Microbial genetic variation impacts host eco-immunological strategies and microparasite fitness in Lyme borreliae-reptile system.

ABSTRACT: Tolerance and resistance are two host eco-immunological strategies in response to microparasite invasion. In the strategy of "resistance", host responses are induced to decrease microparasite replication while the "tolerance" strategy allows hosts coexistence with microparasites by minimizing responses to avoid immune-mediated damage. The causative agent of Lyme disease is a group of genotypically diverse bacterial species, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bb), which is transmitted by Ixodes ticks and persists in different reservoir animals. In North America, eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) can be fed on by Ixodes ticks but are incompetent to one genotype of Bb (i.e., ospC type A). However, field-collected lizards showed evidence of previous infection by Bb strains with undefi

SUBMITTER: Nowak TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11815320 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature