Institute of Immunology, Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé / National Public Health Laboratory, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e54476. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054476. Epub 2013 Jan 22.
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.
在全球范围内，蜱是人类和动物病原体的重要载体。除莱姆病外，欧洲还有多种其他细菌性和原生动物性蜱传感染具有医学意义。在这项研究中，通过 PCR 分析了 553 只采集自伊氏革蜱（n = 327）和璃眼蜱（n = 226）的游离和吸血蜱，以检测伯氏疏螺旋体、立克次体、无形体、柯克斯体、弗朗西斯菌和巴贝虫。总体而言，伊氏革蜱的病原体感染率为 30.6%，璃眼蜱为 45.6%。感染主要由斑点热群立克次体引起（24.4%），9.4%的蜱检测到伯氏疏螺旋体，其中伯氏疏螺旋体 afzelii 是最常见的种（40.4%）。蜱中检出率较低的病原体为嗜吞噬细胞无形体（2.2%）、柯克斯体（0.9%）、土拉弗朗西斯菌亚种（0.7%）、汉赛巴尔通体（0.7%）、微小巴贝斯虫（0.5%）和伯氏疏螺旋体（0.4%）。在区域水平上，鉴定出嗜吞噬细胞无形体（12.5-17.2%）、土拉弗朗西斯菌亚种（5.5%）和柯克斯体（9.1%）的病原体热点，表明至少在这些地点存在这些病原体的建立的人畜共患病循环。本调查显示，在白俄罗斯不同地区采集的游离和吸血伊氏革蜱和璃眼蜱中，存在大量蜱传病原体，这对人类和动物构成潜在风险。受感染蜱的热点地区应纳入未来的监测研究中，特别是涉及土拉弗朗西斯菌亚种和柯克斯体时。
