title: Investigation of venereal, transplacental, and contact transmission of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in Syrian hamsters.
abstract: A hamster was inoculated with the SI-1 strain of Borrelia burgdorferi and subsequently served as a host to larval Ixodes scapularis Say. Approximately 68% of the nymphs resulting from the fed larvae were infected. Nymphs from this group were fed on uninfected hamsters, and 3 of 4 males and 6 of 6 females became infected. The infected hamsters were allowed to mate with uninfected partners to test for venereal transmission. Six infected females were mated with 6 uninfected males, whereas 3 infected males were mated with 6 uninfected females. None of the uninfected hamsters became infected after mating. Two protocols were used to determine if transplacental transmission of B. burgdorferi occurred. One group included 6 nonpregnant infected females that were subsequently mated and became pregnant. Three of the females were allowed to carry to full term, whereas the other 3 were killed prior to parturition. All fetuses and offspring were negative for B. burgdorferi based on cultures and monoclonal antibody assays. Another group of 6 females was infected via tick bite after becoming pregnant; those females were allowed to carry fetuses to birth and all were negative. Attempts at contact transmission of B. burgdorferi from 2 infected females to 2 uninfected male and 2 uninfected female hamsters and from 2 infected males to 2 uninfected male and uninfected female hamsters via urine or feces failed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology, Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro 30460, USA.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Woodrum
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Oliver
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000382:microbiology; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006224:Cricetinae; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000635:transmission*; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology