The importance of lizards and small mammals as reservoirs for B orrelia lusitaniae in P ortugal

• Published in: Environmental microbiology reports Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 188 - 193
• Main Authors: Norte, Ana Cláudia, Alves da Silva, António, Alves, Joana, da Silva, Luís Pascoal, Núncio, M. Sofia, Escudero, Raquel, Anda, Pedro, Ramos, Jaime A., Lopes de Carvalho, Isabel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.04.2015
• ISSN: 1758-2229; 1758-2229
• DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12218

Summary B orrelia lusitaniae is a pathogen frequent in the M editerranean area. Apart from lizards, evidence for birds and small mammals as competent reservoirs for this genospecies has been occasional. We collected questing ticks, skin biopsies and I xodes sp. ticks feeding on lizards, birds and small mammals in a B . burgdorferi s.l. (sensu lato) enzootic area to assess their importance in the maintenance of B . lusitaniae . B orrelia lusitaniae was the most prevalent genospecies in questing ticks and was commonly found in larvae feeding on P sammodromus algirus . One biopsy infected with B . lusitaniae was collected from the tail of one P odarcis hispanica , which suggests systemic infection. I xodes ricinus larvae feeding on A podemus sylvaticus were infected with B . lusitaniae but with a lower prevalence. Our results reinforce the importance of lizards as reservoirs for B . lusitaniae , suggesting that P . algirus, in particular, acts as main reservoir for B . lusitaniae in P ortugal.