Reservoir Role of LizardPsammodromus algirusin Transmission Cycle ofBorrelia burgdorferiSensu Lato (Spirochaetaceae) in Tunisia

Abstract

To investigate the reservoir role of the lizard Psammodromus algirus for the Lyme disease spirochete, 199 lizards were trapped from April to October 2003 in El Jouza, northwestern Tunisia. In this site, the infection rate of free-living Ixodes ricinus (L.) by Borrelia was evaluated by immunofluorescence as 34.6% for adult ticks and 12.5% for nymphs. Eighty percent of P. algirus (117/146) captured during this study were infested by I. ricinus, the predominant tick species collected from lizards. The intensity of tick infestation of this host by larvae and nymphs ranged from 0.14 to 7.07 and from 1.5 to 6.58, respectively. These immature stages of I. ricinus were found on lizards in spring and the beginning of summer, with a peak of intensity during June (10.16 immature ticks by lizard). Tissue cultures from lizards and xenodiagnosis with larval I. ricinus were used to assess the infection and the ability, respectively, of infected lizards to transmit Borrelia to naive ticks. Seventeen percent of xenodiagnostic ticks (40/229) acquired B. lusitaniae while feeding on P. algirus. Therefore, we demonstrated the ability of the lizards to sustain Borrelia infection and to infect attached ticks, and we proved that P. algirus is a reservoir host competent to transmit B. lusitaniae.

Evidence for Host-Genotype Associations of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto

“…garinii is a bird specialist [ 8 ] and B . lusitaniae may be a lizard specialist [ 17 ]. In North America, B .…”

Borrelia chilensis, a new member of theBorrelia burgdorferisensu lato complex that extends the range of this genospecies in theSouthernHemisphere

“…are agents of two major diseases: Lyme borreliosis (LB) (Radolf et al, 2012) and relapsing fever (RF) (Cutler, 2010). Borrelia are distributed throughout the world and are maintained in nature in a cycle with various arthropod vectors and mammalian, avian, or reptilian hosts (Piesman and Gern, 2004; Dsouli et al, 2006; Marie-Angele et al, 2006; Tilly et al, 2008; Vitorino et al, 2008; Takano et al, 2010; Bouchard et al, 2011; Margos et al, 2011; Vollmer et al, 2011; Brisson et al, 2012). They fall into three groups, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.)…”

Fine-Scale Phylogeographic Structure of Borrelia lusitaniae Revealed by Multilocus Sequence Typing

“…Lizards of the family Lacertidae are now believed to be important reservoir hosts of B. lusitaniae [15], [16]. These reptiles are known to be highly structured phylogeographically, suggesting limited migration between populations from different localities [17]–[20].…”