Prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in Ticks and Serological and Clinical Outcomes in Tick-Bitten Individuals in Sweden and on the Åland Islands

Lindblom, Anders; Wallménius, Katarina; Sjöwall, Johanna; Fryland, Linda; Wilhelmsson, Peter; Lindgren, Per-Eric; Forsberg, Pia; Nilsson, Kenneth

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0166653

Cited by 22 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…), European hare (Lepus europaeus), European badger (Meles meles), and even predators such as red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and mustelids (Mustela erminea and M. nivalis) (e.g. Lappalainen and Vuorisalo 1996;Laine and Lehikoinen 2013;Tirri and Vösa 2015). Unfortunately, we do not have relevant data to connect the tick observations from the summer of 2017 to the specific host animal abundance that prevailed in distinct tick sampling areas at that time (and during some earlier years to account for the long life cycle of the tick).…”

Section: Tick and Host Animal Abundance In The Citymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Finland (Fig. 1), ticks and tick-borne diseases are recognized as threats, especially in the Åland Islands between Finland and Sweden, as well as in other archipelagos and coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, the area in which research has primarily been directed (Wahlberg et al 1989;Mäkinen et al 2003;Alekseev et al 2007;Wilhelmsson et al 2013a, b;Lindblom et al 2016). Since 2000, however, it has become clear that ticks and health problems due to tick-borne diseases are no longer delimited to particular island biotopes or coastal regions of the country.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High tick abundance and diversity of tick-borne pathogens in a Finnish city

et al. 2019

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The sheep tick Ixodes ricinus is the primary vector for various zoonotic diseases, including Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), in Europe. Because both abundance of ticks and prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in these organisms have increased in many locations and under different environments, we designed a study to survey the occurrence of ticks and pathogens in an urban area, namely, the city of Turku, in SW Finland. In summer 2017, we collected >700 ticks, primarily from city parks, suburban forest patches, and recreational areas. Comprehensive subsets of ticks were screened for presence of all common tick-borne pathogens. Half of the ticks carried at least one pathogen. The most common pathogens detected were the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis, i.e., bacteria belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group. Their prevalence was 37% in nymphal and 47% in adult ticks, which are high in comparison with surveys conducted elsewhere in northern Europe. Similarly, Rickettsia spp. (primarily R. helvetica) were also detected in a relatively high proportion of the samples (11% of both nymphs and adults). The TBE virus was not found in a relatively small subsample, but we detected (albeit at a low prevalence of 0-6% of nymphs and adults) the bacterial pathogens Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and the protozoan Babesia spp., which are also known agents of zoonotic diseases. The relatively high abundance of ticks and high diversity and overall prevalence of tick-borne pathogens suggest a lively and dense presence of mammalian and avian tick hosts in the city. Our results indicate a higher risk of encountering tick-borne pathogens in urbanized areas of southern Finland than previously known. Moreover, the possibility of acquiring tick-borne diseases from urban environments likely exists throughout most of Europe, and it should be acknowledged by health care professionals.

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Section: Tick and Host Animal Abundance In The Citymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High tick abundance and diversity of tick-borne pathogens in a Finnish city

et al. 2019

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“…It is unlikely that lysis of the bacterial cells within the tick may have affected the quality of the extracted nucleic acids. We have previously detected several pathogens using the above-mentioned approach [1,3,4].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the TBD STING material the following pathogens have been detected: Borrelia spp. [1], Tick-borne encephalitis virus [2], Anaplasma phagocytophilum [3], Rickettsia helvetica [4], Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis [5]. Other assumed tick-borne pathogens that are yet to be detected within the TBD STING study include the bacteria Bartonella spp., Francisella tularensis and the parasite Toxoplasma gondii.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Tick-Borne Diseases STING study: Real-time PCR analysis of three emerging tick-borne pathogens in ticks that have bitten humans in different regions of Sweden and the Aland islands, Finland

Cronhjort

Wilhelmsson²,

Karlsson

et al. 2019

Infection Ecology & Epidemiology

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A milder climate has during the last decade contributed to an increased density and spreading of ixodid ticks, thus enhancing their role as emerging vectors for pathogenic microorganisms in northern Europe. It remains unclear if they contribute to the occurrence of infections caused by the bacteria Bartonella spp., Francisella tularensis subspecies holarctica and the parasite Toxoplasma gondii in Sweden and on the Åland islands, Finland. In this study, we want to improve understanding of the tick-borne transmission of these pathogens. Volunteers were recruited at primary healthcare centers. Ticks and blood samples were acquired from participants recruited in 2008 and 2009. Health questionnaires were completed, and medical records were acquired where applicable. Feeding time was estimated and screening of pathogens in the ticks was performed through real-time PCR. Ticks (n = 1849) were of mixed developmental stages: 76 larvae, 1295 nymphs, 426 adults and 52 undetermined. All analyzed ticks were considered negative for these pathogens since the CT-values were all below the detection limit for Bartonella spp. (1663 ticks), Francisella spp. (1849 ticks) and Toxoplasma gondii (1813 ticks). We assume that infections with these pathogens are caused by other transmission pathways within these regions of Sweden and the Åland islands, Finland.

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“…В настоящее время также установлена циркуляция иных бактериальных патогенов в иксодовых клещах на территории России и сопредельных государств -стран Балтийского региона и Фенноскандии: Anaplasma sp., Ehrlichia sp., Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia sp. [13,14,17]. Возможность инфицирования иксодовых клещей несколькими микроорганизмами увеличивает риск развития микст-инфекции у людей после укуса клеща и требует комплексного подхода к диагностике и профилактике клещевых инфекций.…”

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Bacterial and Viral Pathogens in Ixodes Sp. Ticks in St. Petersburg and Leningrad District

Панферова

Suvorova²,

Шапарь³

et al. 2018

Russian Journal of Infection and Immunity

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Tick-borne infections are the most common group of zooanthroponotic diseases in the Northern Hemisphere. For the Baltic Sea region and Fennoscandia, the dominant infectious pathologies transmitted by ticks are tick-borne borreliosis and tick- borne encephalitis. The presence of vast forested areas, actively visited by people in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, contributes to a rather high level of encroachment on the flares and intelligence of the borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis among the population of these regions. The relatively dangerous pathogens that can be transmitted with the tick bite are also of particular danger: Anaplasma sp., Ehrlichia sp., Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia sp. In this work, detection was performed using molecular genetic methods of TBE virus, B. burgdorferi sensu lato and Rickettsia sp. in engorged ticksple, as well as questing ticks collected from vegetation. The established levels of infection of TBE on infected ticks, levels of infection by pathogenic Borrelia of questing and engorgeded ticks were approximately equal. Rickettsia was not found in the ticks. The conducted analysis of the pathogens prevalence in comparison with the data of russian and foreign authors. Monitoring the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens is an important issue in the prevention of tick- borne infections in the North-Western Russia.

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Prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in Ticks and Serological and Clinical Outcomes in Tick-Bitten Individuals in Sweden and on the Åland Islands

Cited by 22 publications

References 35 publications

High tick abundance and diversity of tick-borne pathogens in a Finnish city

High tick abundance and diversity of tick-borne pathogens in a Finnish city

The Tick-Borne Diseases STING study: Real-time PCR analysis of three emerging tick-borne pathogens in ticks that have bitten humans in different regions of Sweden and the Aland islands, Finland

Bacterial and Viral Pathogens in Ixodes Sp. Ticks in St. Petersburg and Leningrad District

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