Department of Genetics, University of Szczecin, 71-412 Szczecin, ul. Felczaka 3C, Poland.
Microbes Infect. 2013 Feb;15(2):140-6. doi: 10.1016/j.micinf.2012.11.005. Epub 2012 Nov 20.
The cosmopolitan tick Ixodes ricinus inhabiting Europe, including Poland, is a vector for many pathogens, such as various Rickettsia species, which spread to new territories. They are present mainly in the Mediterranean countries, but have also been found in Central Europe at increasing frequency. In the present study, the gltA gene, encoding citrate synthase, and an internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were employed to detect the DNA and identify the species of tick-borne pathogens of the Rickettsia genus. The presence of bacterial DNA was detected in 9.5% of the examined I. ricinus individuals. Based on the nucleotide sequences of the analysed genomic fragments, most pathogens were identified as Rickettsia helvetica, while Rickettsia monacensis was revealed in one case. We have described for the first time, to our knowledge, the occurrence of this species in Poland. Both markers employed in the experiments were successful in species identification of R. helvetica. The newly described species R. monacensis may be identified by the protein-coding gene, but the ITS nucleotide sequences proved insufficient.
栖息于欧洲（包括波兰）的多宿主 ticks Ixodes ricinus 是许多病原体的载体，如各种 Rickettsia 物种，这些病原体可传播到新的地区。它们主要存在于地中海国家，但在中欧的出现频率也在不断增加。在本研究中，使用编码柠檬酸合酶的 gltA 基因和内部转录间隔区（ITS）来检测 tick-borne 病原体的 DNA 并鉴定属于 Rickettsia 属的物种。在所检查的 9.5%的 I. ricinus 个体中检测到了细菌 DNA 的存在。基于分析基因组片段的核苷酸序列，大多数病原体被鉴定为 Rickettsia helvetica，而在一个案例中发现了 Rickettsia monacensis。据我们所知，我们首次在波兰描述了该物种的发生。实验中使用的两种标记物都成功地对 R. helvetica 进行了物种鉴定。新描述的 R. monacensis 物种可能通过编码蛋白的基因来鉴定，但 ITS 核苷酸序列证明是不够的。
