PREVALENCE AND GENETIC HETEROGENEITY OF<i>BORRELIA BURGDORFERI</i>SENSU LATO IN<i>IXODES</i>TICKS IN BELGIUM

Kesteman, Thomas; Rossi, Chiara; Bastien, Patrick; Brouillard, Jason E.; Avesani, Véronique; Olive, Nathalie; Martin, P; Delmée, Michel

doi:10.1179/acb.2010.069

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…3, 29). Together with other recent studies in Belgium and Luxembourg [33,35] our results show that besides B. valaisiana, B. spielmanii and B. lusitaniae are also present in Ixodes in the Benelux region. B. garinii, B. afzelii and B. burgdorferi s.s. are well known to be pathogenic for humans, but the pathogenic significance of the other species is still unclear [36,37].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…was within the range of infection rates (2.3-22%) in ticks collected from dogs in other European countries [3,16,29-31]. Similar infection rates were also reported in questing I. ricinus in Belgium (12-23%) [32,33]. Within the B. burgdorferi sensu lato group, B. afzelii and B. garinii are the most common species in The Netherlands, Belgium and northern France, while B. burgdorferi s.s. is less common in this region [34].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Ticks and associated pathogens collected from dogs and cats in Belgium

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundAlthough Ixodes spp. are the most common ticks in North-Western Europe, recent reports indicated an expanding geographical distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus in Western Europe. Recently, the establishment of a D. reticulatus population in Belgium was described. D. reticulatus is an important vector of canine and equine babesiosis and can transmit several Rickettsia species, Coxiella burnetii and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), whilst Ixodes spp. are vectors of pathogens causing babesiosis, borreliosis, anaplasmosis, rickettsiosis and TBEV.MethodsA survey was conducted in 2008-2009 to investigate the presence of different tick species and associated pathogens on dogs and cats in Belgium. Ticks were collected from dogs and cats in 75 veterinary practices, selected by stratified randomization. All collected ticks were morphologically determined and analysed for the presence of Babesia spp., Borrelia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia DNA.ResultsIn total 2373 ticks were collected from 647 dogs and 506 cats. Ixodes ricinus (76.4%) and I. hexagonus (22.6%) were the predominant species. Rhipicephalus sanguineus (0.3%) and D. reticulatus (0.8%) were found in low numbers on dogs only. All dogs infested with R. sanguineus had a recent travel history, but D. reticulatus were collected from a dog without a history of travelling abroad. Of the collected Ixodes ticks, 19.5% were positive for A. phagocytophilum and 10.1% for Borrelia spp. (B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. burgdorferi s.s., B. lusitaniae, B. valaisiana and B. spielmanii). Rickettsia helvetica was found in 14.1% of Ixodes ticks. All Dermacentor ticks were negative for all the investigated pathogens, but one R. sanguineus tick was positive for Rickettsia massiliae.ConclusionD. reticulatus was confirmed to be present as an indigenous parasite in Belgium. B. lusitaniae and R. helvetica were detected in ticks in Belgium for the first time.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Ticks and associated pathogens collected from dogs and cats in Belgium

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In Belgium, LD is due to at least five species: Borrelia afzelii , B. garinii , B. burgdorderi sensu stricto (ss) , B. spielmanii , and B. valaisiana (29, 30). A prior study indicated the most prevalent genospecies in Belgian ticks was B. garinii (53% of infected ticks), followed by B. burgdoreferi ss (38%) and B. afzelii (9%) (31).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual and environmental factors associated with the seroprevalence ofBorrelia burgdorferiin Belgian farmers and veterinarians

