Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Physiological Age of Field-collected Female Taiga Ticks, Ixodes persulcatus (Acari: Ixodidae), and their Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato

  • Published:
Experimental & Applied Acarology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In some studies the prevalence of tick infection (infection rate) and the intensity of infection are negatively correlated with unfed tick age (in the broad sense of this term). However, no special research has been carried out to consider the phenomenon thoroughly. The infection indices of the female taiga ticks, Ixodes persulcatus, infected with Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. were related to tick physiological age, an index that more precisely reflects tick physiological state than the time of tick collection in the field or the duration of tick survival under laboratory conditions. A novel quantitative technique of physiological age determination based on the evaluation of the ratios between sizes of the stable (scutum) and the changing (alloscutum) structures of the tick body was used. The age was estimated in accordance with the classical age-grade scale introduced by Balashov and a more fractional scale determined by the new technique. In total, 131 female ticks were examined for their infection and physiological age, 46 of which were infected with B. burgdorferi s.l. (mean infection rate 35.1%). The minimal intensity of infection was 0.4 bacterial cells per 100 fields of view whereas the maximal infection was 172 cells. There was no difference between the prevalence of infection in ticks of different physiological age. The intensity of infection obviously differed between ticks of different age groups in the scale introduced by Balashov but did not significantly differ between ticks of different age groups according to the fractional age-grade scale. The data concerning the relationships between Borrelia burgdorferi and unfed Ixodes ticks are considered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • A.N. Alekseev L.A. Burenkova I.S. Vasilyeva E.V. Dubinina S.P. Chunikhin (1996) ArticleTitleThe functioning of mixed tick-borne infection foci over Russia Med. Parazitol. Parazit. Bolezni 4 9–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Balashov Y.S. 1961. Dynamics of stored nutritional substances and age determination in unfed ixodid ticks. Zool. Zh. 40: 1354–1363 (in Russian) (English translation: NAMRU-3 T117).

    Google Scholar 

  • Y.S. Balashov (1962) ArticleTitleDetermination of the physiological age and age composition of unfed female Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes persulcatus in the Leningrad Region Med. Parazitol. Parazit. Bolezni 31 47–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Y.S. Balashov (1972) ArticleTitleBloodsucking ticks (Ixodoidea), vectors of human and animal diseases Misc. Publ. Entomol. Soc. Am. 8 159–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Y.S. Balashov (1995) ArticleTitleRelationships between ixodid ticks (Ixodidae) and agents of arthropod-transmitted infections of vertebrates Parazitologiya 29 337–352

    Google Scholar 

  • Balashov Y.S. 1998. Ixodid ticks – parasites and vectors of diseases. “Nauka”, St. Petersburg (in Russian).

  • W. Burgdorfer S.F. Hayes D. Corwin (1989) ArticleTitlePathophysiology of the Lyme disease spirocheteBorrelia burgdorferiin ixodid ticks Rev. Infect. Dis. 11 IssueIDSuppl. 6 S1442–S1450 Occurrence Handle2682956

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • R.J. Dalgliesh N.P. Stewart (1979) ArticleTitleObservations on the morphology and infectivity for cattle of Babesia bovis parasites in unfed Boophilus microplus larvae after incubation at various temperatures Int. J. Parasitol. 9 115–120

    Google Scholar 

  • R.C. Falco D. Fish J. Piesman (1996) ArticleTitleDuration of tick bites in a Lyme disease-endemic area Am. J. Epidemiol. 143 187–192 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BymC3sfjtlU%3D Occurrence Handle8546120

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • K.T. Friedhoff (1990) ArticleTitleInteraction between parasites and tick vector Int. J. Parasitol. 20 525–535 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:By6D3cfgvVU%3D Occurrence Handle2120142

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • K.T. Friedhoff R.D. Smith (1981) Transmission of Babesia by ticks M. Ristic J.P. Kreier (Eds) Babesiosis Academic Press New York 267–321

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Hurd (2003) ArticleTitleManipulation of medically important insect vectors by their parasites Annu. Rev. Entomol. 48 141–161 Occurrence Handle10.1146/annurev.ento.48.091801.112722 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXnvVymug%3D%3D Occurrence Handle12414739

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • E.I. Korenberg (1996) ArticleTitleTaxonomy, phylogenetic interrelations and areas of form-forming in spirochetes of the genus Borrelia transmitted by ixodid ticks Uspekhi Sovremen. Biol. 116 389–406

    Google Scholar 

  • E.I. Korenberg N.B. Gorelova Y.V. Kovalevskii (2002) Ecology of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Russia J. Gray O. Kahl R.S. Lane G. Stanek (Eds) Lyme Borreliosis: Biology, Epidemiology and Control CAB International Oxford 175–200

