Peromyscus maniculatus, a possible reservoir host of Borrelia garinii from the Gannet Islands off Newfoundland and Labrador

J Parasitol. 2011 Oct;97(5):792-4. doi: 10.1645/GE-2548.1. Epub 2011 Mar 17.

Abstract

Thirty-five deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus, were trapped on Gannet Cluster 2 (GC-2), one of a group of islands numbered by convention in the Gannet Island Archipelago, and examined for ectoparasites. One species each of Acari (Ixodes uriae) and Siphonaptera (Orchopeas leucopus) were recovered. Samples of mice favored males to females (3.4∶1). Twenty-nine percent (10) of the mice were free of ectoparasites. Males were more heavily parasitized than females when both parasites were considered. No ticks were recovered from the female mice, while the males that were parasitized carried adult Ixodes uriae. These 2 ectoparasites parasitizing P. maniculatus, which is a known reservoir host for Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), may carry B. garinii and their presence would have serious implications for the spread of this human pathogen northward in continental North America.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Borrelia / isolation & purification
  • Borrelia Infections / epidemiology
  • Borrelia Infections / transmission
  • Borrelia Infections / veterinary*
  • Disease Reservoirs*
  • Female
  • Flea Infestations / epidemiology
  • Flea Infestations / parasitology
  • Flea Infestations / veterinary
  • Geography
  • Ixodes / microbiology
  • Male
  • Newfoundland and Labrador / epidemiology
  • Peromyscus / microbiology
  • Peromyscus / parasitology*
  • Rodent Diseases / epidemiology
  • Rodent Diseases / microbiology
  • Rodent Diseases / parasitology
  • Rodent Diseases / transmission*
  • Sex Factors
  • Siphonaptera / microbiology
  • Tick Infestations / epidemiology
  • Tick Infestations / parasitology
  • Tick Infestations / veterinary