Reservoir Competence of the Meadow Vole (Rodentia: Cricetidae) for the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

Authors

Daniel Markowski, University of Rhode Island
Howard S. Ginsberg, University of Rhode Island
Kerwin E. Hyland, University of Rhode Island
Renjie Hu, University of Rhode Island

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

1-1-1998

Abstract

The reservoir competence of the meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus Ord, for the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner was established on Patience Island, RI. Meadow voles were collected from 5 locations throughout Rhode Island. At 4 of the field sites, M. pennsylvanicus represented only 4.0% (n = 141) of the animals captured. However, on Patience Island, M. pennsylvanicus was the sole small mammal collected (n = 48). Of the larval hodes scapularis Say obtained from the meadow voles on Patience Island, 62% (n = 78) was infected with B. burgdorferi. Meadow voles from all 5 locations were successfully infected with B. burgdorferi in the laboratory and were capable of passing the infection to xenodiagnostic I. scapularis larvae for 9 wk. We concluded that M. pennsylvanicus was physiologically capable of maintaining B. burgdorferi infection. However, in locations where Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque) is abundant, the role of M. pennsylvanicus as a primary reservoir for B. burgdorferi was reduced.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Journal of Medical Entomology

Volume

35

Issue

5

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Markowski, Daniel, Howard S. Ginsberg, Kerwin E. Hyland, and Renjie Hu. "Reservoir Competence of the Meadow Vole (Rodentia: Cricetidae) for the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi." Journal of Medical Entomology 35, 5 (1998). doi: 10.1093/jmedent/35.5.804.