    Google Scholar 

  • Y.V. Kovalevskii E.I. Korenberg S.V. Dauiotas (1990) ArticleTitleAssessment of various methods of making vital preparations for detection of borreliae in ixodid ticks Med. Parazitol. Parazit. Bolezni 1 33–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Y.V. Kovalevskii E.I. Korenberg I.G. Nikitochkin (1991) ArticleTitleOptimization of the method for estimating the incidence rate and degree of tick individual infection with Borrelia Med. Parazitol. Parazit. Bolezni 3 18–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Kovalevskii Y.V., Korenberg E.I. and Levin M.L. 1993. Seasonal and annual variation in the rate of infection by the Lyme disease pathogen in Ixodes persulcatus and I. ricinus ticks. In: Korenberg E.I. Problems of Tick-Borne Borrelioses. Moscow, pp. 147–156.

  • N. Lebet L. Gern (1994) ArticleTitleHistological examination of Borrelia burgdorferi infections in unfed Ixodes ricinus nymphs Exp. Appl. Acarol. 18 177–183

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Lefcort L.A. Durden (1996) ArticleTitleThe effect of infection with Lyme disease spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi) on the phototaxis, activity, and questing height of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis Parasitology 113 97–103 Occurrence Handle8760310

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • H.M. Martin S.F. Barnett B.O. Vidler (1964) ArticleTitleCyclic development and longevity of Theileria parva in the tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Exp. Parasitol. 15 527–555 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0014-4894(64)90045-1 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CCqD2cnmvFI%3D Occurrence Handle14242265

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • W.D. McEnroe (1974a) ArticleTitleSize variation in the adult American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis Say (Acarina: Ixodidae) Acarologia 16 214–219 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CSmD3Mrns1E%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McEnroe W.D. 1974b. Spread and variations of populations in Eastern Massachusetts of the American dog tick. Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, Research Bulletin No. 603.

  • G.G. Moskvitina E.I. Korenberg L.Y. Gorban’ (1995a) ArticleTitleThe presence of borreliae in the midgut and salivary glands of spontaneously infected adult Ixodes persulcatus Schulze ticks during bloodsucking Med. Parazitol. Parasit. Bolezni 3 16–20

    Google Scholar 

  • G.G. Moskvitina E.I. Korenberg A. Spielman T.V. Shchyogoleva (1995b) ArticleTitleOn frequencies of generalized infection in unfed adult ticks of the genus Ixodes in Russian and American foci of borrelioses Parazitologiya 29 353–360 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BymD1MfntFU%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • G.G. Moskvitina E.I. Korenberg V.V. Nefedova Y.V. Kovalevskii N.B. Gorelova (2002) The dynamics of borrelia content in spontaneously infected unfed adult taiga ticks E.I. Korenberg N.A. Zabrodin (Eds) Kleshchevye Borreliozy Materialy Naychno-Prakticheskoi Konferentsii. Izhtekhnoservis Ltd. Izhevsk 205–207

    Google Scholar 

  • U.G. Munderloh T.J. Kurtti (1995) ArticleTitleCellular and molecular interrelationships between ticks and prokaryotic tick-borne pathogens Annu. Rev. Entomol. 40 221–243 Occurrence Handle10.1146/annurev.en.40.010195.001253 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2MXjtVWltrs%3D Occurrence Handle7810987

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • M. Nakao (1995) ArticleTitleIxodes persulcatus and Lyme disease spirochete: comparison of development between infected and noninfected ticks Jpn. J. Sanit. Zool. 46 241–247

    Google Scholar 

  • R.L. Naumov (1999) ArticleTitleThe questing activity of the taiga tick Ixodes persulcatus infected with borreliae Parazitologiya 33 251–256 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3c3jsValug%3D%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • R.L. Naumov (2003) ArticleTitleThe longevity of the sheep and taiga ticks (Ixodidae) infected and uninfected with borreliae of the burgdorferi group Parazitologiya 37 527–532 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD2c%2FnsFyksg%3D%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • R.L. Naumov I.S. Vasilyeva V.P. Gutova A.S. Ershova (1998) ArticleTitleAmplification of Lyme disease pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., in Ixodes persulcatus ticks Parazitologiya 32 412–421 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1M%2Fns1ahsQ%3D%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • J. Piesman (1995) ArticleTitleDispersal of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi to the salivary glands of feeding nymphal Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) J. Med. Entomol. 32 519–521 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByqA2sbgsFc%3D Occurrence Handle7650714

