Potential for long distance dispersal of ticks and Lyme disease by migratory passerine birds

Background/Question/Methods Lyme disease is a common zoonotic pathogen in northeastern US. The bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, is known to be vectored by black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) among small and medium mammals and some birds. To determine the role of passerine birds in the Lyme disease system, we collected ticks from mist netted birds at a MAPS banding station in Hopewell, NJ, from May through October of 2001-2008.

Results/Conclusions During this period, 178 individual birds across 28 passerine species were fed upon by one or more black-legged ticks. The top six bird species making up 69% of individuals with at least one feeding tick include Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Veery, and Gray Catbird. These species breed in NJ and are most likely fed upon by ticks in NJ, leading to the potential for southward dispersal of ticks and B. burgdorferi during the fall migration. Ongoing research in this system includes determining infection prevalence of ticks on birds to characterize the relative importance of each bird species in supporting and dispersing B. burgdorferi.