Detection of pathogens in ixodid ticks collected from animals and vegetation in five regions of Ukraine

Levytska, V. A.; Mushinsky, Andriy B.; Zubríková, Dana; Blaňárová, Lucia; Długosz, Ewa; Víchová, Bronislava; Slivinska, K.; Gajewski, Zdzisław; Gizinski, S.; Liu, Shilin; Zhou, Lan; Rogovskyy, Artem S.

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101586

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…To fully confirm this, however, it would be necessary to study the genetic variants of the pathogen. The obtained results are in agreement with previously published data in Europe [ 15 , 16 , 19 , 39 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ] based on which rather convincing molecular evidence was presented last year on ticks isolated from urban dogs [ 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks Collected from Wild Ungulates in North-Eastern Poland

et al. 2021

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This study was carried out in north-eastern Poland during two hunting seasons between 2018 and 2020. Ticks (Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus) were removed from wild cervids and boars and examined for the presence of Borrelia spirochetes and Rickettsiales members: Rickettsia spp. and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The present study contributes to the knowledge of even-toed ungulates, which are an important reservoir of the above-mentioned pathogens and a potential source of infections for humans through ticks as vectors. Almost 40% of the collected ticks (191 out of 484) were infected with the following pathogens: 3.3% with Borrelia spp., 19.2% with A. phagocytophilum and 26.9% with Rickettsia spp. Only the ticks collected from cervids carried Borrelia. Typing of the species DNA confirmed the presence of B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. lusitaniae and B. miyamotoi. An analysis of Rickettsia spp. sequences using the GenBank data revealed the presence of R. helvetica, R. raoultii and R. monacensis. Monoinfections (79.1%) dominated over co-infections (20.9%). Among co-infections, the most frequent was A. phagocytophilum/Rickettsia spp. (70%), however co-infections, including B. afzelii/A. phagocytophilum, B. afzelii/Rickettsia spp., B. miyamotoi/A. phagocytophilum and B. afzelii/B. garinii/B. lusitaniae, were also noted. Significant differences were observed in the affinity of some pathogens to their vectors. Thus, Borrelia spp. and A. phagocytophilum were more frequently detected in I. ricinus (5.3% and 23.1%) than in D. reticulatus (1.2% and 15.3%). Infection frequency with Rickettsia spp. was similar (approximately 25–29%) in both tick species. The prevalence of A. phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. in ticks removed from cervids was 19.8% and 27.1%, and in ticks from wild boars it was 13.3% and 24.4%, respectively.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks Collected from Wild Ungulates in North-Eastern Poland

et al. 2021

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“…Again, this region-dependent structure of the rodent tick community reflects ideally the dominance of adult D. reticulatus among ticks collected from hosts in the region of the Eastern tick metapopulation (in both Poland [ 23 ] and Ukraine [ 24 ]). The low share of this tick species in the tick community of different rodent species was also observed in the Western metapopulation: in Germany [ 25 – 28 ] and The Netherlands [ 9 ], which is an interesting repeatable observation of unknown reason.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence of juvenile Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in three regions in Poland: the final evidence of the conquest

2021

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Background Two populations of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks (Western and Eastern) in Poland are among the most dynamic tick populations in Central Europe. Expansion and settlement of ticks in new localizations depend on the presence of suitable hosts, for both adult and juvenile ticks. Methods The current study was planned to complement our previous studies on questing adult ticks and was focused on a collection of juvenile D. reticulatus ticks from rodents from three regions in Poland, defined by the presence/absence of adult ticks (regions of the Western and Eastern tick population and the gap area between them) to confirm the existence of stable populations. Rodent trapping was conducted in open habitats (fallow lands, wasteland and submerged meadows) in 2016–2018 in June, July and/or August to encompass seasonal peaks of larvae and nymph activity. Results Altogether, three tick species were collected, 2866 D. reticulatus, 2141 Ixodes ricinus and 427 Haemaphysalis concinna. Dermacentor reticulatus was the most common (72.3%) and abundant (mean 17.94 ± 2.62 ticks/rodent) tick species on rodents from the Eastern region; in the Western region infestation of rodents was only 6.8%. Ixodes ricinus was found in all three regions and was the only tick species collected from rodents from the gap area. Haemaphysalis concinna was noted only in the Western region. The highest infestation of juvenile D. reticulatus was recorded on voles (Myodes and Microtus spp.), infestation of I. ricinus was the highest on Apodemus mice, and the majority of H. concinna ticks were collected from root voles Alexandromys oeconomus. Conclusions Our study confirmed a stable population of D. reticulatus in Eastern and Central Poland and a lower prevalence and mean abundance of this tick species among rodents from the Western region. A lack of juvenile D. reticulatus on rodents in Niewiadów confirmed the existence of the gap area, free of D. reticulatus ticks. Graphical abstract

