摘要Objective:To investigate the precise species of tick vector and theBorrelia spirochete pathogen at the Heilongjiang Province international border with Russia.Methods:In this study, ticks were collected from12 Heilongjiang border crossings (including grasslands, shrublands, forests, and plantantions) to determine the rate and species type of spirochete-infected ticks and the most prevalent spirochete genotypes.Results:The ticks represented three genera and four species of the Ixodidae family [Ixodes persulcatus,Dermacentor silvarum,Haemaphysalis concinna and Haemaphysalis japonica].Ixodes persulcatus had the highest amount ofBorrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection of25.6% and the most common species ofBorreliaisolated from Ixodes persulcatus wasBorrelia garinii, strainPD91.Conclusions: Our results suggest thatBorrelia gariniiPD91-infectedIxodes persulcatus may be the principal cause of Lyme disease in the border crossing areas of Heilongjiang Province.