许多种哺乳动物和鸟均可受莱姆病螺旋体(Borrelia bungdorferi)感染,但白脚小鼠(Peromyscus leucopus)似为最重要贮主,它不仅对此感染高度易感,而且常被大量媒介蜱寄居。花栗鼠(Tamias striatus)和田鼠(Microtus pennsylvanicus)也是潜在贮主。作者以这3种贮主在自然界中的相对量、感染率以及与媒介蜱的接触程度作指标,研究了它们作为贮主的相对潜力。结果表明,在美国马萨诸塞州沿海莱姆病地方流行区捉到的啮齿动物中,以白脚小鼠最多,田鼠次之,还有花栗鼠、鼩鼱等,它们均有被媒介蜱寄生的可能;但只有白脚小鼠、花栗鼠和田鼠经常被这种蜱寄生,并受感染,感染率分别为90％、75％及5.5％。这些贮主使媒介蜱感染的感染性也不同,从受感染的白脚小鼠、花栗鼠和田鼠身上收集的蜱感染率分别为6～100％、6～50％及19％。寄生在它们身上的媒介蜱的数量也不同,分别平均 Many species of mammals and birds are infected with Borrelia bungdorferi, but Peromyscus leucopus appears to be the most important reservoir, not only highly susceptible to this infection, but also frequently infected with large quantities of ticks Habitat. Tamias striatus and Microtus pennsylvanicus are also potential reservoirs. The authors studied the relative potential of the three stockholders as their stockholders in terms of their relative amounts in nature, their infection rates and their contact with vector ticks. The results showed that rodents caught in the endemic areas of Lyme disease along the coast of Massachusetts were most likely to be parasitized by tick-borne ticks, followed by white-footed mice, followed by field mice, and chipmunk, slug, etc. ; However, only white-footed mice, chipmunk and field mice are often parasitized and infected with such ticks, with rates of infection of 90%, 75% and 5.5% respectively. The infectivity of these vectors to media tick infections varied from 6 to 100%, 6 to 50%, and 19%, respectively, for tick infection collected from infected white-footed mice, chipmunk and field mice. The number of ticks parasitic on them is also different, averaged separately