Atlas of ticks (Acari: Argasidae, Ixodidae) in Germany

AbstractAn updated and increased compilation of georeferenced tick locations in Germany is presented here. This data collection extends the dataset published some years ago by another 1448 new tick locations, 900 locations of which were digitized from literature and 548 locations are published here for the first time. This means that a total of 3492 georeferenced tick locations is now available for Germany. The tick fauna of Germany includes two species of Argasidae in the genera Argas and Carios and 19 species of Ixodidae in the genera Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, and Ixodes, altogether 21 tick species. In addition, three species of Ixodidae in the genera Hyalomma (each spring imported by migratory birds) and Rhipicephalus (occasionally imported by dogs returning from abroad with their owners) are included in the tick atlas. Of these, the georeferenced locations of 23 tick species are depicted in maps. The occurrence of the one remaining tick species, the recently described Ixodes inopinatus, is given at the level of the federal states. The most common and widespread tick species is Ixodes ricinus, with records in all 16 federal states. With the exception of Hamburg, Dermacentor reticulatus was also found in all federal states. The occurrence of the ixodid ticks Ixodes canisuga, Ixodes frontalis, Ixodes hexagonus and I. inopinatus were documented in at least 11 federal states each. The two mentioned argasid tick species were also documented in numerous federal states, the pigeon tick Argas reflexus in 11 and the bat tick Carios vespertilionis in seven federal states. The atlas of ticks in Germany and the underlying digital dataset in the supplement can be used to improve global tick maps or to study the effects of climate change and habitat alteration on the distribution of tick species.

Download Full-text

Ticks on the turf: investigating the presence of ixodid ticks on and around football fields in Germany

Experimental and Applied Acarology ◽

10.1007/s10493-021-00628-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Olaf Kahl ◽

Daniel Kämmer ◽

Ingrid Bulling ◽

Martin Komorek ◽

Christof von Eiff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Ixodid Tick ◽

Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Forest Park ◽

Federal States ◽

Suburban Areas ◽

Ixodes Frontalis ◽

German States ◽

German Federal States

AbstractIxodes ricinus is the most abundant tick species and an important vector of pathogens in Germany and in large parts of Europe. A few other ixodid tick species, e.g., Dermacentor reticulatus, may also be of eco-epidemiological relevance. As ticks are not only found in natural but also in suburban areas (parks, gardens), the present study investigated whether ticks occur on and near football grounds thus posing a potential risk to players and visitors. Thirty-two football grounds from all 16 German federal states were selected, mainly situated adjacent to a green area (forest, park). Ticks were collected by the conventional flagging method in spring 2018, and nymphs and adults were counted and morphologically determined. Altogether 807 nymphal and adult ticks were collected from 29 football grounds: 714 I. ricinus, 64 Ixodes inopinatus, 2 Ixodes frontalis, 24 Ixodes sp. ticks, and 3 D. reticulatus. Ixodes inopinatus was found in 13 out of 16 German states. Three ticks were even found on the turf of two football fields. It can be concluded that ticks occur quite frequently and sometimes in high abundance near football grounds situated close or adjacent to a forest or a park.

Download Full-text

Impact of a freeway on the dispersal of ticks and Ixodes ricinus-borne pathogens: forested resting areas may become Lyme disease hotspots

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica ◽

10.1556/004.2017.024 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 242-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sándor Hornok ◽

Maria Mulvihill ◽

Krisztina Szőke ◽

Enikő Gönczi ◽

Kinga M. Sulyok ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lyme Disease ◽

