Beech tree masting explains the inter-annual variation in the fall and spring peaks of Ixodes ricinus ticks with different time lags.

Background: The tick Ixodes ricinus is an important vector of tick-borne diseases including Lyme borreliosis. In continental Europe, the nymphal stage of I. ricinus often has a bimodal phenology with a large spring peak and a smaller fall peak.

Multistrain Infections with Lyme Borreliosis Pathogens in the Tick Vector.

Unlabelled: Mixed or multiple-strain infections are common in vector-borne diseases and have important implications for the epidemiology of these pathogens. Previous studies have mainly focused on interactions between pathogen strains in the vertebrate host, but little is known about what happens in the arthropod vector. Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii are two species of spirochete bacteria that cause Lyme borreliosis in Europe and that share a tick vector, Ixodes ricinus Each of these two tick-borne pathogens consists of multiple strains that are often differentiated using the highly polymorphic ospC gene.

Search for blood or water is influenced by Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes ricinus.

An increasing number of studies suggest that vector-borne parasites are able to alter phenotypic traits in their arthropod vectors so that microorganism transmission is enhanced. This review documents this phenomenon, which occurs between Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis, and their tick vectors belonging to the Ixodes ricinus complex. It also reviews the influence of other tick-borne pathogens on these ticks.

Species co-occurrence patterns among Lyme borreliosis pathogens in the tick vector Ixodes ricinus.

Mixed infections have important consequences for the ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions. In vector-borne diseases, interactions between pathogens occur in both the vertebrate host and the arthropod vector. Spirochete bacteria belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies complex are transmitted by Ixodes ticks and cause Lyme borreliosis in humans.

Survival of Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) nymphs under cold conditions is negatively influenced by frequent temperature variations.

In this study, we tested the survival of Ixodes ricinus under cold conditions in the laboratory. We investigated how the frequency of temperature variations (from -5 °C or -10 °C to 13 °C), and infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.

Survival of Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) under challenging conditions of temperature and humidity is influenced by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection.

ABSTRACT To determine whether Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) influences tick survival under thermohygrometric stress, Ixodesricinus (L.