Abstract
BackgroundSmall mammals are essential in the enzootic cycle of many tick-borne pathogens (TBP). To understand their contribution to the genetic diversity of Borrelia afzelii, the most prevalent TBP in questing Ixodes ricinus, we compared the genetic variants of B. afzelii at three distinct genetic loci. We chose two plasmid loci, dbpA and ospC, and a chromosomal one, IGS.ResultsWhile the larvae that fed on shrews (Sorex sp.) tested negative for B. afzelii, those fed on bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) showed high infection prevalences of 0.13 and 0.27, respectively. Despite the high genetic diversity within B. afzelii, there was no difference between wood mice and bank voles in the number and types of B. afzelii haplotypes they transmit.ConclusionsThe genetic diversity in B. afzelii cannot be explained by separate enzootic cycles in wood mice and bank voles.
Highlights
Small mammals are essential in the enzootic cycle of many tick-borne pathogens (TBP)
Of the 255 qPCR positive larvae, 163 yielded a sequence for intergenic spacer region (IGS), 165 for decorin binding protein A (dbpA) and 164 for outer surface protein C gene (ospC)
Our analysis indicated that most IGS, dbpA and ospC B. afzelii haplotypes are maintained by both wood mice and bank voles (Fig. 1)
Summary
Small mammals are essential in the enzootic cycle of many tick-borne pathogens (TBP). To understand their contribution to the genetic diversity of Borrelia afzelii, the most prevalent TBP in questing Ixodes ricinus, we compared the genetic variants of B. afzelii at three distinct genetic loci. Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) is a bacterial complex whose members are causative agents of Lyme borreliosis, the most widespread vector-borne disease in Europe. The genospecies that accounts for the majority of Lyme borreliosis cases is Borrelia afzelii [1]. The enzootic transmission cycle of B. afzelii predominantly involves small mammals and I. ricinus ticks, in which it is the most prevalent Borrelia genospecies [2, 3].
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