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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2005, p. 2616-2625, Vol. 71, No. 5
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.5.2616-2625.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Molecular Identification and Analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Lizards in the Southeastern United States

Kerry Clark,* Amanda Hendricks, and David Burge

Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32224

Received 6 July 2004/ Accepted 1 December 2004

Lyme borreliosis (LB) group spirochetes, collectively known as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, are distributed worldwide. Wild rodents are acknowledged as the most important reservoir hosts. Ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of B. burgdorferi sensu lato in the eastern United States, and in the southeastern United States, the larvae and nymphs mostly parasitize certain species of lizards. The primary aim of the present study was to determine whether wild lizards in the southeastern United States are naturally infected with Lyme borreliae. Blood samples obtained from lizards in Florida and South Carolina were tested for the presence of LB spirochetes primarily by using B. burgdorferi sensu lato-specific PCR assays that amplify portions of the flagellin (flaB), outer surface protein A (ospA), and 66-kDa protein (p66) genes. Attempts to isolate spirochetes from a small number of PCR-positive lizards failed. However, PCR amplification and sequence analysis of partial flaB, ospA, and p66 gene fragments confirmed numerous strains of B. burgdorferi sensu lato, including Borrelia andersonii, Borrelia bissettii, and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, in blood from lizards from both states. B. burgdorferi sensu lato DNA was identified in 86 of 160 (54%) lizards representing nine species and six genera. The high infection prevalence and broad distribution of infection among different lizard species at different sites and at different times of the year suggest that LB spirochetes are established in lizards in the southeastern United States.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224. Phone: (904) 620-2840. Fax: (904) 620-2848. E-mail: kclark{at}unf.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2005, p. 2616-2625, Vol. 71, No. 5
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.5.2616-2625.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

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  • Rudenko, N., Golovchenko, M., Mokracek, A., Piskunova, N., Ruzek, D., Mallatova, N., Grubhoffer, L. (2008). Detection of Borrelia bissettii in Cardiac Valve Tissue of a Patient with Endocarditis and Aortic Valve Stenosis in the Czech Republic. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 3540-3543 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
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