Prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks from different geographical locations in Belarus

PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e54476. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054476. Epub 2013 Jan 22.

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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anaplasma / isolation & purification
  • Anaplasma / pathogenicity
  • Anaplasma phagocytophilum / isolation & purification
  • Anaplasma phagocytophilum / pathogenicity
  • Animals
  • Babesia / isolation & purification
  • Babesia / pathogenicity
  • Borrelia burgdorferi Group / isolation & purification
  • Borrelia burgdorferi Group / pathogenicity
  • Dermacentor / pathogenicity
  • Dermacentor / virology
  • Europe
  • Francisella tularensis / isolation & purification
  • Francisella tularensis / pathogenicity
  • Humans
  • Ixodes / pathogenicity*
  • Ixodes / virology
  • Republic of Belarus
  • Rickettsia / isolation & purification
  • Rickettsia / pathogenicity
  • Tick-Borne Diseases / classification*
  • Tick-Borne Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Tick-Borne Diseases / virology
  • Ticks / pathogenicity
  • Ticks / virology*

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, the Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé and the Republic Fond of Fundamental Research of the Academy of Science of Belarus. A.L. Reye was supported by a fellowship from the Bourse Formation Recherche and the Aides à la Formation Recherche of the Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg (BFR 07/038; EXT-BFR07-038 TR). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.