scholarly journals The prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing Ixodes ricinus Ticks in SW Poland

2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOROTA KIEWRA ◽  
GRZEGORZ ZALEŚNY ◽  
ALEKSANDRA CZUŁOWSKA

Ticks constitute important vectors of human and animal pathogens. Besides the Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis, other pathogens such as Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, are of increasing public health interest. In Poland, as in other European countries, Ixodes ricinus, the most prevalent tick species responsible for the majority of tick bites in humans, is the main vector of A. phagocytophilum. The aim of the study was to estimate the infection level of I. ricinus with A. phagocytophilum in selected districts, not previously surveyed for the presence of this agent. Sampling of questing ticks was performed in 12 forested sites, located in four districts (Legnica, Milicz, Lubań, and Oława) in SW Poland. Altogether, 792 ticks (151 females, 101 males, and 540 nymphs) representing I. ricinus were checked for the presence of A. phagocytophilum. The average infection level was 4.3%, with higher rate reported for adult ticks. The highest percentage of infected adults was observed in Milicz (17.4%) and the lowest in Oława (6.8%). The abundance of questing I. ricinus in all examined sites as well as the infection with A. phagocytophilum indicate for the first time the risk for HGA transmission in SW Poland.

Parasite ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toufic Akl ◽  
Gilles Bourgoin ◽  
Marie-Line Souq ◽  
Joël Appolinaire ◽  
Marie-Thérèse Poirel ◽  
...  

Ticks are important vectors of several human and animal pathogens. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of important tick-borne infections in questing ticks from an area in Southwestern France (Hautes-Pyrénées) inhabited by Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica) experiencing high tick burden. We examined adult and nymph ticks collected by the flag dragging method from 8 to 15 sites in the Pic de Bazès during the years 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015. PCR assays were conducted on selected ticks for the detection of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Randomly selected positive samples were submitted for sequence analysis. A total of 1971 questing ticks were collected including 95 males, 101 females and 1775 nymphs. All collected ticks were identified as Ixodes ricinus. Among them, 696 ticks were selected for pathogen detection and overall prevalence was 8.4% for B. burgdorferi s.l.; 0.4% for Babesia spp.; 6.1% for A. phagocytophilum; 17.6% for Rickettsia spp.; and 8.1% for SFG Rickettsia. Among the sequenced pathogens, we detected in this population of ticks the presence of Babesia sp. EU1 and Rickettsia helvetica, as well as Rickettsia monacensis for the first time in France. The detection of these pathogens in the Pic de Bazès highlights the potential infection risks for visitors to this area and the Pyrenean chamois population.


2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (13) ◽  
pp. 4606-4612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Lommano ◽  
Luce Bertaiola ◽  
Christèle Dupasquier ◽  
Lise Gern

ABSTRACTIn Europe,Ixodes ricinusis the vector of many pathogens of medical and veterinary relevance, among themBorrelia burgdorferisensu lato and tick-borne encephalitis virus, which have been the subject of numerous investigations. Less is known about the occurrence of emerging tick-borne pathogens likeRickettsiaspp.,Babesiaspp., “CandidatusNeoehrlichia mikurensis,” andAnaplasma phagocytophilumin questing ticks. In this study, questing nymph and adultI. ricinusticks were collected at 11 sites located in Western Switzerland. A total of 1,476 ticks were analyzed individually for the simultaneous presence ofB. burgdorferisensu lato,Rickettsiaspp.,Babesiaspp., “CandidatusNeoehrlichia mikurensis,” andA. phagocytophilum. B. burgdorferisensu lato,Rickettsiaspp., and “CandidatusNeoehrlichia mikurensis” were detected in ticks at all sites with global prevalences of 22.5%, 10.2%, and 6.4%, respectively.Babesia- andA. phagocytophilum-infected ticks showed a more restricted geographic distribution, and their prevalences were lower (1.9% and 1.5%, respectively). Species rarely reported in Switzerland, likeBorrelia spielmanii,Borrelia lusitaniae, andRickettsia monacensis, were identified. Infections with more than one pathogenic species, involving mostlyBorreliaspp. andRickettsia helvetica, were detected in 19.6% of infected ticks. Globally, 34.2% of ticks were infected with at least one pathogen. The diversity of tick-borne pathogens detected inI. ricinusin this study and the frequency of coinfections underline the need to take them seriously into consideration when evaluating the risks of infection following a tick bite.


