Small Mammals As Reservoir Hosts for Borrelia in Russia

In 1992-1993, a total of 29 isolates of Borrelia were obtained from small mammals captured in taiga forests of the Perm' region: 26 isolates were obtained from Clethrionomus glareolus and one each from C. rufocanus, Microtus oeconomus, and Apodemus sylvaticus. Isolation of Borrelia was performed by plating the animal material on BSK-II medium. Most isolates (86.2%) were obtained from the urinary bladder, the rest from the heart and spleen. According to the results of IFA with a set of monoclonal antibodies, isolates did not contain Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. Preliminary data suggest that they can belong to B. garinii and B. afzelii. On the basis of the abundance of animals, it is suggested that C. glareolus, a background species among small mammals inhabiting the study region, is the main reservoir host for Borrelia.