Abstract
The geographic distributions of Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick) and the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease) are expanding in the USA. To assess the role of migratory songbirds in the spread of this tick and pathogen, we captured passerines in central Illinois during the fall of 2012. We compared forested sites in regions where I. scapularis populations were either previously or not yet established. Ticks were removed from birds and blood samples were taken from select avian species. Ticks were identified by morphology and molecular techniques were used to detect B. burgdorferi and other tick-borne pathogens in ticks and avian blood samples. Ixodes spp. were detected on 10 of 196 migrants (5.1%), with I. scapularis larvae found on 2 individuals. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto was detected in the blood of 9 of 29 birds sampled (31%), yet only 1 infected bird was infested by ticks. The ticks were mostly Haemaphysalis leporispalustris and I. dentatus larvae, and none tested positive for B. burgdorferi. Infestation of birds by Ixodes spp. differed significantly by region, while B. burgdorferi infection did not. These data suggest that migratory birds may play a larger role in the dispersal of B. burgdorferi than previously realized.
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Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Science’s Office of Research and the School of Integrative Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We are grateful to numerous private landowners and public land managers for facilitating this research. We thank Jack Stenger for assistance with mist netting and Tyler Hedlund for assistance with tick identification.
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Schneider, S.C., Parker, C.M., Miller, J.R. et al. Assessing the Contribution of Songbirds to the Movement of Ticks and Borrelia burgdorferi in the Midwestern United States During Fall Migration. EcoHealth 12, 164–173 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-014-0982-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-014-0982-3