Ixodes trianguliceps: seasonal abundance and role in the epidemiology ofBabesia microtiinfection in north-western England

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Abstract
Ixodes trianguliceps is possibly the only species of tick which infests small mammals in the areas studied. The tick has two distinct peaks of activity, in July and October, with somewhat lower infestations in the intervening months; no activity is apparent during the winter. The seasonal activity is triggered by rising spring temperatures which activate the overwintering stages to complete the life cycle. Ixodes trianguliceps is possibly a non-nidicolous species that develops close to the nest of the host; copulation and fertilization may occur on the host. Babesia microti (Knowsley strain) is principally a parasite of microtine rodents and is transmitted in nature through the larval/nymphal instars of Ixodes trianguliceps. The protozoan parasite spends far more time in the vector than in the vertebrate host and is carried over from one season to another in the tick. The occurrence of Babesia microti as a zoonotic infection is discussed.