Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 7, Number 5—October 2001
Dispatch

Ehrlichia-Infected Ticks on Migrating Birds

Anneli Bjöersdorff*†, Sven Bergström‡, Robert F. Massung§, Paul D. Haemig*‡, and Björn Olsen*‡Comments to Author 
Author affiliations: *Kalmar County Hospital, Kalmar, Sweden; †Lund University, Lund, Sweden; ‡Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; §Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Main Article

Table

Migrating birds carrying Ixodes ricinus ticks and the frequency of infection with Ehrlichia sp. in bird-borne ticks, Sweden, 1996

No. of birds infested/no. examined Ehrlichia DNA detected by
PCR of ticks examined
Bird speciesa (%) No. of ticks Larvae Nymphs Adults
Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 1/10 (10) 1 0/1
Dunnock (Prunella modularis) 1/33 (3) 1 0/1
Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) 1/5 (20) 1 0/1
Icterine Warbler(Hippolais icterina) 1/12 (8) 1 0/1
Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin) 2/79 (2.5) 2 0/1 0/1
Blackcap (S. atricapilla) 3/26 (11.5) 3 0/1 1/2
Whitethroat (S. communis) 1/29 (3.4) 1 0/1
Greenish Warbler(Phylloscopus trochiloides) 1/1 (100) 1 0/1
Willow Warbler (P. trochilus) 3/1,025 (2.9) 4 0/4
Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) 1/892 (0.1) 1 0/1
Pied Flycatcher(Ficedula hypoleuca) 1/22 (4.5) 1 0/1
Collared Flycatcher(F. albicollis) 1/2 (50) 1 0/1
Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) 7/76 (9.2) 28 0/11 1/17
Robin (Erithacus rubecula) 33/655 (5) 54 0/14 3/40b
Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) 5/27 (18.5) 22 0/8 2/14
Blackbird (Turdus merula) 5/41 (12.2) 27 0/7 1/19c 0/1
Song Thrush (T. philomelus) 4/24 (16.7) 14 0/2 1/12
Bullfinch(Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
2/27 (7.4)
2

0/2

Total 73/2,986 (2.4) 165 0/51 9/112 0/2

aBird species sampled that did not carry ticks are not listed.
bOne of these infected ticks was collected in the autumn.
cThis infected tick was collected in the autumn.

Main Article

Page created: April 26, 2012
Page updated: April 26, 2012
Page reviewed: April 26, 2012
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external