Determining the tick scutal index allows assessment of tick feeding duration and estimation of infection risk with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in a person bitten by an Ixodes ricinus nymph

International Journal of Medical Microbiology : IJMM
Torsten MeinersOlaf Kahl

Abstract

The risk of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato transmission from an infected vector tick to a host increases with increasing duration of tick feeding. In Ixodes ricinus nymphs, the main vector of B. burgdorferi s.l. in most parts of Europe, the transmission risk appears low to moderate within the first 24h of feeding but increases to >70% after only 36 h. In this study, the so-called scutal index, the ratio between tick abdominal length and scutum width, a very good measure of the level of tick engorgement, was investigated for its potential to assess the feeding duration of detached I. ricinus nymphs, thereby indicating the level of human infection risk with B. burgdorferi s.l. I. ricinus nymphs were allowed to feed in capsules on tick-naive Mongolian gerbils for 0, 12, 24, 36 h, or to repletion, in groups of up to 9 individuals. After tick removal, the scutal index of each tick (n=516) was determined using a stereomicroscope with an ocular micrometer. This was also possible, if the tick mouthparts were damaged. Although the scutal indices determined at 24 h versus 36 h post-attachment (a critical interval for B. burgdorferi transmission) differ significantly, there was some overlap between the two groups. However, by choosing a ...Continue Reading

References

Jan 15, 1996·American Journal of Epidemiology·R C FalcoJ Piesman
Sep 25, 1998·Epidemiology and Infection·M MaiwaldM von Knebel Doeberitz
Jul 28, 2004·European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases : Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology·I NahimanaO Péter
Dec 6, 2005·International Journal of Medical Microbiology : IJMM·Jeremy GrayElena Kocianova

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jul 14, 2007·Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases·Satoru KonnaiMisao Onuma
Sep 3, 2010·The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·Sara M ReeseRebecca J Eisen
Feb 4, 2014·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Lourdes LledóJosé Vicente Saz
Sep 13, 2011·International Journal of Medical Microbiology : IJMM·Cosima Chrubasik, Raymond Jacobson
Aug 4, 2009·Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus·Vinod Sharma, Susmito Biswas
Nov 28, 2006·Best Practice & Research. Clinical Rheumatology·Sebastian SchnarrHenning Zeidler
Nov 8, 2013·Postgraduate Medical Journal·Simon W DubreyWojtek Rakowicz
Jan 6, 2017·Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases·Sally J CutlerAna Amaro
Nov 11, 2019·Zoonoses and Public Health·Benjamin CullKayleigh M Hansford

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Papers

The New England Journal of Medicine
Allen C Steere
Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine
Y Hashimoto
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases : Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
I NahimanaO Péter
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved