Seasonal dynamics of tick burden and associated Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and Borrelia miyamotoi infections in rodents in a Dutch forest ecosystem

Abstract Ixodes ricinus ticks transmit Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) as well as Borrelia miyamotoi . Larvae become infected when feeding on infected rodents, with horizontal transmission of B. burgdorferi and horizontal and vertical transmission of B. miyamotoi . We studied seasonal dynamics of infection rates of I. ricinus and their rodent hosts, and hence transmission risk of these two distinctly different Borrelia species. Rodents were live-trapped and inspected for ticks from May to November in 2013 and 2014 in a forest in The Netherlands. Trapped rodents were temporarily housed i... Mehr ...