Borrelia miyamotoi infection rate in black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) recovered from heads of hunter-harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Pennsylvania: A public health perspective

Abstract

Abstract Studies reporting tick infection rates for Borrelia miyamotoi, a zoonotic arthropod-borne pathogen responsible for Borrelia miyamotoi disease, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are limited. To ascertain a statewide infection rate of B. miyamotoi, ticks were collected from heads of 9,912 hunter-harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) presented to six regional Pennsylvania Game Commission Chronic Wasting Disease sampling stations in early December of 2013, 2014, and 2015. Of the 2973 ticks recovered, 1990 (66.9%) were identified as adult Ixodes scapularis. The 1990 I. scapularis ticks were grouped into 409 pools containing one to six ticks and PCR-tested for the presence of B. miyamotoi. The pooled samples had a statewide maximum likelihood estimation tick infection rate of 7.64/1000 (95% CI, 4.46–12.29) for B. miyamotoi, confirming a state-wide presence, and supporting the need for an increased public health awareness for this emerging zoonotic arthropod-borne pathogen.