A decade ago, Lyme Disease was an east coast and mid west affliction, spread by the bite of the black-legged deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) which transmits the B. burgdorferi.spirochete into peoples bloodstreams..............The disease is spreading west via the western black-legged tick (Ixodes pacificus)..........Mammals can spread the tic to new regions and now it has been determined that common backyard birds are also quickening the movement of Lyme disease to western states............. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States...................... There are approximately 30,000 cases reported each year, with the large majority occurring in the eastern United States.................. However, because actual cases are often underreported to the CDC, the agency notes that the number of people in this country diagnosed with the disease every year may be 10 times higher..........The lyme spirochete is thought to be an "import" from Europe, another "exotic" organism that is making a walk in the woods a problematic affair for many of us.............Stay on trails, do not bushwhack,,,,,,,,,,,,,do not walk barefoot on lawns,,,,,,,,,,,,Sad but true until a serum is developed to create immunity to this debilitating vector that can cause heart, joint and paralysis problems in humans if not treated effectively early on via antibiotics

Study IDs key birds that host Lyme disease bacteria in California

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sciencedaily/plants_animals/ecology/~3/N0XFjCIaImA/150225151757.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

The Golden-Crowned Sparrow, one of the 53 species 

of birds tested in the UC Berkeley study and a common

 sight in suburban areas, was revealed to be an

 important host of the LymeDisease-causing bacteria

 Borrelia burgdorferi.

Credit: Michael McCloy photo