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Host dispersal shapes the population structure of a tick‐borne bacterial pathogen
Author(s) -
Norte Ana Cláudia,
Margos Gabriele,
Becker Noémie S.,
Albino Ramos Jaime,
Núncio Maria Sofia,
Fingerle Volker,
Araújo Pedro Miguel,
Adamík Peter,
Alivizatos Haralambos,
Barba Emilio,
Barrientos Rafael,
Cauchard Laure,
Csörgő Tibor,
Diakou Anastasia,
Dingemanse Niels J.,
Doligez Blandine,
Dubiec Anna,
Eeva Tapio,
Flaisz Barbara,
Grim Tomas,
Hau Michaela,
Heylen Dieter,
Hornok Sándor,
Kazantzidis Savas,
Kováts David,
Krause František,
Literak Ivan,
Mänd Raivo,
Mentesana Lucia,
Morinay Jennifer,
Mutanen Marko,
Neto Júlio Manuel,
Nováková Markéta,
Sanz Juan José,
Pascoal da Silva Luís,
Sprong Hein,
Tirri InaSabrina,
Török János,
Trilar Tomi,
Tyller Zdeněk,
Visser Marcel E.,
Lopes de Carvalho Isabel
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/mec.15336
Subject(s) - biology , borrelia garinii , borrelia , multilocus sequence typing , borrelia afzelii , biological dispersal , tick , zoology , population , borrelia burgdorferi , ixodes , phylogeography , genotype , ecology , genetics , phylogenetics , demography , sociology , gene , antibody
Birds are hosts for several zoonotic pathogens. Because of their high mobility, especially of longdistance migrants, birds can disperse these pathogens, affecting their distribution and phylogeography. We focused on Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, which includes the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis, as an example for tick‐borne pathogens, to address the role of birds as propagation hosts of zoonotic agents at a large geographical scale. We collected ticks from passerine birds in 11 European countries. B . burgdorferi s.l. prevalence in Ixodes spp. was 37% and increased with latitude. The fieldfare Turdus pilaris and the blackbird T. merula carried ticks with the highest Borrelia prevalence (92 and 58%, respectively), whereas robin Erithacus rubecula ticks were the least infected (3.8%). Borrelia garinii was the most prevalent genospecies (61%), followed by B. valaisiana (24%), B. afzelii (9%), B. turdi (5%) and B. lusitaniae (0.5%). A novel Borrelia genospecies “ Candidatus Borrelia aligera” was also detected. Multilocus sequence typing ( MLST ) analysis of B. garinii isolates together with the global collection of B. garinii genotypes obtained from the Borrelia MLST public database revealed that: (a) there was little overlap among genotypes from different continents, (b) there was no geographical structuring within Europe, and (c) there was no evident association pattern detectable among B. garinii genotypes from ticks feeding on birds, questing ticks or human isolates. These findings strengthen the hypothesis that the population structure and evolutionary biology of tick‐borne pathogens are shaped by their host associations and the movement patterns of these hosts.