Why Research on Lyme Disease and Ixodes scapularis Needs Wildlife Ecology without Taxonomic Bias: A Review

Abstract

Ixodes ticks are obligate parasites that show host preferences and differentiation during each of their 3 active life stages and may obtain or transmit pathogens during feeding that pose threats to human health. These ticks are responsible for the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi, causative agent of Lyme Disease. Historically, ticks and B. burgdoferi have been well studied due to this human threat. However, wildlife hosts other than mice or deer that may serve as reservoirs for tick species are often overlooked as a part of this web. In this study, we surveyed 40,000+ manuscripts and identified those that considered wildlife hosts when studying Ixodes scapularis(Blacklegged Tick). We found that there appears to be a taxonomic bias in research on wildlife hosts and that this may be contributing to a continued lack of knowledge about potential transmission and management of Blacklegged Ticks or Lyme Disease. Collectively, these findings suggest that more information is needed on wildlife hosts and tick-host ecology, particularly that of birds, meso-mammals and reptiles. Finally, we propose a list of potential research questions that could help further elucidate the importance of wildlife and tick-host ecology.