title: Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected ticks from wildlife hosts, a response to Norris et al.
abstract: In a recent Letter to the Editor, Norris et al. questioned the validity of some of our data reported by Feria-Arroyo et al. The main issue investigated by us was the potential impact of climate change on the probable distribution of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis in the Texas-Mexico transboundary region. As an ancillary issue, an analysis of sequence data for the intergenic spacer of Borrelia burgdorferi was conducted. In the present letter, we provide further evidence supporting our original results, and advocate that extensive study of the population genetics of B. burgdorferi is needed in the Texas-Mexico transboundary region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA. MEsteve-Gassent@cvm.tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Maria D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Esteve-Gassent
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA. agrover@cvm.tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Abha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, The University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, TX, 78539, USA. tpferia@utpa.edu.
authors.forename: Teresa P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Feria-Arroyo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Science and Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA. ic13@txstate.edu.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Castro-Arellano
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA. rfmedina@tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Raul F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Centro Médico Nacional SXXI, IMSS, Distrito Federal, 06720, México. lugope2@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gordillo-Pérez
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, Kerrville, TX, 78028, USA. Beto.PerezdeLeon@ARS.USDA.GOV.
authors.forename: Adalberto A Pérez
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: de León
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D001179:Arthropod Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D018884:Ixodes / Q000502:physiology*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000635:transmission*