Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014, Turku, Finland.
Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, FI-20014, Turku, Finland.
Emerg Microbes Infect. 2018 Nov 28;7(1):189. doi: 10.1038/s41426-018-0188-9.
Ticks (Acari: Ixodoidea) are among the most common vectors of zoonotic pathogens worldwide. While research on tick-borne pathogens is abundant, few studies have thoroughly investigated small-scale spatial differences in their occurrence. Here, we used long-term cloth-dragging data of Ixodes ricinus and its associated, known and putative pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Bartonella spp., Babesia spp., and tick-borne encephalitis virus, TBEV) from a small, well-studied island in southwestern Finland to analyze potential temporal and spatial differences in pathogen prevalence and diversity between and within different biotopes. We found robust evidence indicating significant dissimilarities in B. burgdorferi s.l., A. phagocytophilum, Rickettsia, and Ca. N. mikurensis prevalence, even between proximal study areas on the island. Moreover, during the 6 years of the ongoing study, we witnessed the possible emergence of TBEV and Ca. N. mikurensis on the island. Finally, the stable occurrence of a protozoan pathogen that has not been previously reported in Finland, Babesia venatorum, was observed on the island. Our study underlines the importance of detailed, long-term tick surveys for public health. We propose that by more precisely identifying different environmental factors associated with the emergence and upkeep of enzootic pathogen populations through rigorous longitudinal surveys, we may be able to create more accurate models for both current and future pathogen distributions.
蜱虫（节肢动物门：Ixodoidea）是全世界最常见的动物源性传染病病原体传播媒介之一。尽管有关蜱传病原体的研究很多，但很少有研究彻底调查过其发生的小规模空间差异。在这里，我们使用来自芬兰西南部一个小岛的长期布片拖拽数据，对其携带的已知和可能的病原体（伯氏疏螺旋体、日本伯氏疏螺旋体、嗜吞噬细胞无形体、无形体属、候选新立克次体、巴尔通体属、巴贝斯虫属和蜱传脑炎病毒，TBEV）进行了分析，以研究不同生境之间和生境内部病原体流行率和多样性的潜在时空差异。我们发现了强有力的证据，表明伯氏疏螺旋体、嗜吞噬细胞无形体、无形体属和候选新立克次体的流行率存在显著差异，即使在岛上相邻的研究区域之间也是如此。此外，在正在进行的 6 年研究中，我们见证了 TBEV 和候选新立克次体在该岛的可能出现。最后，观察到一种以前在芬兰未报告过的原生动物病原体——噬血巴尔通体在该岛的稳定存在。我们的研究强调了详细、长期蜱虫调查对公共卫生的重要性。我们提出，通过严格的纵向调查更准确地确定与地方性病原体种群出现和维持相关的不同环境因素，我们或许能够为当前和未来的病原体分布创建更准确的模型。
