A Novel Genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Associated with Cricetid Rodents in Brazil.

ABSTRACT: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) spirochetes thrive in sylvatic transmission cycles infecting vertebrates and their ticks. Rodents and ticks of the genus Ixodes are important hosts of these spirochetes globally. Although evidence suggests that Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto does not exist in South America, genospecies of the group (Bbsl) can be found in this region but have been poorly characterized from a genetic viewpoint, and data on their ecoepidemiology are still incipient. Aiming to detect the natural foci of Borrelia in Brazil, we targeted small mammals inhabiting seven forests fragments during a period of three years (2015-2018). Organs (lung) from two Oligoryzomys rodents over a total of 382 sampled mammals were positive, and we performed a molecular characterization of

SUBMITTER: Weck BC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8878456 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature