Open AccessAdaptation of Diverse Lyme Disease Spirochetes in a Natural Rodent Reservoir Host
Author(s) -
D. Richter,
Birte Klug,
Andrew Spielman,
FranzRainer Matuschka
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
infection and immunity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.508
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1070-6313
pISSN - 0019-9567
DOI - 10.1128/iai.72.4.2442-2444.2004
Subject(s) - biology , lyme disease , borrelia burgdorferi , generalist and specialist species , infectivity , spirochaetaceae , adaptation (eye) , sensu stricto , host (biology) , rodent , incubation period , microbiology and biotechnology , virology , zoology , ecology , incubation , immunology , virus , antibody , neuroscience , habitat , biochemistry
We compared the relative reservoir competence of European wood mice for two genospecies of Lyme disease spirochetes by analyzing susceptibility, intrinsic incubation period, and degree and duration of infectivity. Borrelia afzelii, specializing in particular reservoir hosts, is better adapted to those hosts than is the more generalist genospecies B. burgdorferi sensu stricto.