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Tick Species ◽

Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Different Types ◽

Pathogen Prevalence ◽

The Difference ◽

Two Sides

Man-made barriers are well known for their effects on ecosystems. Habitat fragmentation, for instance, is a recognised consequence of modern-day infrastructure. The aim of the present study was to investigate the diversity and abundance of tick species, as well as the risks of acquiring tick-borne infections in habitats adjacent to a freeway. Therefore, ixodid ticks were collected from the vegetation at two-week intervals (in the main tick season, from March to June) in eight habitats of different types (forest, grove, grassland) along both sides of a freeway. Ixodes ricinus females were molecularly screened for three species of tick-borne bacteria. In the study period, 887 ixodid ticks were collected. These included 704 I. ricinus (79.4%), 51 Dermacentor reticulatus (5.7%), 78 D. marginatus (8.8%), 35 Haemaphysalis inermis (3.9%) and 19 H. concinna (2.1%). There was no significant difference in the abundance of tick species between similar habitats separated by the freeway, except for the absence of Dermacentor spp. on one side. In I. ricinus females, the overall prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum was low, and (in part due to this low rate) did not show significant difference between the two sides of the freeway. Rickettsia helvetica had significantly different overall prevalence between two distant habitats along the same side of the freeway (12.3% vs. 31.4%), but not between habitats on the opposite sides. Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. showed significantly different overall prevalence between habitats both on the same and on the opposite sides of the freeway (8.6–35.9%), and the difference was higher if relevant habitats were also separated by the freeway. Importantly, the prevalence rate of the Lyme disease agent was highest in a forested resting area of the freeway, and was significantly inversely proportional to the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum (taking into account all evaluated habitats), apparently related to deer population density. Prevalence rates of these bacteria also differed significantly on single sampling occasions between: (1) closely situated habitats of different types; (2) distant and either similar or different habitat types; and (3) habitats on the opposite sides of the freeway. In conclusion, the findings of the present study show that a fenced freeway may contribute to differences in tick species diversity and tick-borne pathogen prevalence along its two sides, and this effect is most likely a consequence of its barrier role preventing deer movements.

Download Full-text

Tick Distribution and Detection of Babesia and Theileria Species in the East and South regions of Kazakhstan

10.21203/rs.3.rs-33830/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chunli Sang ◽

Meihua Yang ◽

Bin Xu ◽

Guangyuan Liu ◽

Yicheng Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽

Control Measures ◽

Molecular Characteristics ◽

Hyalomma Anatolicum ◽

Theileria Equi ◽

Babesia Caballi ◽

Dermacentor Marginatus ◽

Tick Borne Disease ◽

First Time

Abstract Background: Piroplasmosis, caused by Theileria and Babesia species, is an economically important tick-borne disease worldwide. However, little is known about the presence of Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. in ticks from different host species in Kazakhstan. Method: We collected adult ticks at 26 sampling sites in 16 districts in the East and South regions of Kazakhstan during 2016 - 2019. Tick species were identified according to morphological and molecular characteristics. Two fragments of the 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) were used to determine the species of piroplasms. The genotype characteristics of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi were analyzed further. Results: A total of 6107 adult ticks were collected, including 2920 Dermacentor marginatus, 1442 Argas persicus, 903 Hyalomma asiaticum, 464 Hyalomma scupense, 225 Hyalomma anatolicum, 122 Rhipicephalus turanicus, 16 Haemaphysalis erinacei and 15 Dermacentor reticulatus. In these ticks five species of piroplasms, i.e. Babesia occultans, Babesia caballi, Theileria ovis, Theileria annulata and Theileria equi, were detected. Theileria equi and Babesia caballi belonged to their E and A genotype, respectively.Conclusions: Apart from Dermacentor marginatus, three Hyalomma species predominate among ticks infesting herbivorous livestock in East and South regions of Kazakhstan. 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) phylogenic analysis showed that several tick species in Kazakhstan, as exemplified by D. marginatus and Ha. erinacei, were clustered together with conspecific ticks reported from China. Babesia occultans was found for the first time in D. marginatus in Kazakhstan. Altogether five piroplasm species were detected, indicating that enhanced control measures are necessary to prevent piroplasm infection of domestic animals in this region.

Download Full-text

Spiroplasma Infection among Ixodid Ticks Exhibits Species Dependence and Suggests a Vertical Pattern of Transmission

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9020333 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 333

Author(s):

Shohei Ogata ◽

Wessam Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed ◽

Kodai Kusakisako ◽

May June Thu ◽

Yongjin Qiu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

16S Rdna ◽

Tick Species ◽

Mixed Model ◽

Linear Mixed Model ◽

Horizontal Transmission ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Infection Rates ◽

