Assessing the Contribution of Songbirds to the Movement of Ticks and Borrelia burgdorferi in the Midwestern United States During Fall Migration
The geographic distributions of Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick) and the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease) are expanding in the USA. To assess the role of migratory songbirds in the spread of this tick and pathogen, we captured passerines in central Illinois d...
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Published in | EcoHealth Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 164 - 173 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
New York
Springer US
01.03.2015
Springer Nature B.V |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The geographic distributions of
Ixodes scapularis
(black-legged tick) and the bacterium
Borrelia burgdorferi
(the causative agent of Lyme disease) are expanding in the USA. To assess the role of migratory songbirds in the spread of this tick and pathogen, we captured passerines in central Illinois during the fall of 2012. We compared forested sites in regions where
I. scapularis
populations were either previously or not yet established. Ticks were removed from birds and blood samples were taken from select avian species. Ticks were identified by morphology and molecular techniques were used to detect
B. burgdorferi
and other tick-borne pathogens in ticks and avian blood samples.
Ixodes
spp. were detected on 10 of 196 migrants (5.1%), with I
. scapularis
larvae found on 2 individuals.
Borrelia burgdorferi
sensu stricto
was detected in the blood of 9 of 29 birds sampled (31%), yet only 1 infected bird was infested by ticks. The ticks were mostly
Haemaphysalis leporispalustris
and
I. dentatus
larvae, and none tested positive for
B. burgdorferi
. Infestation of birds by
Ixodes
spp. differed significantly by region, while
B. burgdorferi
infection did not. These data suggest that migratory birds may play a larger role in the dispersal of
B. burgdorferi
than previously realized. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1612-9202 1612-9210 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10393-014-0982-3 |