Ecology of sympatric species of <italic>Peromyscus</italic> as hosts for <italic>Ixodes scapularis</italic> and <italic>Borrelia burgdorferi</italic> in northern Michigan forests.
Friedrich, Teresa Joy
2003
Abstract
Rodent- and vector-borne diseases such as Lyme disease are maintained by complex relationships between very different organisms and habitats. This study examined the ecological interactions between the bacterial agent (<italic> Borrelia burgdorferi</italic>), the tick vector (<italic>Ixodes scapularis </italic>), and two species of reservoir hosts (<italic>Peromyscus leucopus </italic> and <italic>P. maniculatus gracilis</italic>) for Lyme disease in forest habitats in Michigan. Spatial and temporal distributions of <italic>P. leucopus</italic> and <italic> P. m. gracilis</italic> were compared by habitat. These species coexisted in overlapping habitats, with the former being relatively more abundant in upland deciduous habitats and the latter in lowland coniferous habitats. The relative abundance of <italic>P. leucopus</italic> increased to the southwest, and the relative abundance of <italic>P. m. gracilis</italic> increased to the east. The success of <italic>P. leucopus</italic>, but not <italic>P. m. gracilis</italic>, may have improved following an oak mast. Evidence suggested that <italic>P. m. gracilis</italic> had higher winter survival and <italic> P. leucopus</italic> had a higher rate of reproduction. <italic>Peromyscus leucopus</italic> and <italic>P. m. gracilis</italic> were then compared to determine differences in abundances of larval and nymphal <italic> I. scapularis</italic>. Larval <italic>I. scapularis</italic> were somewhat more likely to infest <italic>P. leucopus</italic> than <italic>P. m. gracilis </italic>, particularly during the latter part of the summer. Nymphal infestation was not significantly different between the two host species. Forest type and oak masting seemed to have little effect on <italic>I. scapularis</italic> distributions. Finally, infection rates of <italic>P. leucopus</italic> and <italic> P. m. gracilis</italic> by <italic>B. burgdorferi</italic> did not differ, but the percent of each species infected decreased as mouse populations increased over the season. Adult mice had higher rates of infection than young individuals. Males had higher rates of infection than females. Reproductively active individuals had higher rates of infection than individuals that were not reproductive. Mice with higher levels of infestation by nymphal <italic>I. scapularis</italic> had higher rates of infection by <italic>B. burgdorferi</italic>. Differences in habitat preferences of <italic>P. leucopus</italic> and <italic> P. m. gracilis</italic> may increase the habitats available to <italic>I. scapularis</italic>. Differences in seasonal abundance of hosts may help maintain the transmission cycle of <italic>B. burgdorferi</italic>. These differences potentially raise the risk for Lyme disease in regions of host sympatry.Subjects
Borrelia Burgdorferi Ecology Forests Hosts Ixodes Scapularis Michigan Northern Peromyscus Species Sympatric
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