Lyme Australia: Recognition & Awareness
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TICK VECTORS OF LYME BORRELIOSIS 


Below is a table of tick vectors involved in the transmission and maintenance of Lyme. ​
​For ease of access - The table has been reproduced from the Transmission and Maintenance page of this website. ​​

A key to reading the Tick Vectors of Lyme Disease/ Borreliosis Table:
# The relevant ticks are listed, firstly under the country/continent in which they are found and then under their relevant
Ixodidae genera, eg: Ixodes, Amblyomma, Haemaphysalis, Rhipicephalus and Dermacentor.
# The “scientific” name for the tick is firstly given, with the more common name (if applicable) in brackets;
#  Animal hosts of the ticks are mentioned, with:  {I} denoting hosts of Immature ticks ie: larvae and nymphs and
{A} for the animal hosts of the adult ticks; If it is a second listing for the tick, that is, the tick is found in more than one continent/country,
the animal hosts of the tick are not listed again. Tick species that have been recorded as being in Australia are highlighted in red.
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​*See reference list below for source of tick location, animal hosts and journal articles with regards to vector capabilities of each of the above listed ticks (referenced in order of mention).
 
**Ticks such as I. jellisoni, I. trianguliceps and I. spinipalpis are known as nidicolous ticks (found in the burrows and nests of their hosts) and as these ticks do not actively look for hosts, their roles as vectors is associated with maintaining the Borrelia (and numerous co-infections such as Babesia microti) within the environment, rather than transmitting it to humans (1-3). However, in cases where they do come into contact with people, such as with I. spinipalpis (4), transmission to humans may occur. 
 

​The above table was compiled by Karen Smith (Author of LARA) in 2011 and though comprehensive, it is by no means a complete list of tick vectors involved in the Borrelia (Lyme) cycle around the world. ​
​The main aim of the table is to show how many various genera of the Ixodidae tick family are involved in the Lyme disease/ borreliosis cycle. The existence of Lyme disease in Australia was denied by Russell et al., (1994) and continues to be denied by the NSW Department of Medical entomology (of which Russell was the Director until his retirement in mid 2012), and the NSW Health Director of Communicable Diseases, Dr Jeremy McAnulty, in part due to the fact that Australia does not have any of the first four ticks (ie: I. scapularis, I. pacificus, I. ricinus, I. persulcatus) that were initially identified as vectors of Lyme in the United States and Europe. As the tick table demonstrates, there are numerous tick species that are involved in the Lyme borreliosis cycle and these species can be different in various countries.  Australia has a number of tick species (highlighted in red) that are involved in the cycle, and these are discussed in further detail in the following segments: 

Birds as Vector and Reservoir Hosts in Borrelia (Including examination of I. uriae  (seabird) & I. auritulus (bird) ticks

Mammals as Vector and Reservoir Hosts in Borrelia (Including examination of H. longicornis &  (scrub/bush) & H. bispinosa ticks

Rhipicephalus and Dermecentor Ticks



Tick  location and animal hosts in the above table were sourced from a variety of places. The majority of information is  from: 

List of Australian Ticks and  their hosts

Fauna of Ixodid Ticks of the  World (GV Kolonin  2009) Accessed 2011-2012 [ http://www.kolonin.org/2.html ] 
*Update 2017 : This resource has now been archived, some of which can be seen HERE 

Other sites/information accessed include:

Ticks and Tickborne Bacterial  Diseases in Humans Chart  Accessed  from the Journal Reading: Parola P and Raoult D (2001)  Ticks and Tickborne Bacterial Diseases in Humans: An Emerging Infectious Threat:  Clin  Infect Dis; 32(6):  897-928

The Merck Veterinary  Manual 

For Journal article references for Borrelia Vector / Tick Vector capabilities, see Reference list below

References: LYME TRANSMISSION: Transmission and Maintenance

Please note: Any information with regards to Lyme disease that is freely available at numerous locations on the internet has not been  referenced. For specific facts/arguments, see the reference list. 
Lyme Disease Tick Vectors
 
I. scapularis and I. pacificus:  Well known vectors

I. dentatus:  
(a) Anderson JF, Magnarelli LA and Stafford  KC 3rd (1990) Bird-feeding ticks transstadially transmit Borrelia burgdorferi that infect Syrian hamsters. J Wildl Dis; 26 (1):1-10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2304189
(b) Indirect ref: Masuzawa T (2004)  Terrestrial Distribution of the Lyme Borreliosis Agent Borrelia burgdorferi  Sensu Lato in East Asia. Jpn J Infect Dis,  57(6); 229-235. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15623946
 
