In Georgia, the primary vector responsible for transmitting Borrelia burgdorferi to humans is the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis). While the vector is widely distributed across the state, Lyme disease transmission rates remain significantly lower in the Southeast compared to the Northeast. This variance is driven by specific regional macroclimatic conditions and distinct behavioral adaptations, known as behavioral phenotypes.
The transmission chain depends heavily on the availability of reservoir hosts animals that carry the bacteria and pass it to feeding ticks. In northern endemic areas, the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) serves as the primary reservoir host, exhibiting high infection prevalence.
In North Atlanta, the host structure is more diverse. Immature ticks frequently feed on reptiles, such as the broad-headed skink (Plestiodon laticeps) and the five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus). Lizards are poor reservoirs for Borrelia burgdorferi; moreover, certain reptilian blood proteins possess lytic properties that clear the bacterial infection from the tick’s midgut during blood meals. This ecological buffer naturally lowers the overall percentage of infected ticks within the local population.
The North Atlanta suburban corridor including portions of Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, and Cherokee counties is characterized by wooded subdivisions, fragmented forest patches, and residential developments built directly into historical timberlands. This landscape structure forms a highly active wildland-urban interface.