Transmission Cycle ◽

Frequent Event ◽

Pcr Targeting

Members of the genus Spiroplasma are Gram-positive bacteria without cell walls. Some Spiroplasma species can cause disease in arthropods such as bees, whereas others provide their host with resistance to pathogens. Ticks also harbour Spiroplasma, but their role has not been elucidated yet. Here, the infection status and genetic diversity of Spiroplasma in ticks were investigated using samples collected from different geographic regions in Japan. A total of 712 ticks were tested for Spiroplasma infection by PCR targeting 16S rDNA, and Spiroplasma species were genetically characterized based on 16S rDNA, ITS, dnaA, and rpoB gene sequences. A total of 109 samples originating from eight tick species were positive for Spiroplasma infection, with infection rates ranging from 0% to 84% depending on the species. A linear mixed model indicated that tick species was the primary factor associated with Spiroplasma infection. Moreover, certain Spiroplasma alleles that are highly adapted to specific tick species may explain the high infection rates in Ixodes ovatus and Haemaphysalis kitaokai. A comparison of the alleles obtained suggests that horizontal transmission between tick species may not be a frequent event. These findings provide clues to understand the transmission cycle of Spiroplasma species in wild tick populations and their roles in host ticks.

Download Full-text

Global Distribution of Babesia Species in Questing Ticks: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Based on Published Literature

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10020230 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 230

Author(s):

ThankGod E. Onyiche ◽

Cristian Răileanu ◽

Susanne Fischer ◽

Cornelia Silaghi

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mammalian Species ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Babesia Microti ◽

Babesia Species ◽

Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Questing Ticks ◽

Veterinary Importance

Babesiosis caused by the Babesia species is a parasitic tick-borne disease. It threatens many mammalian species and is transmitted through infected ixodid ticks. To date, the global occurrence and distribution are poorly understood in questing ticks. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to estimate the distribution of the pathogen. A deep search for four electronic databases of the published literature investigating the prevalence of Babesia spp. in questing ticks was undertaken and obtained data analyzed. Our results indicate that in 104 eligible studies dating from 1985 to 2020, altogether 137,364 ticks were screened with 3069 positives with an estimated global pooled prevalence estimates (PPE) of 2.10%. In total, 19 different Babesia species of both human and veterinary importance were detected in 23 tick species, with Babesia microti and Ixodesricinus being the most widely reported Babesia and tick species, respectively. Regardless of species, adult ticks with 2.60% had the highest infection rates, while larvae had the least with 0.60%. Similarly, female ticks with 4.90% were infected compared to males with 3.80%. Nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 2.80% had the highest prevalence among the molecular techniques employed. In conclusion, results obtained indicate that Babesia species are present in diverse questing tick species at a low prevalence, of which some are competent vectors.

Download Full-text

Intuitionistic fuzzy two-factor variance analysis of movie ticket sales

Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems ◽

10.3233/jifs-219212 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Velichka Traneva ◽

Stoyan Tranev

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Real Data ◽

Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets ◽

Real Numbers ◽

Data Set ◽

Important Method ◽

Ticket Sales ◽

Intuitionistic Fuzzy ◽

The One ◽

First Time

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is an important method in data analysis, which was developed by Fisher. There are situations when there is impreciseness in data In order to analyze such data, the aim of this paper is to introduce for the first time an intuitionistic fuzzy two-factor ANOVA (2-D IFANOVA) without replication as an extension of the classical ANOVA and the one-way IFANOVA for a case where the data are intuitionistic fuzzy rather than real numbers. The proposed approach employs the apparatus of intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) and index matrices (IMs). The paper also analyzes a unique set of data on daily ticket sales for a year in a multiplex of Cinema City Bulgaria, part of Cineworld PLC Group, applying the two-factor ANOVA and the proposed 2-D IFANOVA to study the influence of “ season ” and “ ticket price ” factors. A comparative analysis of the results, obtained after the application of ANOVA and 2-D IFANOVA over the real data set, is also presented.

Download Full-text

Experiential ownership and body ownership are different phenomena

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-90014-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Caleb Liang ◽

Wen-Hsiang Lin ◽

Tai-Yuan Chang ◽

Chi-Hong Chen ◽

Chen-Wei Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conscious Experience ◽

Distinct Type ◽

Body Part ◽

The Body ◽

Body Ownership ◽

Rubber Hand ◽

Person Perspective ◽

The One ◽

First Time ◽

Full Body

AbstractBody ownership concerns what it is like to feel a body part or a full body as mine, and has become a prominent area of study. We propose that there is a closely related type of bodily self-consciousness largely neglected by researchers—experiential ownership. It refers to the sense that I am the one who is having a conscious experience. Are body ownership and experiential ownership actually the same phenomenon or are they genuinely different? In our experiments, the participant watched a rubber hand or someone else’s body from the first-person perspective and was touched either synchronously or asynchronously. The main findings: (1) The sense of body ownership was hindered in the asynchronous conditions of both the body-part and the full-body experiments. However, a strong sense of experiential ownership was observed in those conditions. (2) We found the opposite when the participants’ responses were measured after tactile stimulations had ceased for 5 s. In the synchronous conditions of another set of body-part and full-body experiments, only experiential ownership was blocked but not body ownership. These results demonstrate for the first time the double dissociation between body ownership and experiential ownership. Experiential ownership is indeed a distinct type of bodily self-consciousness.

