Experimental Demonstration of Reservoir Competence of the White-Footed Mouse, Peromyscus leucopus (Rodentia: Cricetidae), for the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia mayonii (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae).

The white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque), is a reservoir for the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in the eastern half of the United States, where the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae), is the primary vector. In the Midwest, an additional Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia mayonii, was recorded from naturally infected I. scapularis and P. leucopus. However, an experimental demonstration of reservoir competence was lacking for a natural tick host. We therefore experimentally infected P. leucopus with B. mayonii via I. scapularis nymphal bites and then fed uninfected larvae on the mice to demonstrate spirochete acquisition and passage to resulting nymphs. Of 23 mice fed on by B. mayonii-infected nymphs, 21 (91%) developed active infections. The infection prevalence for nymphs fed as larvae on these infected mice 4 wk post-infection ranged from 56 to 98%, and the overall infection prevalence for 842 nymphs across all 21 P. leucopus was 75% (95% confidence interval, 72-77%). To assess duration of infectivity, 10 of the P. leucopus were reinfested with uninfected larval ticks 12 wk after the mice were infected. The overall infection prevalence for 480 nymphs across all 10 P. leucopus at the 12-wk time point was 26% (95% confidence interval, 23-31%), when compared with 76% (95% confidence interval, 71-79%) for 474 nymphs from the same subset of 10 mice at the 4-wk time point. We conclude that P. leucopus is susceptible to infection with B. mayonii via bite by I. scapularis nymphs and an efficient reservoir for this Lyme disease spirochete.

Manifestações neuroftalmológicas associadas a doença de Lyme / Neuro-ophthalmological manifestations associated with Lyme disease

Resumo A doença de Lyme é uma infecção sistêmica causada pela espiroqueta Borrelia burgdorferi e transmitida pelo carrapato do gênero Ixodes sp. e espécie Amblyomma cajennense. A doença costuma se manifestar em três estágios clínicos distintos, que podem variar de acordo com as características de cada hospedeiro. O objetivo deste trabalho é relatar o caso de uma paciente de 33 anos com doença de Lyme que apresentou como manifestações neuroftalmológicas diplopia, lagoftalmo paralítico e ceratite punctata, com exames laboratoriais negativos. Embora a espiroqueta Borrelia burgdorferi tenha maior tropismo pelos tecidos da pele, sistema nervoso e articulações, o acometimento ocular não deve ter sua importância diminuída, sendo descrito neste relato de caso, que abordou os aspectos mais pertinentes à doença para auxiliar seu diagnóstico e tratamento.

Abstract Lyme disease is a systemic infection caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by the tick of the genus Ixodes sp. and species Amblyomma cajennense. The disease usually manifests itself in three distinct clinical stages, which may vary according to the characteristics of each host. The objective of this paper is to report the case of a 33-year-old patient with Lyme disease who presented as neuro-ophthalmological manifestations diplopia, paralytic lagophthalmos and punctate keratitis, with negative laboratory tests. Although the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi has a greater tropism in the tissues of the skin, nervous system and joints, the ocular involvement should not be diminished, being described in this case report, which approached the most pertinent aspects to the disease to aid its diagnosis and treatment.

Eritema cronico migratorio, enfermedad de Lyme o Borreliosis de Lyme / Migratory chronic Eritema, illness of Lyme or Borreliosis of Lyme

El ECM, es una enfermedad infecto-contagiosa transmitida por la picada de garrapatas ixodideos contaminadas por espiroquetas llamada Borrelia burgdoferi. La distribucion geografica de esta enfermedad es universal. Con casos relatados en Sudamerica y muchos menos en Bolivia. Esta enfermedad se caracteriza por comprometer la piel en su forma inicial y posteriormente el corazon, articulaciones, sistema nervioso central y periferico