Seasonal patterns and spatial variation of Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) infections in Ixodes ricinus in the Netherlands

Abstract Background The incidence of Lyme borreliosis varies over time and space through as yet incompletely understood mechanisms. In Europe, Lyme borreliosis is caused by infection with a Borrelia burgdorferi ( s.l. ) genospecies, which is primarily transmitted by a bite of Ixodes ricinus nymphs. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial and temporal variation in nymphal infection prevalence of B. burgdorferi ( s.l. ) (NIP), density of questing nymphs (DON) and the resulting density of infected nymphs (DIN). Methods We investigated the infection rates in I. ricinus nymphs that wer... Mehr ...