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Relative incompetence of European rabbits for Lyme disease spirochaetes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2000

F.-R. MATUSCHKA ,
T. W. SCHINKEL ,
B. KLUG ,
A. SPIELMAN  and
D. RICHTER
F.-R. MATUSCHKA
Affiliation:
Institut für Pathologie, Charité, Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Malteserstraße 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
T. W. SCHINKEL
Affiliation:
Institut für Pathologie, Charité, Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Malteserstraße 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
B. KLUG
Affiliation:
Institut für Pathologie, Charité, Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Malteserstraße 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
A. SPIELMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
D. RICHTER
Affiliation:
Institut für Pathologie, Charité, Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Malteserstraße 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Abstract

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To determine whether rabbits may serve as reservoir hosts for Lyme disease spirochaetes in Europe, we compared their competence as hosts for Borrelia afzelii, one of the most prevalent European spirochaetal variants, with that of the Mongolian jird. To infect rabbits or jirds, at least 3 nymphal or adult Ixodes ricinus ticks infected with spirochaetes fed to repletion on each animal. Whereas jirds readily acquired tick-borne Lyme disease spirochaetes and subsequently infected vector ticks, rabbits exposed to tick-borne spirochaetes rarely became infectious to ticks. Only the rabbit that was infectious to ticks developed an antibody response. To the extent that I. ricinus ticks feed on European rabbits, these mammals may be zooprophylactic by diverting vector ticks from more suitable reservoir competent hosts.

Keywords

Lyme diseaseBorrelia afzeliirabbitsjirds
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 121 , Issue 3 , September 2000 , pp. 297 - 302
Copyright
2000 Cambridge University Press