ABSTRACTScant attention has been paid to Lyme disease,Borrelia burgdorferi,Ixodes scapularis, or reservoirs in eastern North Dakota despite the fact that it borders high-risk counties in Minnesota. Recent reports ofB. burgdorferiandI. scapularisin North Dakota, however, prompted a more detailed examination. Spirochetes cultured from the hearts of five rodents trapped in Grand Forks County, ND, were identified asB. burgdorferi sensu latothrough sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene, the 16S rRNA gene-ileTintergenic spacer region,flaB,ospA,ospC, andp66. OspC typing revealed the presence of groups A, B, E, F, L, and I. Two rodents were concurrently carrying multiple OspC types. Multilocus sequence typing suggested the eastern North Dakota strains are most closely related to those found in neighboring regions of the upper Midwest and Canada. BALB/c mice were infected withB. burgdorferiisolate M3 (OspC group B) by needle inoculation or tick bite. Tibiotarsal joints and ear pinnae were culture positive, andB. burgdorferiM3 was detected by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in the tibiotarsal joints, hearts, and ear pinnae of infected mice. Uninfected larvalI. scapularisticks were able to acquireB. burgdorferiM3 from infected mice; M3 was maintained inI. scapularisduring the molt from larva to nymph; and further, M3 was transmitted from infectedI. scapularisnymphs to naive mice, as evidenced by cultures and qPCR analyses. These results demonstrate that isolate M3 is capable of disseminated infection by both artificial and natural routes of infection. This study confirms the presence of unique (nonclonal) and infectiousB. burgdorferipopulations in eastern North Dakota.
PCR primers and probes for the 16S rRNA gene of most species of pathogenic bacteria, including bacteria found in cerebrospinal fluid.