Blackbirds are reservoirs for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

Funded by FCT, the first study conducted in Portugal on the role of common birds in spreading Lyme disease (borreliosis) revealed that the blackbird is one of the main reservoir hosts of the bacteria responsible for this disease. If not treated promptly, Lyme disease causes serious damage to the neurological, dermatological, and joint systems. The bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. is transmitted by ticks, and researchers from the University of Coimbra, the Center for Vector and Infectious Disease Studies at the Dr. Ricardo Jorge National Institute of Health, and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland) have detected the presence of the bacteria in parasitic ticks on various species of birds in Portugal, particularly blackbirds.

According to Cláudia Norte, team coordinator, "This research provides valuable information for defining risk areas and factors that influence the emergence of tick-borne diseases and, eventually, preventing disease outbreaks." The results were published in the international scientific journals Experimental and Applied Acarology and Environmental Microbiology.