How to translate text using browser tools
1 November 2006 Relative Abundance and Prevalence of Selected Borrelia Infections in Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) from Publicly Owned Lands in Monmouth County, New Jersey
Terry L. Schulze, Robert A. Jordan, Sean P. Healy, Vivien E. Roegner, Michael Meddis, Margaret B. Jahn, Douglas L. Guthrie
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

To evaluate their potential importance in the transmission of ixodid tick-borne borrelioses in Monmouth County, NJ, we collected host-seeking Ixodes scapularis Say and Amblyomma americanum (L.) (Acari: Ixodidae) adults and nymphs to determine relative encounter frequencies and the infection prevalence of selected Borrelia spp. in their respective tick vectors. We also reviewed records of all ticks submitted for identification by the public in Monmouth County during 2001–2005. Relative abundance of the two species varied markedly among sites. Adult encounter frequencies for the two species were similar; however, A. americanum nymphs were encountered 3 times more frequently than I. scapularis nymphs. Of 435 ticks submitted by the public, 50.1 and 38.9% were I. scapularis and A. americanum, respectively. However, during May through August, the peak Lyme disease transmission season in New Jersey, significantly more submitted ticks were A. americanum (55.9%), compared with I. scapularis (34.1%). Polymerase chain reaction analysis of 94 I. scapularis and 103 A. americanum adults yielded infection prevalences of 31.9% for B. burgdorferi and 5.8% for B. lonestari, respectively. Although the infection prevalence of B. burgdorferi in I. scapularis was considerably higher than the infection prevalence of B. lonestari in A. americanum, the higher encounter frequencies for A. americanum compared with I. scapularis observed in this and other studies may result in increased risk of acquiring exposure to A. americanum-transmitted pathogens. The potential public health implications of these results are discussed.

Terry L. Schulze, Robert A. Jordan, Sean P. Healy, Vivien E. Roegner, Michael Meddis, Margaret B. Jahn, and Douglas L. Guthrie "Relative Abundance and Prevalence of Selected Borrelia Infections in Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) from Publicly Owned Lands in Monmouth County, New Jersey," Journal of Medical Entomology 43(6), 1269-1275, (1 November 2006). https://doi.org/10.1603/0022-2585(2006)43[1269:RAAPOS]2.0.CO;2
Received: 12 April 2006; Accepted: 12 July 2006; Published: 1 November 2006
JOURNAL ARTICLE
7 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
A. americanum
Borrelia
encounter frequencies
I. scapularis
infection prevalence
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top