Genetic Heterogeneity of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Belgium

ABSTRACT Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), the etiological agent of Lyme disease, is transmitted by the bite of Ixodes ricinus . Four hundred eighty-nine ticks, collected in four locations of a region of southern Belgium where Lyme disease is endemic, were examined for the presence of the spirochete. In a PCR test with primers that recognize a chromosomal gene of all strains, 23% of the ticks were found to be infected. The species B. burgdorferi s.l. comprises at least three pathogenic genomospecies, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), Borrelia garinii , and Borrelia afzelii , which cou... Mehr ...