Lyme disease is transmitted by all of the following except:

Lyme disease is caused by B. burgdorferi transmitted by the bites of Ixodid ticks. The natural reservoir hosts are rodents, deer and other mammals. Mainly found in USA and Europe. Other causative agents include: B. afzelii and B. garinii which cause atypical Lyme disease in Europe. B. burgdorferi mainly grows in the midgut of the ticks belonging to Ixodes ricinus group( I. pacificus in NW USA and I. scapularis in eastern and midwestern USA). I. damminii is a variant of I. scapularis and this name is now no longer in use. Infection occurs by regurgitation of the gut contents during biting. Ticks of I. ricinus group have a life cycle that carries over two calender years. Humans are most often infected by the bite of a nymph because nymphs are so rarely noticed and removed. Ref: Saunder's text and review series-Microbiology