Download Full-text

Address of the President Lord Blackett, O. M., C. H. at the Anniversary Meeting, 1 December 1969

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.1970.0001 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 174 (1037) ◽

pp. 403-417

Keyword(s):

Immunological Response ◽

Immunological Tolerance ◽

Cell Mediated Immunity ◽

Specific Cell ◽

Subsequent Work ◽

The One ◽

First Time ◽

Improved Methods ◽

Specific Tolerance ◽

Immunological Barrier

The Copley Medal is awarded to Sir Peter Medawar, C. B. E., F. R. S. Medawar’s first major contribution was to prove conclusively that skin grafts made between different individuals usually fail because of an immunological response made by the recipient against foreign antigens in the donor’s cells, and then to show that the most important mechanism was a specific cell-mediated immunity due to lymphocytes. In attempting to find means of preventing the response against grafted tissues, without impairing immunological capacity in other respects, Medawar made a second major contribution by showing for the first time that it was possible to induce specific tolerance of foreign antigens by administering them to very young animals. His subsequent work, directed towards achieving practical means of overcoming the immunological barrier to tissue transplantation, led him on the one hand to investigate improved methods of inducing specific immunological tolerance and, on the other, to use antiserum against lymphocytes to suppress the damaging effects of these cells. His successful results in experimental animals have indicated the way to their possible application in Man. Medawar’s work has throughout been distinguished by a penetrating clarity of thought combined with insight, and by elegant and original experimental design. He also has a justly high reputation for his analyses and predictions in wider fields of biology, and his study of scientific method.

Download Full-text

CsOH and its Lighter Homologues – a Comparison

Zeitschrift für Naturforschung B ◽

10.5560/znb.2014-4163 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 69 (11-12) ◽

pp. 1229-1236

Author(s):

Matthias Wörsching ◽

Constantin Hoch

Keyword(s):

Gas Phase ◽

Room Temperature ◽

Structure Type ◽

Alkali Metal Hydroxide ◽

X Ray ◽

Raman Spectroscopic ◽

Cesium Hydroxide ◽

Free Ion ◽

The One ◽

First Time

Abstract Cesium hydroxide, CsOH, was for the first time characterised on the basis of single-crystal data. The structure is isotypic to the one of the room-temperature modification of NaOH and can be derived from the NaCl structure type thus allowing the comparison of all alkali metal hydroxide structures. Raman spectroscopic investigations show the hydroxide anion to behave almost as a free ion as in the gas phase. The X-ray investigations indicate possible H atom positions.

Download Full-text

Gamma Astrometric Measurement Experiment: testing General Relativity with a small mission

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921308019364 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 3 (S248) ◽

pp. 290-291 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A. Vecchiato ◽

M. G. Lattanzi ◽

M. Gai ◽

R. Morbidelli

Keyword(s):

General Relativity ◽

Solar Eclipse ◽

Galactic Center ◽

The Sun ◽

Measurement Experiment ◽

The One ◽

First Time ◽

Bending Of Light

AbstractGAME (Gamma Astrometric Measurement Experiment) is a concept for an experiment whose goal is to measure from space the γ parameter of the Parameterized Post-Newtonian formalism, by means of a satellite orbiting at 1 AU from the Sun and looking as close as possible to its limb. This technique resembles the one used during the solar eclipse of 1919, when Dyson, Eddington and collaborators measured for the first time the gravitational bending of light. Simple estimations suggest that, possibly within the budget of a small mission, one could reach the 10−6level of accuracy with ~106observations of relatively bright stars at about 2° apart from the Sun. Further simulations show that this result could be reached with only 20 days of measurements on stars ofV≤ 17 uniformly distributed. A quick look at real star densities suggests that this result could be greatly improved by observing particularly crowded regions near the galactic center.

Download Full-text