Fig. 1.

The two transmission cycles involved in the natural maintenance of Borrelia afzelii. Scutum of larvae, nymphs and adults of the exophilic tick, I. ricinus are marked with dark grey and with white colour in case of the endophilic tick, I. acuminatus. Red spirochetes indicate ticks and hosts that can potentially be infected with B. afzelii. Cervids are important tick maintenance hosts, however they are not reservoirs of LB spirochetes, thus they are known to be dilution hosts [54, 55]. Original drawings were made by Gábor Majoros