TY - JOUR A1 - Maaz, Denny A1 - Rausch, Sebastian A1 - Richter, Dania A1 - Kruecken, Juergen A1 - Kuehl, Anja A. A1 - Demeler, Janina A1 - Bluemke, Julia A1 - Matuschka, Franz-Rainer A1 - von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg A1 - Hartmann, Susanne T1 - Susceptibility to Ticks and Lyme Disease Spirochetes Is Not Affected in Mice Coinfected with Nematodes JF - Infection and immunity N2 - Small rodents serve as reservoir hosts for tick-borne pathogens, such as the spirochetes causing Lyme disease. Whether natural coinfections with other macroparasites alter the success of tick feeding, antitick immunity, and the host's reservoir competence for tick-borne pathogens remains to be determined. In a parasitological survey of wild mice in Berlin, Germany, approximately 40% of Ixodes ricinus-infested animals simultaneously harbored a nematode of the genus Heligmosomoides. We therefore aimed to analyze the immunological impact of the nematode/tick coinfection as well as its effect on the tick-borne pathogen Borrelia afzelii. Hosts experimentally coinfected with Heligmosomoides polygyrus and larval/nymphal I. ricinus ticks developed substantially stronger systemic type 2 T helper cell (Th2) responses, on the basis of the levels of GATA-3 and interleukin-13 expression, than mice infected with a single pathogen. During repeated larval infestations, however, anti-tick Th2 reactivity and an observed partial immunity to tick feeding were unaffected by concurrent nematode infections. Importantly, the strong systemic Th2 immune response in coinfected mice did not affect susceptibility to tick-borne B. afzelii. An observed trend for decreased local and systemic Th1 reactivity against B. afzelii in coinfected mice did not result in a higher spirochete burden, nor did it facilitate bacterial dissemination or induce signs of immunopathology. Hence, this study indicates that strong systemic Th2 responses in nematode/tick-coinfected house mice do not affect the success of tick feeding and the control of the causative agent of Lyme disease. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.01309-15 SN - 0019-9567 SN - 1098-5522 VL - 84 SP - 1274 EP - 1286 PB - American Society for Microbiology CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fietz, Joanna A1 - Langer, Franz A1 - Havenstein, Nadine A1 - Matuschka, Franz-Rainer A1 - Richter, Dania T1 - The vector tick Ixodes ricinus feeding on an arboreal rodent-the edible dormouse Glis glis JF - Parasitology research N2 - The reservoir competence and long life expectancy of edible dormice, Glis glis, suggest that they serve as efficient reservoir hosts for Lyme disease (LD) spirochetes. Their arboreality, however, may reduce the probability to encounter sufficient questing Ixodes ricinus ticks to acquire and perpetuate LD spirochetes. To define the potential role of this small arboreal hibernator in the transmission cycle of LD spirochetes, we examined their rate and density of infestation with subadult ticks throughout the season of activity. Of the 1081 edible dormice that we captured at five study sites in Southern Germany and inspected for ticks at 2946 capture occasions, 26 % were infested with at least one and as many as 26 subadult ticks on their ear pinnae. The distribution of ticks feeding on edible dormice was highly aggregated. Although only few individuals harbored nymphal ticks soon after their emergence from hibernation, the rate of nymphal infestation increased steadily throughout the season and reached about 35 % in September. Dormice inhabiting a site with few conspecifics seemed more likely to be infested by numerous ticks, particularly nymphs, than those individuals living in densely populated sites. Male dormice were more likely to be parasitized by numerous nymphs than were females, independent of their age and body mass. Our observation that season, population density, and sex affect the rates of ticks feeding on edible dormice suggests that the contribution of edible dormice to the transmission cycle of LD spirochetes depends mainly on their ranging behavior and level of activity. KW - Edible dormouse KW - Ixodes ricinus KW - Reservoir host Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4877-1 SN - 0932-0113 SN - 1432-1955 VL - 115 SP - 1435 EP - 1442 PB - Springer CY - New York ER -