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristofer Severinsson ◽  
Thomas G Jaenson ◽  
John Pettersson ◽  
Kerstin Falk ◽  
Kenneth Nilsson

2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 1002-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge S. Liz ◽  
Laurence Anderes ◽  
John W. Sumner ◽  
Robert F. Massung ◽  
Lise Gern ◽  
...  

The presence of granulocytic ehrlichiae was demonstrated by PCR inIxodes ricinus ticks and wild small mammals in Switzerland in two areas of endemicity for bovine ehrlichiosis. Six ticks (three females and three nymphs) (1.4%) of 417 I. ricinus ticks collected by flagging vegetation contained ehrlichial DNA. A total of 201 small mammals from five species, wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), earth vole (Pitymys subterraneus), bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), and common shrew (Sorex araneus), were trapped. The analysis of I. ricinus mammals collected on 116 small mammals showed that nine C. glareolus voles and two A. sylvaticus mice hosted infected tick larvae. In these rodents, granulocytic ehrlichia infection was also detected in blood, spleen, liver, and ear samples. Further examinations of 190 small mammals without ticks or with noninfected ticks showed the presence of ehrlichial DNA in spleen and other tissues from six additional C. glareolus, three A. flavicollis, and one S. araneus mammals. This study suggests thatA. sylvaticus, A. flavicollis, S. araneus, and particularly C. glareolus are likely to be natural reservoirs for granulocytic ehrlichiae. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of granulocytic ehrlichiae from ticks and rodents showed a high degree of homology (99 to 100%) with granulocytic ehrlichiae isolated from humans. In contrast, groESL heat shock operon sequence analysis showed a strong divergence (approximately 5%) between the sequences in samples derived from rodents and those derived from samples from questing ticks or from other published ehrlichia sequences. Dual infections with granulocytic ehrlichia andBorrelia burgdorferi were found in ticks and small mammals.


Author(s):  
Zuzana Mtierová ◽  
Markéta Derdáková ◽  
Michal Chvostáč ◽  
Yuliya M. Didyk ◽  
Barbara Mangová ◽  
...  

Lyme disease (LD) is the most common tick-borne human disease in Europe, and Borrelia garinii, which is associated with avian reservoirs, is one of the most genetically diverse and widespread human pathogenic genospecies from the B. burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex. The clinical manifestations of LD are known to vary between regions and depend on the genetic strain even within Borrelia genospecies. It is thus of importance to explore the genetic diversity of such pathogenic borreliae for the wide range of host and ecological contexts. In this study, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was employed to investigate the local population structure of B. garinii in Ixodes ricinus ticks. The study took place in a natural wetland in Slovakia, temporally encompassing spring and autumn bird migration periods as well as the breeding period of resident birds. In total, we examined 369 and 255 ticks collected from 78 birds and local vegetation, respectively. B. burgdorferi s.l. was detected in 43.4% (160/369) of ticks recovered from birds and in 26.3% (67/255) of questing ticks, respectively. Considering the ticks from bird hosts, the highest prevalence was found for single infections with B. garinii (22.5%). Infection intensity of B. garinii in bird-feeding ticks was significantly higher than that in questing ticks. We identified ten B. garinii sequence types (STs) occurring exclusively in bird-feeding ticks, two STs occurring exclusively in questing ticks, and one ST (ST 244) occurring in both ticks from birds and questing ticks. Four B. garinii STs were detected for the first time herein. With the exception of ST 93, we detected different STs in spring and summer for bird-feeding ticks. Our results are consistent with previous studies of the low geographic structuring of B. garinii genotypes. However, our study reveals some consistency in local ST occurrence and a geographic signal for one of the clonal complexes.


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