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Growth Kinetics of the Lyme Disease Spirochete (Borrelia Burgdorferi) in Vector Ticks (Ixodes Dammini)

Lyme disease spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi) multiplied rapidly in larval Ixodes dammini, reaching a mean density of 2,735 spirochetes/tick on day 15 post-repletion. A 5-fold drop in spirochete levels occurred during the subsequent premolting period. Recently molted nymphs contained a mean of <300 spirochetes/tick. Following nymphal repletion, spirochete multiplication renewed, reaching a mean abundance of 61,275 spirochetes/nymph on day 75 post-repletion. A 10-fold drop in spirochete abundance occurred again when ticks molted to the adult stage. Tick-derived spirochetes proved to be infectious when >10⁴ spirochetes were inoculated ip into hamsters (4 of 4 animals infected). Inocula of 10^3–4 spirochetes were not always infectious (8 of 23 animals infected), and inocula of <10³ spirochetes were insufficient for establishing infection (0 of 8 animals infected).

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				P. E. Stewart, A. Bestor, J. N. Cullen, and P. A. Rosa A Tightly Regulated Surface Protein of Borrelia burgdorferi Is Not Essential to the Mouse-Tick Infectious Cycle Infect. Immun., May 1, 2008; 76(5): 1970 - 1978. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]