The incidence of human LD in California mirrors the geographic distribution of this squirrel, and the prevalence of spirochete infection in squirrels is positively associated with a high incidence of human LD. As such, it is the primary source of spirochete infection for larvae and nymphs of the WBLT. The western gray squirrel was found to be the primary host of the LDS in interior dense woodlands of northern California.
A few of the most significant earlier and current highlights are as follows. Impacts The outcomes and impacts have been reported annually since 2003. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Information gleaned during this project has been disseminated to the scientific community, the medical profession and the public via many publications in peer-reviewed international scientific journals, by outreach publications in regional or national magazines, by presentations at scientific conferences and public meetings, and by press releases. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. All these objectives were met, and the outputs were made available to the scientific community and public by means of articles and book chapters in peer-reviewed publications by presentations at scientific conferences, public lectures or workshops and by non-peer-reviewed publications or press releases. Since 2002, the broad objectives of this research were to clarify the role of the western gray squirrel as a keystone species for maintaining enzootic foci of the LDS to investigate the host-seeking behavior of nymphs of the WBLT in relation to environmental parameters and to risk of human exposure to the LDS to clarify the population structure of the LDS in host-seeking WBLT nymphs in dense woodlands in northwestern California to ascertain what genotypes and species of LD group spirochetes infect humans and to model the risk of human exposure to nymphs in woodlands of northwestern California. In the Far West, the western black-legged tick (WBLT) is the primary vector of the LDS to people. The LDS is the most prevalent arthropod-borne disease in the United States with more than 56,000 cases reported for 20 alone. Progress 10/01/02 to 09/30/09 Outputs OUTPUTS: We have been studying the ecology, epidemiology and control of the Lyme disease spirochete (LDS), a tick-transmitted spirochete infection afflicting humans and other animals, for the past 28 years. pacificus or, though unanticipated, in Dermacentor occidentalis, purification and sequencing of target tick-salivary proteins will be undertaken.
Borreliacidal assays will be used to evaluate anti-complement activity in saliva of human-biting vector ticks (2 spp.) as determinants of vector competence for Bb. pacificus nymphs inhabiting all 3 climatic zones and 7 major vegetational types in northwestern California (Mendocino County) will be modeled using satellite imagery, geographic information systems, and spatial statistical methods inĬonjuntion with ground-verifying ecologic studies and LD case surveillance data.
#Nieto lab tick testing skin#
Bb isolates cultured from vector ticks, reservoir hosts, or skin lesions of patients with early-stage LD infection will be characterized genetically with several methods, and their phylogenetic relatedness to other genospecies of Bb will be determined by maximum persimony analyses. The prevalence of infection in free-living or host-fed ticks and their attendant vertebrates with Bb and 2 other emerging tick-borne disease agents (Ehrlichia spp.) will be determined by tick xenodiagnosis and with standard microbiologic and genetic techniques. Project Methods A combination of field and laboratory methods will be employed to calculate the relative reservoir potential (Rs) of small mammals for Bb in deciduous woodlands.
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