If future
xenodiagnostic studies determine that sand flies become infected successfully by the rats, as has already been demonstrated in the case of its congener, the black rat, (R.
burgdorferi genes was detected in host tissues, flaB DNA was acquired by
xenodiagnostic ticks, and spirochetal forms could be visualized within ticks and mouse tissues by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry, respectively (Figure 5).
Using a blind assay to test 130 sera (70 positive by
xenodiagnostic), we confirmed 100% of specificity and sensitivity of the AgA-ELISA.
LE
xenodiagnostic. Application au diagnostic de quelques infections parasitaires et en particular a la trypanosomose de Chagas.
Xenodiagnostic investigation of these putative reservoir species, as well as more comprehensive investigations of the reservoir potential of other local fauna, including larger mammals (e.g., squirrels and deer) and birds, will further elucidate the ecology of B.
Moreover, European blackbirds, which have been shown to transmit spirochetes to
xenodiagnostic larval ticks (7), are dismissed as transmission hosts on the basis of earlier negative transmission results from Matuschka (8), which came from two birds and pre-dated knowledge of the genetic diversity and apparent host specificity of B.
Gern and Humair insert the parenthesis (implied xenodiagnosis) into a citation of our text, thereby, equating reservoir competence with a simple
xenodiagnostic test that partially addresses only the third component of this definition.
Robins acquired infection and became infectious to almost all
xenodiagnostic ticks soon after exposure to infected nymphal ticks.
Apparently, mice exposed to ticks infected with the agent of HGE may develop an immune response to the pathogen but not become infectious for
xenodiagnostic ticks.
To determine whether particular Borrelia burgdofferi s.l, genospecies associate solely with rodent reservoir hosts, we compared the genospecies prevalence in questing nymphal lxodes ticks with that in
xenodiagnostic ticks that had fed as larvae on rodents captured in the same site.