern B. miyamotoi isolates belonged to the Asian type identical to FR64b strain (GenBank CP004217) from Japan. Wide distribution of Borrelia DNA in ticks, relative genetic homogeneity with similar sequences of the coding regions and the intergenic spacer of Borrelia wild isolates and temporal stability with high homology levels of the Far Eastern isolates of B. garinii, B. afzelii and B. miyamotoi with previously described spirochetes from the surrounding regions of Russia, China and Japan allowed us to suggest multiple ecological niches as the stability factor of the parasitic system.

Project description:BackgroundIxodid ticks are important vectors for zoonotic pathogens, with Ixodes ricinus being the most important in Europe. Rodents are hosts of immature life stages of I. ricinus ticks and are considered main reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens, e.g. Borrelia burgdorferi. The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence as well as genospecies and sequence type (ST) diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks and small mammals from central Germany and to elaborate on the influence of environmental and/or individual host and vector factors on Borrelia prevalence.MethodsAfter species identification, 1167 small mammal skin samples and 1094 ticks from vegetation were screened by B. burgdorferi sensu lato real-time polymerase chain reaction, and positive samples were characterized by multilocus sequence typing. Generalized linear (mixed) models were used to estimate how seasonality, small mammal species/tick life stage and habitat affect individual infection status.ResultsIn total, 10 small mammal species and three tick species, Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes inopinatus (both considered members of the I. ricinus complex) and Dermacentor reticulatus, were investigated. Borrelia DNA was detected in eight host species, i.e. the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), the yellow-necked field mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), the water vole (Arvicola amphibius), the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), the field vole (Microtus agrestis), the common vole (Microtus arvalis), and the common shrew (Sorex araneus). Two species were Borrelia negative, the greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) and the pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus). The average prevalence was 6.2%, with two genospecies detected, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii, and at least three STs that had not been previously reported in small mammals. Borrelia prevalence in small mammals did not differ between seasons. Six genospecies of Borrelia-Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia valaisiana, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia lusitaniae, Borrelia spielmanii, and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto-and 25 STs of Borrelia, of which 12 have not been previously described at all and five have not been previously reported in Germany, were detected in 13% of I. ricinus complex ticks. Prevalence was highest in adult females (25.3%) and lowest in nymphs (11.4%). Prevalence was significantly higher in ticks from grassland (16.8%) compared to forests (11.4%).ConclusionsThe high level of small mammal diversity in this region of Germany seems to be reflected in a wide variety of genospecies and STs of B. burgdorferi.

Dataset Information

Far-Reaching Dispersal of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato-Infected Blacklegged Ticks by Migratory Songbirds in Canada.

Publications

Far-Reaching Dispersal of <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> Sensu Lato-Infected Blacklegged Ticks by Migratory Songbirds in Canada.

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