COS 69-8: Eastern fence lizards clean the agent of Lyme borreliosis from blacklegged ticks Jean I. Tsao1, Sarah H. Hamer1, and Russell L. Burke2. (1) Michigan State University, (2) Hofstra University
Background/Question/Methods
It has been known for a decade that western blacklegged ticks (Ixodes pacificus) are cleaned of Lyme disease-causing spirochetes, Borrelia burgdorferi, after feeding on western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis). This observation has been proposed as a partial explanation for the relative scarcity of Lyme borreliosis in the western U.S., where S. occidentalis commonly serves as a host for larval and nymphal ticks.
There has been interest in the role that the sister lizard taxon, the eastern fence lizard (S. undulatus) may play in B. burgdorferi persistence in the Northeast, where the majority of Lyme borreliosis cases occur.
Recent work has detected B. burgdorferi in S. undulatus, but the viability and infectivity of the pathogen were undetermined. Another recent study found, in one instance, the natural transmission of B. burgdorferi from S. undulatus to a naturally feeding larval I. scapularis.
Our objective was to directly test the hypothesis that S. undulatus, like its western congener, actively clears B. burgdorferi infection from infected ticks.
We collected lizards in southern New Jersey, where I. scapularis and B. burgdorferi are common. In the field, we found little naturally-occurring parasitism of I. scapularis on S. undulatus, during a time of year when nymphal I. scapularis were actively host-seeking in the Northeast.
In the lab, we first fed B. burgdorferi-infected nymphal ticks on S. undulatus and then checked the molted ticks for infection.
Results/Conclusions
We found that S. undulates [Eastern FL] cleaned I. scapularis of the Lyme pathogen. We subsequently fed uninfected larval ticks on challenged lizards to assay for transmission of B. burgdorferi, and while transmission to larvae was not completely blocked, it was extremely low.
Our data strongly suggest that S. undulatus is not a highly competent reservoir for B. burgdorferi, at least not for the B. burgdorferi strain (Vallhalla, Westchester County, N.Y.) we used. It remains to be seen whether S. undulatus is more permissive to other B. burgdorferi strains.
In sum, we found that while S. undulatus can clear B. burgdorferi infection from feeding ticks, they most likely do not serve the same role in reducing Lyme borreliosis risk as do western fence lizards, because eastern fence lizards are far less important as hosts for I. scapularis in the northeast than are S. occidentalis [Western FL] in the western U.S.
Interestingly, a thread was created back in 2007 indicating that only the Western Fence Lizard and Skinks could dilute Bb.....
We have both Eastern Fence Lizards (called Prairie or Plateau Lizards) and some type of Skink here in my county..... both can live at higher altitudes than many lizards.
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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nenet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13174
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Thank you for posting this. Interesting. I am still curious as to whether the chemistry (protein(s)) of these lizards could be employed as a treatment or cure for Lyme, but I am sure I am far from the only one thinking about that.
By the way, there is also the Southern Alligator Lizard:
"Infestation of the southern alligator lizard (Squamata: Anguidae) by Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) and its susceptibility to Borrelia burgdorferi.
Wright SA, Lane RS, Clover JR.
Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, Elk Grove, CA 95624, USA.
To investigate the reservoir potential of the southern alligator lizard, Elgaria multicarinata (Blainville), for the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner, 14 lizards were collected from 1 county on each side of the northern Central Valley of California.
Seven animals were collected from a Placer County site (Drivers Flat) and a Yolo County site (Cache Creek) where B. burgdorferi had been isolated previously from Ixodes pacificus Cooley & Kohls. Overall, the mean abundance of I. pacificus on all 14 lizards was 34.1 (range, 3-63) for larvae and 11.0 (range, 1-28) for nymphs.
In captivity, field-attached I. pacificus larvae and nymphs required, on average, 12.6 (range, 1-37) and 14.4 (range, 5-44) d to feed to repletion, respectively. The prevalence of B. burgdorferi infection in host-seeking I. pacificus nymphs was 1.4% in Cache Creek Canyon and 9.9% in Drivers Flat.
Attempts to isolate spirochetes from lizard blood or ticks that had fed on lizards and subsequently molted were unsuccessful as were efforts to cultivate spirochetes in lizard sera.
These data suggest that the southern alligator lizard is not a competent reservoir for B. burgdorferi, although it is an important host for I. pacificus subadults."
Truthfinder
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8512
posted
Very good, nenet! Thank you! And look - ``RS Lane'' is credited in the article, and I interpret that name to be Professor Robert Lane who did the original work with Western Fence Lizards.
The last I heard, there hadn't been any success using Western Fence Lizard blood to `treat' humans for Lyme Disease, either taken orally or injected into test subjects. The `protein' in the lizard blood is rendered harmless by the test subject's immune defenses.
I'm sure there is still work being done on this, but it sounds like a major hurdle to overcome.
What makes sense to me at this point is a campaign to increase lizard habitat.
I think there's enough compelling evidence to do an experiment in a small area. (Maybe Plum Island would be a good, isolated `test area'.)
The government has been absolutely ruthless with property owners in accordance with the federal Wetlands program.... which, unfortunately, has served to preserve pockets of marshy, swampy land in populated areas that breed mosquitoes and increase risk of serious diseases like West Nile Virus. Wetlands are great for waterfowl, which carry fleas and ticks and then MIGRATE to various parts of the continent.
Wouldn't it make sense to establish a `Drylands Program' to preserve or establish areas for creatures that EAT some bugs and CURE others of disease?
It isn't like we'd be introducing some new species into an area; the lizards are already there. They are just outnumbered by critters like mice, rats, shrews, chipmunks, gophers, and voles, which are major reservoirs or vectors for all kinds of diseases.
Maybe we should be building Lizard Lounges instead of bird houses; setting out Lizard Lunch Boxes instead of bird feeders; putting some boulders and rock gardens around our homes instead of just lush vegetation.
And if the government isn't interested, there are all kinds of organizations that might be. Seems like there's a non-profit organization to protect every kind of wildlife..... except lizards. The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, The Sierra Club, Wildlife Conservation Society, National Wildlife Federation, Greenpeace, Ducks Unlimited, The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation..... not to mention all the additional hunting organizations (I'll bet I can list over 20). I'm sure hunters would welcome any natural program that reduces their exposure to Lyme Disease.
Call me crazy, but it seems like we could be doing a lot more to help nature prevent disease.
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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