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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 976-979, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.976-979.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ticks Collected from Migratory Birds in Switzerland

Institute of Zoology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland,¹ Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland²

Received 27 May 2005/ Accepted 22 September 2005

The prevalence of ticks infected by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato on birds during their migrations was studied in Switzerland. A total of 1,270 birds captured at two sites were examined for tick infestation. Ixodes ricinus was the dominant tick species. Prevalences of tick infestation were 6% and 18.2% for birds migrating northward and southward, respectively. Borrelia valaisiana was the species detected most frequently in ticks, followed by Borrelia garinii and Borrelia lusitaniae. Among birds infested by infected ticks, 23% (6/26) were infested by B. lusitaniae-infected larvae. Migratory birds appear to be reservoir hosts for B. lusitaniae.

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