Keukeleire

Robert

Kabamba

et al. 2016

Infection Ecology & Epidemiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundLyme disease (LD) is a common tick-borne disease in Europe. Diverse factors at various scales determine the spatial distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi infection risk and a better understanding of those factors in a spatially explicit framework is needed for disease management and prevention. While the ecology of ticks and the landscape favoring their abundance have been extensively studied, the environmental conditions favoring an intense contact with susceptible humans, including groups at risk, are sparse. The aim of this study is to assess which individual and environmental factors can favor B. burgdorferi infection in a Belgian group professionally at risk.MethodsSerological results of 127 veterinarians and farmers enrolled in this study were analyzed, taking into account their municipality of residence. Using binary logistic regression and considering interaction terms, the joint effects of landscape composition and configuration, and forest and wildlife management were examined.ResultsSeven of the 127 workers were seropositive for LD, leading to a seroprevalence of 5.51%. Seropositivity was higher in older persons. The proportion of forest and semi-natural habitats and wetland had a positive impact on LD seroprevalence while arable land–grassland ecotones had a negative one. Our results confirmed the need to consider complex interactions between landscape variables in order to model risk.ConclusionsOur data show that LD has to be considered as a risk for farmers and veterinarians. Rather than focusing either on ecological aspects of tick and pathogen distribution or on purely epidemiological aspects such as individual risk factors, our model highlights the role of human–environment interactions in LD risk assessment.

show abstract

“…For some sites additional details were provided by authors, however, the methodology is already described in published articles and summarised in the Additional file 1. This includes (1) Collection BAYER, 579 sites [13], (2) Collection RLVBD, 51 sites [14], (3) Collection UGENT FOREST, 33 sites [15,16], (4) Collection ARSIA, 17 sites [17], (5) Collection UCLIREC, 5 sites [18], and (6) Collection UA1, 16 sites [7,19-22]. Collection GREY DATA includes tick field observations from the website of NATAGORA and NATUURPUNT (http://www.observations.be, http://www.waarnemingen.be) by registered users involved with nature related activities from 1980 until February 2012.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial disaggregation of tick occurrence and ecology at a local scale as a preliminary step for spatial surveillance of tick-borne diseases: general framework and health implications in Belgium

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe incidence of tick-borne diseases is increasing in Europe. Sub national information on tick distribution, ecology and vector status is often lacking. However, precise location of infection risk can lead to better targeted prevention measures, surveillance and control.MethodsIn this context, the current paper compiled geolocated tick occurrences in Belgium, a country where tick-borne disease has received little attention, in order to highlight the potential value of spatial approaches and draw some recommendations for future research priorities.ResultsMapping of 89,289 ticks over 654 sites revealed that ticks such as Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes hexagonus are largely present while Dermacentor reticulatus has a patchy distribution. Suspected hot spots of tick diversity might favor pathogen exchanges and suspected hot spots of I. ricinus abundance might increase human-vector contact locally. This underlines the necessity to map pathogens and ticks in detail. While I. ricinus is the main vector, I. hexagonus is a vector and reservoir of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., which is active the whole year and is also found in urban settings. This and other nidiculous species bite humans less frequently, but seem to harbour pathogens. Their role in maintaining a pathogenic cycle within the wildlife merits investigation as they might facilitate transmission to humans if co-occurring with I. ricinus. Many micro-organisms are found abroad in tick species present in Belgium. Most have not been recorded locally but have not been searched for. Some are transmitted directly at the time of the bite, suggesting promotion of tick avoidance additionally to tick removal.ConclusionThis countrywide approach to tick-borne diseases has helped delineate recommendations for future research priorities necessary to design public health policies aimed at spatially integrating the major components of the ecological cycle of tick-borne diseases. A systematic survey of tick species and associated pathogens is called for in Europe, as well as better characterisation of species interaction in the ecology of tick-borne diseases, those being all tick species, pathogens, hosts and other species which might play a role in tick-borne diseases complex ecosystems.

show abstract

PREVALENCE AND GENETIC HETEROGENEITY OFBORRELIA BURGDORFERISENSU LATO INIXODESTICKS IN BELGIUM

Cited by 19 publications

References 7 publications

Ticks and associated pathogens collected from dogs and cats in Belgium

Ticks and associated pathogens collected from dogs and cats in Belgium

Individual and environmental factors associated with the seroprevalence ofBorrelia burgdorferiin Belgian farmers and veterinarians

Spatial disaggregation of tick occurrence and ecology at a local scale as a preliminary step for spatial surveillance of tick-borne diseases: general framework and health implications in Belgium

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About