Babesia microti and Borrelia burgdorferi, the respective causative agents of human babesiosis and Lyme disease, are maintained in their enzootic cycles by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and use the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) as primary reservoir host. The geographic range of both pathogens has expanded in the United States, but the spread of babesiosis has lagged behind that of Lyme disease. Several studies have estimated the basic reproduction number (R0) for B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBorrelia miyamotoi sensu lato, a relapsing fever Borrelia sp., is transmitted by the same ticks that transmit B. burgdorferi (the Lyme disease pathogen) and occurs in all Lyme disease-endemic areas of the United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVector Borne Zoonotic Dis
November 2013
Babesia microti, the primary cause of human babesiosis in the United States, is transmitted by Ixodes scapularis ticks; transmission may also occur through blood transfusion and transplacentally. Most infected people experience a viral-like illness that resolves without complication, but those who are immunocompromised may develop a serious and prolonged illness that is sometimes fatal. The geographic expansion and increasing incidence of human babesiosis in the northeastern and midwestern United States highlight the need for high-throughput sensitive and specific assays to detect parasites in both ticks and humans with the goals of improving epidemiological surveillance, diagnosis of acute infections, and screening of the blood supply.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransovarial transmission (TOT) of Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato), the agent of Lyme disease, by the Ixodes persulcatus group of hard ticks (Ixodidae) has frequently been reported in the literature since the discovery of Lyme disease 1982. Evidence for and against TOT by B. burgdorferi has led to uncertainty and confusion in the literature, causing misconceptions that may have public health consequences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe phylum Apicomplexa comprises intracellular protozoa that include many human pathogens. Their nearest relatives are chromerids and colpodellids. We report a case of a Babesia spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe evaluated the effects of tick control by acaricide self-treatment of white-tailed deer on the infection prevalence and entomologic risk for three Ixodes scapularis-borne bacteria in host-seeking ticks. Ticks were collected from vegetation in areas treated with the "4-Poster" device and from control areas over a 6-year period in five geographically diverse study locations in the Northeastern United States and tested for infection with two known agents of human disease, Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and for a novel relapsing fever-group spirochete related to Borrelia miyamotoi. Overall, 38.
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