AUTHOR=Shan Jinyu , Jia Ying , Hickenbotham Peter , Teulières Louis , Clokie Martha R. J. 

TITLE=Combining citizen science and molecular diagnostic methods to investigate the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and Borrelia miyamotoi in tick pools across Great Britain

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1126498

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1126498

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease and is caused by a group of bacteria known as <italic>Borrelia burgdorferi sensu</italic> lato (s.l.) complex. Sharing the same genus as <italic>B. burgdorferi</italic>, <italic>Borrelia miyamotoi</italic> is a distinct genotype that causes relapsing fever disease. This emerging tick-borne disease is increasingly becoming a concern in public health. To investigate the prevalence of <italic>B. burgdorferi s.l.</italic> and <italic>B</italic>. <italic>miyamotoi</italic> in ticks first, we developed a PCR (Bmer-qPCR) that targets the phage terminase large subunit (<italic>terL</italic>) gene carried by <italic>B. miyamotoi</italic>. A similar approach had been used successfully in developing Ter-qPCR for detecting <italic>B. burgdorferi s.l.</italic> The terL protein functions as an enzyme in packaging phage DNA. Analytical validation of the Bmer-qPCR confirmed its specificity, efficiency and sensitivity. Second, we designed a citizen science-based approach to detect 838 ticks collected from numerous sites across Great Britain. Finally, we applied Bmer-qPCR and Ter-qPCR to 153 tick pools and revealed that the prevalence of <italic>B. burgdorferi</italic> s.l. and <italic>B. miyamotoi</italic> was dependent on their geographical locations, i.e. Scotland showed a higher rate of <italic>B. burgdorferi</italic> s.l. and lower rate of <italic>B. miyamotoi</italic> carriage as compared to those of the England data. A pattern of diminishing rate of <italic>B. miyamotoi</italic> carriage from southern England to northern Scotland was visible. Together, the citizen science-based approach provided an estimation of the carriage rate of <italic>B. burgdorferi s.l.</italic> and <italic>B. miyamotoi</italic> in tick pools and a potential spreading pattern of <italic>B. miyamotoi</italic> from the south to the north of Great Britain. Our findings underscore the power of combining citizen science with the molecular diagnostic method to reveal hidden pattern of pathogen-host-environment interplay. Our approach can provide a powerful tool to elucidate the ecology of tick-borne diseases and may offer guidance for pathogen control initiatives. In an era of limited resources, monitoring pathogens requires both field and laboratory support. Citizen science approaches provide a method to empower the public for sample collection. Coupling citizen science approaches with laboratory diagnostic tests can make real-time monitoring of pathogen distribution and prevalence possible.</p>