Anderson J F
Department of Entomology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven 06504.
Rev Infect Dis. 1989 Sep-Oct;11 Suppl 6:S1451-9. doi: 10.1093/clinids/11.supplement_6.s1451.
Four North American and two European species of Ixodes ticks harbor borreliae. Three of the North American species--Ixodes dammini, Ixodes scapularis, and Ixodes pacificus--and two Old World species--Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes persulcatus--feed on a wide range of hosts, including humans; the North American Ixodes dentatus has a predilection for cottontail rabbits and rarely parasitizes humans. In Lyme disease foci in North America where I. dammini is common, Borrelia burgdorferi or similar types of spirochetes have been cultured from 10 species of wild or domestic mammals and from one species of songbird. The prevalence of infected rodents is remarkably high (greater than or equal to 75%) in these foci. Several different antigenic variants of B. burgdorferi have been cultured. Initial isolates of B. burgdorferi in North America were remarkably homogeneous, but documentation of different variants is increasing. The association of different antigenic variants with diseases in humans and domestic animals needs to be clarified.
北美洲的4种硬蜱属蜱虫和欧洲的2种硬蜱属蜱虫携带疏螺旋体。北美洲的3种蜱虫——达氏硬蜱、肩突硬蜱和太平洋硬蜱，以及东半球的2种蜱虫——蓖麻硬蜱和全沟硬蜱，以包括人类在内的多种宿主为食；北美洲的齿突硬蜱偏好棉尾兔，很少寄生于人类。在北美洲达氏硬蜱常见的莱姆病疫源地，已从10种野生或家养哺乳动物及1种鸣禽体内培养出伯氏疏螺旋体或类似类型的螺旋体。在这些疫源地，受感染啮齿动物的患病率非常高（大于或等于75%）。已培养出几种不同抗原变体的伯氏疏螺旋体。北美洲最初分离出的伯氏疏螺旋体非常一致，但不同变体的记录越来越多。不同抗原变体与人类和家畜疾病之间的关联需要进一步阐明。
