The mountainous and foothill areas, in which the city of Zakopane, the capital of Tatra County, is located are characterized by continuous weather changes, lower air temperature, persistent snow cover, and poorer vegetation than in the lowlands. Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes hexagonus are vectors of tick-borne diseases and play an important role in the persistence of tick-borne diseases. The aim of the study was to determine the risk of exposure of domestic cats and dogs to the attacks of Ixodid ticks, to tick-borne infections with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti and Toxoplasma gondii in the city of Zakopane and the surrounding area. In 2017–2018 ticks were collected from a total of 10 domestic cats and 88 domestic dogs. Selected pathogens of tick-borne diseases were detected by PCR and nested PCR. The study material contained 119 I. ricinus and 36 I. hexagonus. The molecular examinations showed the presence of A. phagocytophilum in 3.8%, B. microti in 24.5% and T. gondii in 4.5% of the all ticks. In addition, in the study area, there is a high potential risk of tick-borne infection by B. microti, and a low potential risk of exposure to A. phagocytophilum and T. gondii infection.

The public health problem of tick-borne diseases has attracted much attention in recent years due to an increasing incidence in humans and animals. The aim of this study was to compare the risk of exposure to ticks and tick-borne infections in dogs and cats in recreational and urbanized areas in the Lesser Poland and Silesian Provinces. For molecular testing for the presence of the selected pathogens, 207 I. ricinus females collected from 119 dogs and 50 cats, and 2 I. hexagonus females collected from 2 domestic dogs, were examined. Overall, A. phagocytophilum was found in 3.7% of the I. ricinus specimens, B. microti in 27.1%, and B. burgdorferi s.l. in 0.9%. In urban areas of both provinces, A. phagocytophilum was found in 4.8% of the I. ricinus specimens, B. microti in 41.6% andB. burgdorferi s.l. in 3.9%. Pathogens were detected B. microti in both studied I. hexagonus specimens. These findings may indicate the important role that these animals play in the circulation of these pathogens in nature.

Zwierzęta towarzyszące ludziom, w tym zwierzęta domowe odgrywają ważną rolę w otaczającym nas środowisku. Jednak większość z nich może być narażona na kontakt z gatunkami pasożytniczych roztoczy i owadów, o dużym znaczeniu medycznym i weterynaryjnym, stanowiących zagrożenie dla zdrowia zarówno zwierząt, jak i ludzi. Do najbardziej rozpowszechnionych ektopasożytów skórnych zwierząt należą: Demodex canis, D. cati, D. criceti, D. aurati, D. caviae, Otodectes cynotis, Sarcoptes scabiei, Cheyletiella yasguri, C. blakei, Chirodiscoides caviae, Ctenocephalides canis, C. felis, Trichodectes canis, Linognathus setosus, Felicola subrostratus, Notoedres cati, Dubininia melopsittaci, Sideroferus lunula, Neopsittaconirmus gracilis, Gliricola porcelli, Trixacarus caviae, Ixodes ricinus, I. hexagonus, I. crenulatus, I. rugicollis i Dermacentor reticulatus. Różne gatunki pasożytów zewnętrznych, które mogą być również przenoszone na ludzi są odpowiedzialne za najczęstsze choroby pasożytnicze skóry zwierząt: sarkoptozę, otodektozę, ktenocefalidozę, wszawicę, wszołowicę, demodekozę i chejletielozę. Ponadto kleszcze z rodziny Ixodidae odgrywają znaczącą rolę w przenoszeniu chorób, do najważniejszych z nich należą: borelioza z Lyme, babeszjoza, riketsjoza, erlichioza, tularemia. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono najczęściej występujące ektopasożyty skórne u zwierząt domowych takich jak: pies domowy (Canis familiaris), kot domowy (Felis catus), papużka falista (Melopsittacus undulatus), kawia domowa (Cavia porcellus ), chomik syryjski (Mesocricetus auratus), mysz domowa (Mus musculus).

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Urban, tourist and recreational environments are ideal places for the spread of ticks to new areas. The increasing presence of wild animals in urban environments can lead to increased exposure and risk of infestation by dangerous parasites in humans and pets. Increased pace of urbanization relates to human mobility, long-distance trade and interactions with nature between humans and companion animals, which could change epidemiological conditions in urban and peri-urban areas. In 2017–2018, 2,777 ticks were collected in selected areas of the Małopolska and Silesian provinces: 2,643 Ixodes ricinus (95.2%), 107 Ixodes hexagonus (3.9%), 23 Ixodes crenulatus (0.8%), 3 Dermacentor reticulatus (0.1%) and 1 Ixodes apronophorus (0.03%), from 1,209 dogs and 399 cats. Ixodes ricinus is of the greatest medical, veterinary and economic importance in the transmission of many pathogens of tick-borne diseases. The widespread travel of humans with their pets is likely to have a key impact on the existing epidemiology situation of many ectoparasites and may lead to a higher frequency of rare or new parasitic diseases.