I. affinis:
Maggi RG, Reichelt S, Toliver M and Engber B  (2010) Borrelia species in Ixodes affinis and Ixodes scapularis ticks collected from the coastal plain of North Carolina. Ticks Tick Borne Dis;1(4):168-71. Epub 2010 Oct 20. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21771524

I. jellisoni:
Lane RS, Peavey CA, Padgett KA and Hendson M (1999)  Life history of Ixodes (Ixodes) jellisoni (Acari: Ixodidae) and its vector competence for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. J Med Entomol;36(3):329-40. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10337104

I. neotomae: (Also ; or now known as I spinaplpis – see Norris et al,  1997):
Keirans JE, Brown RN and Lane RS (1996) Ixodes (Ixodes) jellisoni and I. (I.) neotomae (Acari:Ixodidae): descriptions of  the immature stages from California. J Med  Entomol;33(3):319-27. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8667376
 
Norris DE, Klompen JS, Keirans JE, Lane RS, Piesman J and Black WC 4th(1997)  Taxonomic status of Ixodes neotomae and I. spinipalpis (Acari:  Ixodidae) based on mitochondrial DNA evidence. J Med Entomol; 34(6):696-703. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9439125

I. spinipalpis:    
Dolan MC, Maupin GO, Panella NA, Golde WT,  Piesman J (1997) Vector competence of Ixodes scapularis, I. spinipalpis, and Dermacentor andersoni (Acari:Ixodidae) in transmitting Borrelia burgdorferi, the  etiologic agent of Lyme disease. J Med Entomol; 34(2):128-35. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9103755              

I. angustus:
Peavey CA, Lane RS and Damrow T (2000) Vector competence of Ixodes angustus (Acari: Ixodidae) for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. Exp Appl  Acarol;24(1):77-84. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10823359

I. minor:  
(a) Rudenko N, Golovchenko M, Lin T, Gao L,  Grubhoffer L and Oliver JH Jr (2009) Delineation of a new species of the Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Complex, Borrelia americana sp. nov. J Clin  Microbiol;47(12):3875-80. Epub 2009 Oct 21.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19846628

(b) Clark KL, Oliver JH Jr, Grego JM, James  AM, Durden LA and Banks CW (2001) Host associations of ticks parasitizing rodents at Borrelia burgdorferi enzootic sites in South Carolina. J Parasitol;87(6):1379-86. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11780825
 
I. muris:
Dolan MC, Lacombe EH and Piesman J (2000)  Vector competence of Ixodes muris (Acari: Ixodidae) for Borrelia burgdorferi. J Med Entomol; 37(5):766-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11004792
 
A. Americanum:
Schulze TL, Jordan RA, Schulze CJ, Mixon T  and Papero M (2005) Relative encounter frequencies and prevalence of selected  Borrelia, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma infections in Amblyomma americanum and Ixodes  scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks from central New Jersey. J Med  Entomol;42(3):450-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15962799

H. leporispalustris:
(a) Lane RS and Burgdorfer W (1988)  Spirochetes in mammals and ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from a focus of Lyme  borreliosis in California. J Wildl Dis; 24(1):1-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3280837

(b) Banerjee SN, Banerjee M, Fernando K, Dong  MY, Smith JA and Cook D (1995) Isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme  disease spirochete, from rabbit ticks, haemaphysalis leporispalustris – Alberta.  Can Commun Dis Rep;21(10):86-8. 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7620455             Full copy at: http://www.jwildlifedis.org/cgi/reprint/24/1/1

(c) Nicholls TH.and Callister SM (1996) Lyme  Disease (Borelia burgdorferi) Spirochetes in Ticks collected from birds in  midwestern United states.  Abstract from chapter in Journal  of Medical Entomology; 33(3): 379-384. http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/11268  

I. scapularis in Canada:
CanadaCommunicable Disease Report (1995) Vol 21-10. ISSN  1188-4169
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/webarchives/20071127051546/http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/95pdf/cdr2110e.pdf

I. auritulus: 
(a) Scott JD, Anderson JF and Durden LA (2011) Widespread dispersal of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected ticks collected  from songbirds across Canada. J Parasitol Aug 24. [Epub  ahead of print]   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21864130

