The microbiome from the Lyme disease principal reservoir host in southern Quebec (Peromyscus leucopus)

The emergence of the Lyme disease in Southern Quebec appears directly linked to the recent arrival in the region of the rodent Peromyscus leucopus. Indeed, this species is considered to be the principal reservoir of the bacteria Borrelia Burgdorferei, responsible of the Lyme disease and the recent climatic warming has allowed the mice to colonize higher latitude territories. Other factors, like the regulation made by pathogens might as well play an important role in the dynamic of expansion of P. leucopus. In our project, we sampled several populations of P. leucopus from the North American border, where the species is thought to be present for 30 years, to the most recently colonized zones, situated approximatively 150km inside of the Quebec province. A characterisation of their microbiome was then performed from their liver, spleen and lungs.
Our objectives are threefold: First, we settled a protocol based on NGS methods for the detection of Borrelia Burgdorferei in micro-mammal internal organs. Second, we plan to identify the Borreliosis infection zones and to study their spatio-temporal evolution. Third, we aim to test which of the central-marginal hypothesis or the enemy release hypothesis is best describing the scenario presently happening in southern Quebec concerning the distribution’s expansion of P. leucopus.
These information will be of great interest to understand the dynamic of emergence of the Borreliosis and to predict the current and future distribution of this disease in order to inform the Canadian health authorities.