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“…It is worth remembering that, although the majority of humans are free of tick-borne pathogens, piroplasm infections may be very common among free-living animals (i.e. > 80% in roe deer and > 60% in red foxes; [ 21 ]) or circulating among pets and livestock [ 26 , 31 ]. Whereas detection of Babesia DNA in questing (host-seeking) larvae suggests successful transovarial transmission, detection in questing nymphs or adult ticks indicate that babesiae were both acquired during the blood meal in the preceding life stadium and passed through the moult (transstadial transmission) [ 20 , 32 ], confirming the occurrence of at least two of the key processes mentioned above.…”

Section: Proving the Specificity Of A Babesia -Tick Vector Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…in ticks collected from their hosts, especially ticks collected from dogs, cattle, animals that are hunted (i.e. deer or foxes), birds or small mammals [ 23 , 25 , 26 , 29 , 31 , 158 ]. As mentioned at the beginning of this review, and also in many other reviews [ 19 ], the results of such studies can be inconclusive or misleading if no control of host infection is performed at the time of tick collection.…”

Section: Detection Of Babesia Spp In Ticks From Hostsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The specificity of Babesia-tick vector interactions: recent advances and pitfalls in molecular and field studies

Bajer

Dwużnik-Szarek

2021

Parasites Vectors

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Background Babesia spp. are protozoan parasites of great medical and veterinary importance, especially in the northern Hemisphere. Ticks are known vectors of Babesia spp., although some Babesia-tick interactions have not been fully elucidated. Methods The present review was performed to investigate the specificity of Babesia-tick species interactions that have been identified using molecular techniques in studies conducted in the last 20 years under field conditions. We aimed to indicate the main vectors of important Babesia species based on published research papers (n = 129) and molecular data derived from the GenBank database. Results Repeated observations of certain Babesia species in specific species and genera of ticks in numerous independent studies, carried out in different areas and years, have been considered epidemiological evidence of established Babesia-tick interactions. The best studied species of ticks are Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes scapularis (103 reports, i.e. 80% of total reports). Eco-epidemiological studies have confirmed a specific relationship between Babesia microti and Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes persulcatus, and Ixodes scapularis and also between Babesia canis and D. reticulatus. Additionally, four Babesia species (and one genotype), which have different deer species as reservoir hosts, displayed specificity to the I. ricinus complex. Eco-epidemiological studies do not support interactions between a high number of Babesia spp. and I. ricinus or D. reticulatus. Interestingly, pioneering studies on other species and genera of ticks have revealed the existence of likely new Babesia species, which need more scientific attention. Finally, we discuss the detection of Babesia spp. in feeding ticks and critically evaluate the data on the role of the latter as vectors. Conclusions Epidemiological data have confirmed the specificity of certain Babesia-tick vector interactions. The massive amount of data that has been thus far collected for the most common tick species needs to be complemented by more intensive studies on Babesia infections in underrepresented tick species. Graphical abstract

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Detection of pathogens in ixodid ticks collected from animals and vegetation in five regions of Ukraine

Cited by 26 publications

References 59 publications

Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks Collected from Wild Ungulates in North-Eastern Poland

Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks Collected from Wild Ungulates in North-Eastern Poland

Occurrence of juvenile Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in three regions in Poland: the final evidence of the conquest

The specificity of Babesia-tick vector interactions: recent advances and pitfalls in molecular and field studies

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