Host-utilization differences between larval and nymphal deer ticks in northeastern U.S. sites enzootic for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.

ABSTRACT: In the northeastern U.S., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the agent of Lyme disease, is maintained between vertebrate hosts and subadult deer ticks (the northern clade of Ixodes scapularis, formerly known as Ixodes dammini). Theoretical arguments suggest that the force of transmission would be greatest when infected nymphal ticks focus their bites on the same host as the uninfected larvae. Stage-specific differences in host utilization would reduce the force of transmission, but to date such differences remain understudied. We determined the host utilization differences of larval and nymphal deer ticks using bloodmeal analysis of host-seeking nymphs and adults collected from 5 field sites in New England. Matched cohorts of ticks (nymphs=506, adults=451), i.e. ticks that had fed during

SUBMITTER: Goethert HK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10578448 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature