Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, B. miyamotoi, and Powassan Virus in Residents Bitten by Ixodes Ticks, Maine, USA

Abstract

We conducted a serosurvey of 230 persons in Maine, USA, who had been bitten by Ixodes scapularis or I. cookei ticks. We documented seropositivity for Borrelia burgdorferi (13.9%) and B. miyamotoi (2.6%), as well as a single equivocal result (0.4%) for Powassan encephalitis virus.

Keywords

• Borrelia burgdorferi
• Borrelia miyamotoi
• bacteria
• Ixodes scapularis
• ticks
• deer ticks