Prevalence of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus Ticks from Different Geographical Locations in Belarus

Abstract

Worldwide, ticks are important vectors of human and animal pathogens. Besides Lyme Borreliosis, a variety of other bacterial and protozoal tick-borne infections are of medical interest in Europe. In this study, 553 questing and feeding Ixodes ricinus (n = 327) and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks (n = 226) were analysed by PCR for Borrelia, Rickettsia, Anaplasma, Coxiella, Francisella and Babesia species. Overall, the pathogen prevalence in ticks was 30.6% for I. ricinus and 45.6% for D. reticulatus. The majority of infections were caused by members of the spotted-fever group rickettsiae (24.4%), 9.4% of ticks were positive for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, with Borrelia afzelii being the most frequently detected species (40.4%). Pathogens with low prevalence rates in ticks were Anaplasma phagocytophilum (2.2%), Coxiella burnetii (0.9%), Francisella tularensis subspecies (0.7%), Bartonella henselae (0.7%), Babesia microti (0.5%) and Babesia venatorum (0.4%). On a regional level, hotspots of pathogens were identified for A. phagocytophilum (12.5–17.2%), F. tularensis ssp. (5.5%) and C. burnetii (9.1%), suggesting established zoonotic cycles of these pathogens at least at these sites. Our survey revealed a high burden of tick-borne pathogens in questing and feeding I. ricinus and D. reticulatus ticks collected in different regions in Belarus, indicating a potential risk for humans and animals. Identified hotspots of infected ticks should be included in future surveillance studies, especially when F. tularensis ssp. and C. burnetii are involved.

Prevalence of infections and co-infections with 6 pathogens in <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> ticks collected in eastern Poland

“…and Babesia spp., and with A. phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. Such co-infections were also not detected by other authors who examined D. reticulatus for the presence of a greater number of pathogens in Belarus [27], Serbia [28], Russia [20], and Poland [59], while in most studies on I. ricinus complex, these co-infections are usually reported and analyzed. Thus, Belongia [2] and Swanson et al [1] report in their review articles the prevalence of dual co-infections between B. burgdorferi s. l. and A. phagocytophilum or Babesia microti/B.…”

“…The latter association showed a significantly higher prevalence rate than expected. Reye et al [27] found coinfections in 3 out 226 D. reticulatus ticks (1.3%) which were collected in Belarus and tested for the presence of 7 pathogens. This value, which is 6.5 times lower compared to the current study, concerned in all cases co-infections between B. burgdorferi s.l.…”

“…Similarly, Tokarz et al [56] found 38.1% dual and triple infections in I. scapularis ticks which were examined in New York State, USA, for the presence of B. burgdorferi s.l., Borrelia miyamotoi, A. phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, and Powassan virus. In three European studies performed in France [57], Luxembourg [58] and Belarus [27], where I. ricinus ticks were tested with a greater number of pathogens (6, 7 and 7, respectively), co-infections frequencies 16.3% (twice as many as in present study), 3.2% (2.7 times less than in the present study) and 3.4% (2.5 times less than in the present study) were respectively found.…”

“…Nevertheless, D. reticulatus has been demonstrated to harbour various tick-borne pathogens of humans and/or animals, such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Omsk haemorrhagic fever virus, Kemerovo virus, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma marginale, Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae (SFGR), such as Rickettsia raoultii and Rickettsia slovaca, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l. ), Francisella tularensis and Francisella-like endosymbionts, Coxiella burnetii, Bartonella spp., Babesia canis, Babesia caballi, Babesia microti, Babesia divergens, Babesia bigemina, and Theileria equi [7,8,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32].…”

Detection of Transcripts and an Infectious Dose of Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 in Dermacentor reticulatus Ticks

“…Dermacentor reticulatus Fabricius 1794 is the three-host meadow tick that parasitizes primarily wild and domestic mammals and, infrequently, humans. Recent comparative analyses have revealed changes in the distribution and abundance (almost doubled) of D. reticulatus ticks in some European countries, implying a higher risk of the transmission of tick-borne diseases [15][16][17]. The development of molecular diagnostic tools has not only enhanced opportunities for collecting important…”