Table 5.
Kinetics and tropism of Borrelia transmission to mice by infected nymphs.
| Borrelia strain | Time of tick attachment (h) | Brain | Heart | Back skin | Ankle | Muscle | Spleen | Liver | Bladder | Mesentery | Lymph node |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRE-13 | 12 | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | − |
| 24 | + | + | − | − | + | + | − | − | − | + | |
| 36 | + | − | + | + | + | + | + | + | − | − | |
| PBi | 12 | − | − | − | + | − | − | − | − | − | + |
| IBS-5 | 12 | + | − | − | − | − | − | − | − | − | − |
Ten Borrelia-exposed nymphs were placed in plastic caps on 3 mice for each strain. Nymphs were detached at the indicated time points. Mice were sacrificed 38 days post-infection and Borrelia burgdorferi sl DNA was detected by nested PCR in the indicated organs. +, at least one mouse had a positive organ; −, none of the examined mice presented a positive organ.