Dynamic changes in Lyme disease spirochetes during transmission by nymphal ticks.
Ticks are not crawling needles, merely delivering infectious agents to vertebrate hosts. A sophisticated interplay takes place between ticks, pathogens, and vertebrate hosts. The relationship between Ixodes ticks and the Lyme disease spirochetes they transmit involves subtle changes in spirochete populations that maximize their chances of being transmitted. An understanding of this complex interplay will, hopefully, allow the development of new tools to block transmission of tick-borne agents.
Piesman
Joseph
J
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DVBID, PO Box 2087, Ft. Collins, CO 80522, USA. JPiesman@cdc.gov
Schneider
Bradley S
BS
D000818:Animals; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000382:microbiology
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins