title: Positive findings of Borrelia burgdorferi in Culex (Culex) pipiens pipiens larvae in the surrounding of Brno city determined by the PCR method.
abstract: After first finding Borrelia in the midgut of imago mosquitoes, we concentrated on the presence of Borrelia in mosquito development stages--larvae of the third or fourth instar. In the summer season in the years of 2000-2001 a total of 439 Culex (Culex) pipiens pipiens larvae were collected from a barrel of rainwater in the Obrany holiday area of Brno city (East Moravia, Czech Republic). The larvae midgut was observed under dark-field microscopy. Ten DFM positive samples (2.28%) were further analysed using the single-tube nested PCR method for the presence of flagellum DNA sequence specific for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, of which 5 were positive. Borrelian positivity of Culex (C.) pipiens pipiens larvae was 1.14%. One spirochete isolated strain in BSK-H medium was obtained. PCR detection for borrelian DNA of the isolated strain was negative. From these results we can conclude that a low percentage Borreliae can be also found in mosquito larvae and are likely to survive into imago stage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Animal Physiology and General Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. alenazak@sci.muni.cz
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zákovská
authors.forename: Petrá
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nejedla
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holíková
authors.forename: Milos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dendis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003465:Culex / Q000382:microbiology*; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology; D007814:Larva; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial