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CHAPTER TWO The Trans-Atlantic Movement of the Spirochete Borrelia garinii THE ROLE OF TICKS AND THEIR SEABIRD HOSTS Sabir Bin Muzaffar, Robert P. Smith, Jr., Ian L. Jones, Jennifer Lavers, Eleanor H. Lacombe, Bruce K. Cahill, Charles B. Lubelczyk, and Peter W. Rand Abstract. The spirochete Borrelia garinii, one of three genospecies of B. burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burdorferi s.l.) that can cause Lyme disease in humans, has recently been isolated from seabirds from a colony in Newfoundland, Canada. Previous records of B. garinii in seabirds suggest that it has been endemic in seabird colonies in the greater North Atlantic since at least the early 1990s. We determined the prevalence of B. garinii in different seabird hosts from colonies in the northwest Atlantic. We recorded B. garinii from Gannet Islands, Labrador, and Gull Island, Newfoundland, Canada, in Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica), Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), Common Murres (Uria aalge), and Razorbills (Alca torda). Prevalence of infections varied between years and within and among species. Ticks from Atlantic Puffins had a prevalence ranging from 10.3 to 36.4%, although the highest prevalence was noted in Herring Gulls (37.5%) in 2005. Earlier studies from the same localities failed to find evidence of B. garinii, suggesting a recent arrival of the spirochete into the northwest Atlantic. B. garinii is closely related to European strains of the spirochete, and its likely source is from areas of endemicity in the Bothnian Gulf and the northeast Atlantic seabird colonies where seabirds, songbirds, and two different tick species come in close proximity. Phylogenetic studies suggest a gradual movement of the European strains into seabird colonies in the northeast Atlantic with subsequent spread into the North and northwest Atlantic colonies. Atlantic Puffins seem to be suitable reservoirs, although other abundant species such as Common Murres and Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) may be involved in B. garinii dynamics. Further work is urgently needed to help document the ecology and spread of this spirochete of importance to human health. Key Words: Acari, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia garinii, introduced rodents, Ixodes uriae, oceanic islands, seabirds, spread, ticks. El Movimiento Tras-Atlántico de la Espiroqueta Borrelia garinii: El Papel de las Garrapatas y las Aves Marinas Como sus Hospederos Resumen. La espiroqueta Borrelia garinii, una de las tres especies de B. burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi s.l.) que causan la enfermedad de Lyme o borreliosis en humanos, ha sido recientemente aislada de aves marinas de una colonia en Newfoundland, Canada. Los registros previos de B. garinii en aves marinas sugieren que dicho parásito ha sido endémico en las colonias de aves marinas en el gran Atlántico Norte desde, al menos, principios de los 1990s. Determinamos Muzaffar, S. B., R. P. Smith Jr., I. L. Jones, J. Lavers, E. H. Lacombe, B. K. Cahill, C. B. Lubelczyk, and P. W. Rand. 2012. TransAtlantic movement of the spirochete Borrelia garinii: the role of ticks and their seabird hosts. Pp. 23–30 in E. Paul (editor). Emerging avian disease. Studies in Avian Biology (vol. 42), University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 23 STUDIES IN AVIAN BIOLOGY NO. 42 Paul 24 colonias de aves marinas del Atlántico Noreste, en donde las aves marinas, las aves canoras y dos especies de garrapatas están muy cercanas unas a otras. Los estudios filogenéticos sugieren un movimiento gradual de las cepas Europeas hacia las colonias de aves marinas en el Atlántico Noreste, con una expansión subsecuente hacia las colonias del Atlántico Norte y Noroeste. Los frailecillos comunes parecen ser reservorios efectivos de la enfermedad, aunque otras especies abundantes, tales como el Arao común y el Arao de Brunnich o pico ancho (Uria lomvia), pueden estar involucradas en la dinámica de B. garinii. Se necesitan estudios urgentes que ayuden a documentar la ecología y la expansión de esta espiroqueta que tiene importancia para la salud humana. Palabras Clave: Acari, aves marinas, Borrelia burgdorferi , Borrelia garinii, expansión, garrapatas, islas oceánicas, Ixodes uriae, roedores introducidos. spirochetes in North America (Lane 1991, Smith et al. 1996, Durden et al. 1997, Rand et al. 1998). Seabirds spend most of their life in the open ocean, generally nesting in coastal cliffs or offshore islands without mammalian predators to breed over periods of 2–6 mo. After chicks are reared, they return to a pelagic existence until the next breeding season. Seabird colonies in tropical latitudes may be infested by many species of soft ticks (e...

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