Inefficient co-feeding transmission of Borrelia afzelii in two common European songbirds

Abstract

The spirochete bacterium Borrelia afzelii is the most common cause of Lyme borreliosis in Europe. This tick-borne pathogen can establish systemic infections in rodents but not in birds. However, several field studies have recovered larval Ixodes ricinus ticks infected with B. afzelii from songbirds suggesting successful transmission of B. afzelii. We reviewed the literature to determine which songbird species were the most frequent carriers of B. afzelii-infected I. ricinus larvae and nymphs. We tested experimentally whether B. afzelii is capable of co-feeding transmission on two common European bird species, the blackbird (Turdus merula) and the great tit (Parus major). For each bird species, four naïve individuals were infested with B. afzelii-infected I. ricinus nymphal ticks and pathogen-free larval ticks. None of the co-feeding larvae tested positive for B. afzelii in blackbirds, but a low percentage of infected larvae (3.33%) was observed in great tits. Transstadial transmission of B. afzelii DNA from the engorged nymphs to the adult ticks was observed in both bird species. However, BSK culture found that these spirochetes were not viable. Our study suggests that co-feeding transmission of B. afzelii is not efficient in these two songbird species.

Figure 1. Naïve I. ricinus larvae co-feed with B. afzelii-infected nymphs on the head of a great tit.

The larvae (small) and nymphs (large) were placed underneath the crown-feathers on the right side of the head (A: lateral; B: frontal view). By feeding in close spatial and temporal proximity, the B. afzelii spirochetes can migrate directly from the infected nymphs to the naïve larvae via co-feeding transmission. Dr. Frank Adriaensen took the photos.