Identifying the reservoir hosts of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in California: the role of the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus).
We investigated the role of the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) as a reservoir host of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. A survey of 222 western gray squirrels in California showed an overall prevalence of B. burgdorferi infection of 30%, although at a county level, prevalence of infection ranged from 0% to 50% by polymerase chain reaction. Laboratory trials with wild-caught western gray squirrels indicated that squirrels were competent reservoir hosts of the Lyme disease bacterium and infected up to 86% of feeding Ixodes pacificus larvae. Infections were long-lasting (up to 14 months), which demonstrated that western gray squirrels can maintain B. burgdorferi trans-seasonally. Non-native eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) were infrequently infected with B. burgdorferi.
Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, and Office of Laboratory Animal Care, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. dsalkeld@nature.berkeley.edu
Daniel J
DJ
Salkeld
Sarah
S
Leonhard
Yvette A
YA
Girard
Nina
N
Hahn
Jeomhee
J
Mun
Kerry A
KA
Padgett
Robert S
RS
Lane
D000818:Animals; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000635:transmission*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012589:Sciuridae / Q000382:microbiology*