title: Effect of prior exposure to noninfected ticks on susceptibility of mice to Lyme disease spirochetes.
abstract: To determine whether prior exposure to Nearctic Ixodes vector ticks protects native reservoir mice from tick-borne infection by Lyme disease spirochetes, we compared their infectivities for white-footed mice and laboratory mice that had been repeatedly infested by noninfected deer ticks. Nymphal ticks readily engorged on tick-exposed laboratory mice, but their feeding success on white-footed mice progressively declined. Tick-borne spirochetes readily infected previously tick-infested mice. Thus, prior infestation by Nearctic ticks does not protect sympatric reservoir mice or Palearctic laboratory mice from infection by sympatric tick-borne spirochetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. drichter@hsph.harvard.edu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spielman
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Matuschka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003670:Deer / Q000469:parasitology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D018884:Ixodes; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051379:Mice; D010542:Peromyscus; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors