Occurrence of Borrelia and Borreliella species in Ixodes ricinus collected from roe deer in northwestern Spain

Abstract

Ixodes ricinus, comprising the predominant tick species in Europe, can transmit important human pathogens, including Borreliella spp., the causal agent of Lyme borreliosis. One hundred and seventy five roe deer hunted in two areas (plateau and mountain) of Galicia (northwest Spain) were examined for the presence of ticks; all roe deer were infested by I. ricinus. Nymphs (n = 1000), males (n = 1449) and females (n = 1000) of I. ricinus were analysed in pools of up to 10 ticks to detect both Borreliella and Borrelia DNA. The average number of I. ricinus per roe deer was similar in both areas, regardless of the life stage; although the percentage of Borreliella and Borrelia positive pools was higher in ticks collected from roe deer hunted in the plateau area, no significant differences were detected. Sequence analysis at the flagellin gene allowed the identification of four Borreliella species (Borreliella afzelii, Borreliella garinii, Borreliella lusitaniae and Borreliella valaisiana) and Borrelia miyamotoi in adult males; only B. valaisiana and B. miyamotoi were detected in nymphs and all females were negative. All Borreliella and Borrelia species found in roe deer were previously identified in questing I. ricinus collected in the same study area, although the prevalence was lower in the present study. The analysis of male I. ricinus ticks collected from roe deer gives a good estimation of Borreliella diversity in questing ticks.

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

“…Only limited data are available on Borrelia spirochete in ticks isolated from wild animals [6,[30][31][32][33]. In the current study, the Borrelia infection rate was low, i.e., 3.3%, which is in line with the 3.4% reported from Spain [32].…”

“…Only limited data are available on Borrelia spirochete in ticks isolated from wild animals [ 6 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. In the current study, the Borrelia infection rate was low, i.e., 3.3%, which is in line with the 3.4% reported from Spain [ 32 ]. In north-eastern Poland, for comparison, 31.6% of ticks isolated from dogs in urban areas, and 27.4% of questing ticks were infected with Borrelia [ 11 , 34 ].…”

“…Most ticks in this analysis were infected with B. afzelii , which is similar to the results reported by Seo et al [ 6 ]. In Spain, B. garinii , B. valaisiana , B. lusitaniae , and B. afzelii were the most prevalent species in ticks removed from roe deer [ 32 ]. In the present study, B. garinii and B. lusitaniae were also detected in fully-engorged I. ricinus females isolated from red deer in the central part of north-eastern Poland (Bartoszyce hunting region), but those species occurred in a triple co-infection with B. afzelii .…”

“…This indicates the constant presence of this pathogen in I. ricinus in Poland [ 10 , 11 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. B. miyamotoi was also identified in two males and one nymph caught on a roe deer in Spain [ 32 ]. These results show that although deer may have limited utility as an indicator of the presence of Borrelia spirochetes, they provide for a good estimate of the species diversity of these TBPs in Europe.…”

Test for Borrelia spp. in bats in an urban area in the South of Brazil

“…Among the diseases caused by bacteria, borreliosis is an infectious illness caused by spirochetes from the genus Borrelia, transmitted by ticks to animals and/or humans 2 . Relapsing fever (RF), a type of borreliosis, is characterized by a severe disease that progresses rapidly with recurring cycles of fever.…”