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.
Highlights
Lyme disease is caused by members of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) complex, and this spirochetal bacterium is typically transmitted to vertebrates by certain ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) [1]
This study presents evidence of ground-foraging songbirds transporting Lyme disease vector ticks to northern latitudes in Canada
We have documented Bbsl in Ixodes ticks parasitizing migratory songbirds collected from Alberta to Newfoundland and Labrador
Summary
Lyme disease is caused by members of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) complex, and this spirochetal bacterium is typically transmitted to vertebrates by certain ixodid (hard-bodied) ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) [1]. East of the Rocky Mountains, the primary vector of Bbsl is the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, which is an ectoparasite of more than 125 species of North American vertebrates (avian, mammalian, reptilian) [2]. This tick species commonly parasitizes passerine birds (Passeriformes) and, recently, in eastern Canada, has been found parasitizing an American Kestrel, Falco sparverius Linnaeus, a small-size raptor [3]. We present the first records of Bbsl-positive I. scapularis in several northern regions of Canada; these findings demonstrate the wide geographic dispersal of Lyme disease vector ticks by migratory songbirds in northern latitudes of North America
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