The literature widely argues that there is a strong and positive causal relationship between the entrepreneur's abilities and post start-up success. Hence, implying that founders with limited abilities are likely to be at a greater disadvantage due to these very inabilities. However, even though the advantages of their abilities may appear as intuitively obvious, there exists a lack of well developed theoretical foundations to the causal link between the entrepreneurs ability and future venture performance. The paper is based on a literature review on the relationship between ability and future venture performance. The starting point stems from the notion of entrepreneurial learning, and we ask the question "What is entrepreneurial learning and how do abilities acquired through learning affect the future performance of a new firm? Using learning theory, we try to outline possible directions. We then review the entrepreneurial literature linking it with education, managerial experience, start-up experience, and industry experience. In conclusion we design a causal model which integrates the literature review on entrepreneurial ability and learning theory, with respect to future venture performance.
Background: Birds can act as reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens and can also disperse pathogen-containing ticks to both nearby and remote localities. The aims of this study were to estimate tick infestation patterns on migratory birds and the prevalence of different Borrelia species and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in ticks removed from birds in south-eastern Sweden. Methods: Ticks were collected from resident and migratory birds captured at the Ottenby Bird Observatory, oland, Sweden, from March to November 2009. Ticks were molecularly identified to species, and morphologically to developmental stage, and the presence of Borrelia bacteria and TBEV was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Results: A total of 1339 ticks in the genera Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, and Ixodes was recorded of which I. ricinus was the most abundant species. Important tick hosts were the European robin (Erithacus rubecula), Blackbird (Turdus merula), Tree pipit (Anthus trivialis), Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), and Common whitethroat (Sylvia communis). Borrelia bacteria were detected in 25% (285/1,124) of the detached ticks available for analysis. Seven Borrelia species (B. afzelii, B. burgdorferi (s.s.), B. garinii, B. lusitaniae, B. turdi, B. valaisiana, and B. miyamotoi) were identified. B. turdi was recorded for the first time in ticks in Sweden. The number of Borrelia cells per tick ranged from 2.0 x 10(0) to 7.0 x 10(5). B. miyamotoi-containing ticks contained a significantly higher median number of Borrelia cells than B. burgdorferi (s.l.)-containing ticks. B. garinii and B. miyamotoi were the most prevalent Borrelia species in tick larvae. Larvae of I. ricinus with B. garinii were removed from seven bird species, particularly S. communis and A. trivialis, which may suggest that the larvae had contracted the Borrelia bacteria from or via these birds. Also, a high percentage of tick larvae containing B. miyamotoi was removed from E. rubecula. All ticks were negative for TBEV. Conclusions: The results corroborate the view that the contributions of birds to human disease are substantial, particularly as blood hosts for ticks and for their short-, medium-, and long-distance dispersal. Moreover, several ground-foraging bird species appear to be important for the maintenance and dispersal of Borrelia species. The absence of TBEV in the ticks conforms to other similar studies. ; Funding Agencies|NorthTick, an Interreg project - North Sea Programme of the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union; EU Interreg OKS V program ScandTick Innovation [20200422, 2015-000167]; Carl Tryggers stiftelse; Helge Ax:son Johnsons stiftelse; Langmanska Kulturfonden; Magnus Bergvalls stiftelse; Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden [FORSS-657881, FORSS-931010]; Division of Laboratory Medicine, Region Jonkoping County; ESGBOR (the European Study Group on Lyme Borrelioses); VectorNet, a European network for sharing data on the geographic distribution of arthropod vectors, transmitting human and animal disease agents [OC/EFSA/AHAW/2013/02-FWC1]; European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC)
