Borrelia burgdorferiSensu Stricto in Yellow-Necked Mice and FeedingIxodes ricinusTicks in a Forest Habitat of West Central Poland

Abstract

Wild rodents and the subadult Ixodes ricinus (L.) ticks infesting them were examined for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner s.l. in a sylvatic habitat in west central Poland during May-September 2002. In total, 818 feeding ticks were recovered from 73 infested yellow-necked mice, Apodemus flavicollis Melchior; in addition, bank voles, Clethrionomys glareolus Schreber, were rarely captured and proved to be weakly parasitized. Only 2.7% of A. flavicollis and 2.2% of 320 engorging larvae were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive for the bacterium. All spirochete-PCR-positive samples yielded exclusively B. burgdorferi s.s. This genospecies was also the most prevalent in questing nymphs and accounted for 87.5% of the total number of Borrelia infections in nymphal ticks collected during May and June 2 yr later. The presence of the same genospecies both in naturally engorged larvae and blood-positive animals as well as the high predominance of B. burgdorferi s.s. in questing nymphs strongly differs from most study sites investigated in Europe. This unique pattern of Borrelia-diversity in both rodents and ticks seems to be determined by highly site-specific host vertebrate cenosis, and yellow-necked mice are involved in the maintenance of B. burgdorferi s.s. in the forest habitat. However, the transmission efficiency of this spirochete from the mice to the I. ricinus vector seems to be very low. The research provides additional information on the complexity of B. burgdorferi s.l. ecology in Europe, pointing to the importance of the local host community.

Host and pathogen DNA identification in blood meals of nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks from forest parks and rural forests of Poland

“…In the two selected rural forest sites (III-IV), large mammals are also major hosts, though medium and small mammals and lizards also play significant roles. The results obtained in this and other studies suggest that the assumption that the immature stages of I. ricinus feed on small- and medium-sized mammals and that imago feed on large mammals (Kurtenbach et al 1995 ; Liz et al 2000 ; Hanincová et al 2003a ; Rizzoli et al 2004 ; Michalik et al 2005 ) should be verified. Thus, all stages of I. ricinus feed on roe deer (Kiffner et al 2010 ), red deer and wild boars.…”

Borrelia spp. in small mammals in Romania

“…Similar prevalence rates were found in A. agrarius from Croatia (1.9%) and in A. flavicollis (1.5%). Studies from Hungary, Lithuania and Poland reported a slightly higher prevalence in A. agrarius and A. flavicollis [8, 30–32]. However, we consider that the inter-country comparison of prevalence is meaningless in this context, since the conditions of parasitism by ticks were different, as well as the environment and the period of the year for the surveys.…”

Threat of attacks of Ixodes ricinus ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and Lyme borreliosis within urban heat islands in south-western Poland

“…Without showing distinct preferences, this spirochete genospecies infects two most important reservoir groups, i.e. small rodents and passerine birds [ 36 - 40 ].…”