TITLE:
Detection of Borrelia americana in the Avian Coastal Tick, Ixodes auritulus (Acari: Ixodidae), Collected from a Bird Captured in Canada
AUTHORS:
John D. Scott, Janet E. Foley
KEYWORDS:
Borrelia americana, Lyme Disease, Avian Coastal Tick, Ixodes auritulus, Varied Thrush, Songbird, Bird Parasitism, Canada
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.6 No.3,
July
12,
2016
ABSTRACT: We document the first record of Borrelia americana in Canada. This Borrelia was detected in an avian coast tick, Ixodes auritulus (Acari: Ixodidae), collected from a Varied Thrush, Ixoreus naevius, along coastal British Columbia. Using real-time PCR and DNA sequencing of the flagellin gene, we determined that the borrelial amplicon from the I. auritulus nymph was 99% homologous with B. americana type strain SCW-41. Because patients infected with B. americana can be seronegative for Lyme disease, medical professionals should be willing to pursue molecular analyses and consider treatment for patients with Lyme disease-like symptoms.