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We amplified gene sequences from Anaplasma phagocytophilum , Borrelia garinii , B. valaisiana , B. turdi , Rickettsia monacensis , R. helvetica , R. sibirica sibirica , and Rickettsia spp. (including Candidatus Rickettsia vini) in ticks removed from birds in Spain. The findings support the role of passerine birds as possible dispersers of these tick-borne pathogens.

The genus Anaplasma (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) includes species of medical and veterinary importance. The presence of Anaplasma spp. in ticks from birds, as well as in Haemaphysalis punctata (Ixodida: Ixodidae) specimens collected from cattle and vegetation in northern Spain was investigated. A total of 336 ticks from birds [174 Ixodes frontalis (Ixodida: Ixodidae), 108 H. punctata, 34 Hyalomma marginatum (Ixodida: Ixodidae), 17 Ixodes ricinus (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and three Ixodes spp.], and 181 H. punctata specimens collected from cattle (n = 71) and vegetation (n = 110) were analysed. Anaplasma bovis was detected in five H. punctata, including two from birds (1.9%) and three from vegetation (2.7%). Four I. frontalis (2.3%) (one co-infected with 'Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii') and one I. ricinus (5.9%) removed from birds, as well as four H. punctata (5.6%) collected from cattle showed Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection. In addition, Anaplasma centrale was found in two H. punctata, one from a cow (1.4%) and the other from vegetation (0.9%). This study represents the first evidence of the presence of A. bovis in European ticks, and reports the first detection of A. bovis and A. centrale in H. punctata, and the first finding of A. phagocytophilum and 'Ca. Midichloria mitochondrii' in I. frontalis.

The genus Borrelia includes species responsible for severe human diseases such as Lyme disease. Birds are involved in their epidemiology as dispersers of infected ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and as reservoirs or amplifiers of the bacterium. Herein, the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner in 336 ticks collected from birds in the north of Spain from 2009 to 2011 was investigated. Nucleic acid extracts from 174 Ixodes frontalis (Panzer), 108 Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini & Fanzango, 34 Hyalomma marginatum Koch, 17 Ixodes ricinus (L.), and 3 Ixodes spp. were screened for the presence of B. burgdorferi s.l. by PCR. Borrelia turdi was detected in 22 I. frontalis, 2 H. punctata, and 2 I. ricinus Additionally, 1 I. frontalis and 1 H. punctata were found to be infected with the human pathogen Borrelia valaisiana Moreover, 3 I. frontalis showed coinfection with both Borrelia species. This study corroborates the presence of B. turdi and B. valaisiana in ticks from birds in the north of Spain. The presence of these bacteria in larval specimens could suggest the role of birds as their reservoirs, or the occurrence of the cofeeding phenomenon. In addition, the detection of B. turdi and B. valaisiana in H. punctata and I. frontalis ticks, respectively, is reported for the first time.

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BackgroundThe prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in Ixodes arboricola ticks collected from birds in two locations in the North of Spain from 2011 to 2013 was studied.FindingsThe detection of the bacteria in 54 DNA extracts of I. arboricola was performed by PCR targeting an ompA fragment gene. The 94.4% of the samples yielded positive results and the nucleotide sequences were homologous (100% identity) to ‘Candidatus Rickettsia vini’.ConclusionThe high rate of infection suggests that ‘Ca. R. vini’ is a common endosymbiont of I. arboricola.

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El escribano palustre iberoriental está catalogado como “en peligro de extinción”. Sus zonas de cría son generalmente bien conocidas, pero no lo son tanto sus posibles desplazamientos fuera de la época reproductora ni sus localidades de invernada, periodo en la que coincide con numerosos palustres de procedencia europea. Por ello es muy importante distinguir ambas subespecies. Se realiza el estudio biométrico más completo hasta la fecha de las dos subespecies de escribano palustre presentes en el valle del río Ebro, la iberoriental E.s. witherbyi y la norteña E.s. schoeniclus. Los resultados muestran diferencias significativas entre subespecies, aunque las diferencias entre sexos o edades dentro de la misma subespecie no arrojó resultados significativos. La gran curvatura del culmen en la mandíbula superior de E.s. witherbyi resulta distinguible cuando se compara con el culmen, mucho más aplanado, de E.s. schoeniclus. Con el detallado estudio biométrico realizado, con medidas estandarizadas y testadas, se ha generado una sencilla función discriminante [D = (Altopico*5,2)-(Ala*0,13)-15] para separar ambas subespecies de forma segura, en la que los valores mayores a cinco determinan a E.s. witherbyi, y los menores de cinco a E.s. schoeniclus en el 100% de los casos estudiados.