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • J. Piesman A. Spielman (1980) ArticleTitleHuman babesiosis on Nantucket Island: prevalence of Babesia microti in ticks Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 29 742–746 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:Bi6D28%2Fgt10%3D Occurrence Handle7435782

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • J. Piesman S. Lewengrub M.A. Rudzinska A. Spielman (1987a) ArticleTitleBabesia microti: prolonged survival of salivarian piroplasms in nymphal Ixodes dammini Exp. Parasitol. 64 292–299 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0014-4894(87)90039-7 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BieD2MrkvFE%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • J. Piesman T.N. Mather R.J. Sinsky A. Spielman (1987b) ArticleTitleDuration of tick attachment and Borrelia burgdorferi transmission J. Clin. Microbiol. 25 557–558 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BiiC1MrjsFQ%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • J. Piesman G.O. Maupin E.G. Campos C. Happ (1991) ArticleTitleDuration of adult female Ixodes dammini attachment and transmission of Borrelia burgdorferiwith description of a needle aspiration on izolation methods J. Infect. Dis. 163 895–897 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:By6C1crovFw%3D Occurrence Handle2010643

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • I.V. Razumova (1977) ArticleTitlePhysiological age of adult ixodid ticks and an express-method of its determination Med. Parazitol. Parazit. Bolezni 46 557–566

    Google Scholar 

  • I.V. Razumova (1987) ArticleTitleThe anatomical express-method of physiological age determination in ticks of the genus Ixodes Med. Parazitol. Parazit. Bolezni 6 33–38

    Google Scholar 

  • L.V. Repkina I.V. Uspensky (1980) ArticleTitleAn attempt to find some ecological characteristics of Ixodes persulcatus populations (Ixodidae) by the changes in tick physiological age during the activity season Parazitologiya 14 118–125 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:Bi%2BC1cbislI%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • J.M.C. Ribeiro T.N. Mather J. Piesman A. Spielman (1987) ArticleTitleDissemination and salivary delivery of Lyme disease spirochetes in vector ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) J. Med. Entomol. 24 201–205 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BiiB38ngtFw%3D Occurrence Handle3585913

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spielman A. 1992. Development of Lyme disease spirochetes in vector ticks. In: First International Conference on Tick-Borne Pathogens at the Host–Vector Interface: An Agenda for Research. Proceedings and Abstracts. University of Minnesota, St. Paul, pp. 47–53.

  • I. Uspensky (1995) ArticleTitlePhysiological age of ixodid ticks: aspects of its determination and application J. Med. Entomol. 32 751–764 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BymC3c3kslQ%3D Occurrence Handle8551497

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • I. Uspensky I. Ioffe-Uspensky (2002) ArticleTitleThe dog factor in brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) infestations in and near human dwellings Int. J. Med. Microbiol. 291 IssueIDSuppl. 33 156–163 Occurrence Handle12141741

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • A.R. Walker (1990) ArticleTitleParasitic adaptations in the transmission of theileria by ticks. A review Trop. Animal Health Prod. 22 23–33 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:By%2BB3cfos1w%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • A.R. Walker J.D. Fletcher (1985) ArticleTitleAge grades and infection rates of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann (Acari: Ixodidae) to assess theileriosis challenge in the field Bull. Entomol. Res. 75 653–660

    Google Scholar 

  • S.C. Weaver L.L. Coffey R. Nussenzveig D. Ortiz D. Smith (2004) Vector competence S.H. Gillespie G.L. Smith A. Osbourn (Eds) Microbe–Vector Interactions in Vector-Borne Diseases Cambridge University Press Cambridge 139–180

    Google Scholar 

  • M.-T. Yeh J.M. Bak R. Hu M.C. Nicholson C. Kelly T.N. Mather (1995) ArticleTitleDetermining of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) attachment to tick-bite victims J. Med. Entomol. 32 853–858 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BymC3c3kvVY%3D Occurrence Handle8551509

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Chemistry, A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel

    Igor Uspensky

  2. Department of Infections with Natural Focality, Gamaleya Institute for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, 123098, Russia

    Yuri V. Kovalevskii & Edward I. Korenberg

Authors
  1. Igor Uspensky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yuri V. Kovalevskii
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Edward I. Korenberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Igor Uspensky.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Uspensky, I., Kovalevskii, Y.V. & Korenberg, E.I. Physiological Age of Field-collected Female Taiga Ticks, Ixodes persulcatus (Acari: Ixodidae), and their Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato. Exp Appl Acarol 38, 201–209 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-006-0006-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-006-0006-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation