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November 03, 2005
Lyme Disease and Our Blue Belly Hero
The bacterium Borrelia burgdorfii, causes Lyme disease which is transmitted to the blood of a host by a biting tick.
The Western United States has just a many potential Lyme disease-bearing ticks as the Eastern United States. Why then is Lyme disease 400 times more common in Connecticut than California? They don’t have Sceloporus occidentalis, the Western Fence Lizard, also known as Blue Bellies.
A component of the Blue Belly blood has a bactericidal factor that destroys the Lyme disease-causing bacteria in ticks. The lizards pickup the ticks in their nymphal stages, lying among the leaf litter. Tick nymphs that have their fill of Blue Belly blood become adults that do not carry the Lyme disease bacteria.
Our hero lizard blood determines whether nymphs become vectors for Lyme disease.
Hurrah Blue Bellies!!!
-Sandi K.
Posted by Sue at November 3, 2005 09:54 PM
Comments
Don't ya wanna kiss that sweet lizard face?
Posted by: S. at November 3, 2005 10:13 PM