The macroecology and evolution of avian competence for Borrelia burgdorferi

Aim: Predicting novel reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens would be improved by identifying inter-specific drivers of host competence, the ability to transmit pathogens to new hosts or vectors. Tick-borne pathogens can provide a useful model system, as larvae become infected only when feeding on a competent host during their first bloodmeal. For tick-borne diseases, competence has been best studied for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl), which causes Lyme borreliosis. Major reservoirs include several small mammal species, but birds may play an underrecognized role in human risk given their ability to disperse infected ticks across large spatial scales. Here, we provide a global synthesis of the ecological and evolutionary factors that determine the ability of bird species to infect larval ticks with Bbsl. Location: Global Time period: 1983 to 2019 Major taxa studied: Birds Methods: We compiled a dataset of Bbsl competence across 183 bird species and applied meta-analysis, ph...研究目标：精准预测人畜共患病病原体的新型宿主储存库，有赖于明确宿主传播能力（即病原体向新宿主或媒介传播的能力）的种间驱动因素。蜱传病原体可作为理想的模型体系，因为蜱幼虫仅在首次吸血时取食具有传播能力的宿主，才会获得病原体感染。在蜱传疾病中，对伯氏疏螺旋体复合群（Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato，Bbsl）的宿主传播能力研究最为深入，该病原体可引发莱姆病。该病原体的主要宿主储存库包含多种小型哺乳类物种，但鸟类可长距离扩散携带感染蜱虫，因此其在人类感染风险中的作用此前未得到充分认知。本研究针对鸟类感染伯氏疏螺旋体复合群幼虫蜱虫的能力，开展全球尺度的综合分析，旨在明确调控该能力的生态与演化因素。 研究范围：全球 研究时段：1983年—2019年 研究类群：鸟类 研究方法：本研究整合了涵盖183种鸟类的伯氏疏螺旋体复合群宿主传播能力数据集，并采用荟萃分析（meta-analysis）、……