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The parasite relies on the host for substances such as carbohydrates and glucose due to its limited metabolic capabilities
Life Cycle of a tick with Borrelia burgdorferi
Ixodid ticks have a 2-year 3 stage life cycle:
Larvae hatch in the summer
Ticks become infected with the parasite (B burgdorferi) at any stage by feeding on a host that contains the parasite such as chipmunks or white-footed mice. (Described in the image below)
They live through the winter inactive
They surface the following spring as nymphs. Nymphal ticks are small and not easily found and therefore usually transmit the infection.
They advance to adults in the fall and then females attach themselves to an animal during the winter. They then die in the spring after laying their eggs.
Ticks feed on intermediate hosts that include small animals and birds where they acquire and transmit the parasite during their larval, nymph, and adult stages. These hosts are a reservoir for Borrelia burgdorferi but do not become sick from the parasite. These ticks then transmit the parasite to a host such as humans that may become ill with Lyme disease.
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