(b) Scott JD, Lee MK, Fernando K, Durden LA,  Jorgensen DR, Mak S and Morshed MG (2010) Detection of Lyme disease spirochete,  Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, including three novel genotypes in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) collected from songbirds (Passeriformes) across Canada. J  Vector Ecol;35(1):124-39.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20618658

​(c) Morshed MG, Scott JD, Fernando K, Beati  L, Mazerolle DF, Geddes G and Durden LA (2005) Migratory songbirds disperse  ticks across Canada, and first isolation of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, from the avian tick, Ixodes auritulus. J  Parasitol;91(4):780-90. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17089744

I.  ricinus:      Well known vector

I. hexagonus:
(a) Toutoungi LN and Gern L (1993) Ability of transovarially and subsequent transstadially infected Ixodes hexagonus ticks to  maintain and transmit Borrelia burgdorferi in the laboratory. Exp Appl Acarol;17(8):581-6.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7628234 

(b) Gern L, Rouvinez E, Toutoungi LN and Godfroid E (1997) Transmission cycles of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato involving Ixodes ricinus and/or I. hexagonus ticks and the European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, in suburban and urban areas in Switzerland. Folia Parasitol (Praha) ;44(4):309-14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9437846

​(c) Estrada-Pena A, Oteo JA, Estrada-Pena R, Gortazar C, Osacar JJ, Moreno JA and Castella J (1995) Borrelia burgdorferi  sensu lato in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from two different foci in Spain. Exp Appl Acarol; 19(3):173-80. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7634972

I. canisuga and I. frontalis:
Estrada-Pena A, Oteo JA, Estrada-Pena R, Gortazar C, Osacar JJ, Moreno JA and Castella J (1995) Borrelia burgdorferi  sensu lato in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from two different foci in Spain. Exp Appl Acarol;19(3):173-80. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7634972

I. trianguliceps:
(a) Gorelova NB, Korenberg EI, Kovalevskii  JuV, Postic D and Baranton G (1996) The isolation of Borrelia from the tick Ixodes trianguliceps (Ixodidae) and the possible significance of this species in the epizootiology of ixodid tick-borne borrelioses. Parazitologiia;30(1):13-8.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8975209 

(b) Grigor’eva LA and Tret’kiakov KA (1998)  Features of the parasitic system of Ixodid ticks--Borrelia--small mammals in the  Russian Northwest. Parazitologiia;32(5):422-30. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9859127

​(c) Hubbard MJ, Baker AS and Cann KJ (1998)  Distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. spirochaete DNA in British ticks (Argasidae and Ixodidae) since the 19th century, assessed by PCR. Med Vet  Entomol;12(1):89-97. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9513944
 
I.  persulcatus:  Well known  vector

I. sinensis:
(a) Sun, Y, Xu, R and Cao, W (2003). Ixodes sinensis: competence as a vector to transmit the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia garinii. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis; 3(1), 39–44 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12804379 

​(b) Sun Yi, Xu R, Ge EF and Cao W (2009) Natural infection of Borrelia afzelii in Ixodes sinensis and its parasitism hosts in forest areas of Huangshan, Anhui Province. Acta Parasitoogica et Medica Entomologica Sinica; 16 (3), 141-146. ISSN 1005-0507.  http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/20103039526.html;jsessionid=A15D6311D71E4ECD6782B133C5A84006

I. ovatus:
Kawabata H, Masuzawa T Yanagihara Y (1993) Genomic analysis of Borrelia japonica sp. nov. isolated from Ixodes ovatus in  Japan. Microbiol. Immunol;37(11)  843-848 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7905183
 
I nipponensis: (Indirect reference) 
Masuzawa T (2004) Terrestrial Distribution of  the Lyme Borreliosis Agent Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in East Asia. Jpn J Infect Dis, 57(6); 229-235. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15623946
 
I granulatus and H bispinosa:
(a) Wan K, Zhang Z, and Dou G (1998) Investigation on primary vectors of Borrelia burgdorferi in China. Chin J Epidemiol 19, 263–266.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10322682

(b) Chao LL , Wu WJ, and Shih CM (2009) First  Detection and Molecular Identification of Borrelia burgdorferi -like Spirochetes in Ixodes granulatus Ticks Collected on Kinmen Island of Taiwan. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg; 80(3): 389–394. http://www.ajtmh.org/content/80/3/389.full.pdf   

