According to investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), larval ticks can already be infected with Borrelia miyamotoi, after they hatch from the eggs. [1] This occurs through a process called transovarially transmission in which the adult tick transmits the B. miyamotoi bacteria to its offspring by infecting the eggs in its ovary.
There is evidence that infected blacklegged female ticks can pass Borrelia miyamotoi to their offspring, researchers say.
Researchers infected experimental mice with Borrelia miyamotoi, the relapsing fever bacteria. They found that “minimal or partial blood meals by single-feeding transovarially B. miyamotoi-infected larvae also resulted in approximately half of experimental hosts developing infections detectable by examination of blood for presence of B. miyamotoi DNA,” writes Breuner from the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.
[bctt tweet=”Larval ticks need to be taken seriously, as new research finds they can transmit the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi. ” username=”DrDanielCameron”]
The authors suggest that public health officials consider revising the message for tick bite prevention campaigns to include larval ticks and the season they are most active – July and August. This is a time of year when people spend a lot of time outdoors, the authors state, and may be less vigilant protecting themselves from tick bites, as they mistakenly perceive this to be a safer season.
Related Articles:
Larval ticks may be a threat after all – insights based on study of B. miyamotoi
Study demonstrates further evidence larval ticks may be a threat to humans
Will eliminating deer help stop the spread of infected ticks?
References:
- Breuner NE, Hojgaard A, Replogle AJ, Boegler KA, Eisen L. Transmission of the relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia miyamotoi, by single transovarially-infected larval Ixodes scapularis ticks. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2018.
Leave a Reply