Term of Award

Summer 1994

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Committee Chair

James H. Oliver, Jr.

Committee Member 1

William S. Irby

Committee Member 2

Lance A. Durden

Abstract

M. A. Wanchick, Jr., J. H. Oliver, Jr., & A. M. James. Attempted transmission of a southeastern strain of Borrelia burqdorferi by Ornithodoros turicata (Acari: Argasidae) and Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae).

Abstract:

The ability of the relapsing fever tick, Ornithodoros turicata (Duges), and the black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, to transmit a southeastern strain of Borrelia burqdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt and Brenner was analyzed under laboratory conditions. The strain of B. burgdorferi used (SI-1) was isolated from a urinary bladder biopsy from a cotton mouse, Peromyscus qossypmus (Le Conte), trapped on Sapelo Island (Mclntosh Co.), GA. Ixodes scapularis nymphs (n = 25) were found to transmit the SI-1 isolate from inoculated white mice, Mus musculus L. to 8 of 10 (80.0%) naive white laboratory mice Analysis by direct immunofluorescent assay (DFA) (Kirkegaard SPerry Bactrace® goat anti-B. burgdorferi polyclonal antibody) showed a 60% infection rate among I. scapularis nymphs. Ornithodoros turicata N2 (n = 25) did not transmit the SI-1 isolate of B. burgdorferi from inoculated white mice to naive hosts. Culturing in BSK II, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, and (DFA) of 0. turicata N2 showed no evidence of a B. burgdorferi infection.

M. A Wanchick, Jr., J. H. Oliver, Jr., and A. M. James. Reservoir incompetence of skinks (Eumeces laticeos and Eumeces inexpectatus) for a southeastern strain of Borrelia burgdorferi.

Abstract:

The ability of two common lizard species, Eumeces laticeps (Schneider) and E. inexpectatus Taylor, from the southeastern United States to maintain the infectious agent that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Hyde, Schmid & Brenner, was examined under laboratory conditions. A southeastern strain of B. burgdorferi (SI-1) isolated from the bladder tissue of a cotton mouse trapped on Sapelo Island (Mclntosh Co.), GA was used in experiments. Ixodes scapularis nymphs that fed on the SI-1 inoculated lizards were negative for B. burgdorferi at four and six wks. post feeding when cultured in BSK II medium. Five out of six inoculated control white mice (83.33%) and 14 of 25 (56%) I. scapularis nymphs that fed on these mice were culture positive at six wks. The naive white mice fed on by I. scapularis nymphs from potentially infected lizards were culture negative after the four and six wk. intervals.

Copyright

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