​(c) Hao Q, Hou X, Geng Z and Wan K (2011)  Distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in China. J Clin Microbiol; 49(2): 647-650. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21106783

H. flava:
(a) Ishiguro F, Takada N, Masuzawa T and Fukui T (2000) Prevalence of Lyme disease Borrelia spp. in ticks from migratory birds on the Japanese mainland. Appl Environ Microbiol;66(3):982-6.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10698761

(b) Ishiquro F, Takada N and Masuzawa T  (2005) Molecular evidence of the dispersal of Lyme disease Borrelia from the Asian Continent to Japan via migratory birds. Jpn J  Infect Dis; 58(3):184-6.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15973014

H. longicornis 
(a) Chu CY, Jiang BG, Liu W, Zhao QM, Wu XM, Zhang PH, Zhan H and Cao WC (2008). Presence of pathogenic Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks and rodents in Zhejiang, south-east China. J Med Microbiol;57( 8):980-5 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18628499 

(b) Chu CY, Liu W, Jiang BG, Wang DM, Jiang WJ, Zhao QM, Zhang PH, Wang ZX, Tang GP, Yang H and Cao WC (2008) Novel Genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato  from Rodents and Ticks in Southwestern China. J Clin Microbiol;  46(9):3130-3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18614645

(c) Sun J, Liu Q, Lu L, Ding G, Guo J, Fu G,  Zhang J, Meng F, Wu H, Song X, Ren D, Li D, Guo Y, Wang J, Li G, Liu J and Lin H  (2008) Coinfection with four genera of bacteria (Borrelia, Bartonella,  Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia) in Haemaphysalis longicornis and Ixodes sinensis ticks  from China. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis; 8(6): 791-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18637722

(d) Meng Z, Jiang LP, Lu QY, Cheng SY, Ye JL  and Zhan L (2008) Detection of co-infection with Lyme spirochetes and spotted fever group rickettsiae in a group of Haemaphysalis longicornis.  Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi;  29 (12): 1217–1220. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19173967

I. columnae, I. tanuki, I. turdis;  (Indirect  reference): 
Masuzawa T (2004) Terrestrial Distribution of  the Lyme Borreliosis Agent Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in East Asia. Jpn J Infect Dis, 57(6); 229-235. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15623946

I. tanuki, I. turdis: (Indirect reference)  
Saito K, Ito T, Asashima N, Ohno M, Nagai R,  Fujita H, Koizumi N, Takano A, Watanabe H and  Kawabata H (2007) Case Report: Borrelia  valaisiana Infection in a Japanese Man Associated with Traveling to Foreign  Countries. Am J Trop Med Hyg; 77(6): 1124–1127. http://www.ajtmh.org/content/77/6/1124.full.pdf

I Uriae: 
(a) Olsen B, Jaenson TG, Noppa L, Bunikis J, Bergstrom S (1993) A  Lyme borreliosis cycle in seabirds and Ixodes uriae ticks. Nature; 362:340-342.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8455718

​(b) Olsen B, Duffy DC, Jaenson TG, Gylfe A, Bonnedahl J and Bergstrom S (1995) Transhemispheric exchange of Lyme disease spirochetes by seabirds. J Clin Microbiol;  33:3270-3274  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8586715

  
Tick/Vector References Further to the above:

(1) Maupin GO, Gage KL, Piesman J, Montenieri  J, Sviat SL, VanderZanden L, Happ CM, Dolan M and Johnson BJ (1994) Discovery of  an enzootic cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi in Neotoma mexicana and Ixodes spinipalpis from northern Colorado, an area where Lyme disease is  nonendemic. J Infect Dis; 170(3):636-43.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8077722  
 
(2) Postic D, Ras NM, Lane RS, Hendson M and  Baranton G (1998) Expanded diversity among Californian borrelia isolates and description of Borrelia bissettii sp. nov.  (formerly Borrelia group DN127). J Clin Microbiol; 36(12):3497-504. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9817861
 
(3) Steere AC, Coburn J and Glickstein L  (2004) The emergence of Lyme disease. J Clin Invest; 113(8):1093-101.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15085185

(4) Burkot TR, Maupin Go, Schneider BS,  Denatale C, Happ CM, Rutherford JS and Zeidner NS (2001) Use of a sentinel host
system to study the questing behavior of Ixodes spinipalpis and its role in the  transmission of Borrelia bissettii, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, and Babesia  microti. Am J Trop Med Hyg;65(4):293-9.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11693872

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