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. 1985 Jul;22(1):36–38. doi: 10.1128/jcm.22.1.36-38.1985

Identification of endemic foci of Lyme disease: isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi from feral rodents and ticks (Dermacentor variabilis).

J F Anderson, R C Johnson, L A Magnarelli, F W Hyde
PMCID: PMC268316  PMID: 3926816

Abstract

Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, was isolated from the blood, kidneys, spleens, eyes, or livers of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) (n = 19 of 22) and from the blood, kidneys, or spleens of eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) (n = 2 of 2) captured at three foci for Lyme disease in eastern Connecticut. These bacteria were cultured most frequently from spleens (n = 19) and kidneys (n = 15). B. burgdorferi persisted in one mouse for at least 60 days. One spirochetemic mouse had infected Ixodes dammini and Dermacentor variabilis larvae attached, suggesting that these ticks may have acquired spirochetes from the host. Spirochetes isolated from P. leucopus, T. striatus, and D. variabilis larvae were serologically and genetically indistinguishable from reference B. burgdorferi isolates. We conclude that isolation of spirochetes from feral rodents is a method for identifying endemic areas of Lyme disease.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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