Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from southern Poland

Abstract

In 2008-2011 ticks were collected from southern Poland. Out of 6336 individuals collected and identified as Ixodes ricinus, 768 (2 larvae, 84 nymphs, 417 females, 265 males) were included in molecular study. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and types of genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to detect the presence of pathogens in ticks. Subsequently the amplified DNA was digested with TasI enzyme. The infection rate was 15% (116) of examined ticks. PCR-RFLP analysis allowed distinguishing three genospecies of B. burgdorferi s.l.: B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii, and B. garinii. RFLP analyses of 116 positive samples revealed 96 (83%) monoinfections and 13 (11%) coinfections, whereas unidentified genospecies were present in 7 (6%) of positive samples. In the case of monoinfections, B. burgdorferi s.s. was the predominant species of pathogen in infected ticks - 61.4%. Other genospecies: B. garinii and B. afzelii were detected in 22.9% and 15.6% of the samples, respectively. To sum up, 15 % of ticks were infected by B. burgdorferi s.l which increases the risk of human infections in the recreational areas of southern Poland. Furthermore, there is a need to increase public awareness and implement more preventive measures concerning Lyme disease.

Estimation of hearing impairment occurrence in patients with Lyme borreliosis – preliminary study

“…The presence of bacteria can induce local inflammatory processes with structural and also vascular consequences in the involved tissues. Causal serotypes of B. burgdorferi sensu lato revealed in the evaluated patients were similar to the results of other Polish studies [65,66,67]. The incidence of hearing loss increases with age and in patients aged 19-44 years it is estimated to be 4.5-5% [68].…”

Occurrence of <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> sensu lato, <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i> and <i>Babesia microti</i> in <i>Ixodes ricinus</i> ticks collected from selected areas of Opolskie Province in south-west Poland

“…The studies conducted in Poland on the occurrence of B. burgdorferi s. l. in I. ricinus showed that the percentage of ticks infected with this pathogen varies in different regions of the country [5]. In southern Poland, the number of I. ricinus infected ticks ranges from 0% -79.3% [23]. In the areas investigated in the current study, a significantly lower percentage of ticks infected with B. burgdorferi s. l. was shown.…”

Molecular Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ticks Collected from Dogs in Urban Areas of North-Eastern Poland

“…The Borrelia region of the fla B gene (422 bp) was amplified using the primer BFL1/BFL2 [ 62 ] ( Table 2 ) and PCR was run under the following thermal cycle conditions: an initial activation step of 2 min at 94 °C was followed by 40 cycles of 30 s at 94 °C, 1 min at 58 °C, and 1 min at 72 °C. Finally, an extension step of 1 min was performed at 72 °C.…”

“…DNA fragments subjected to restriction analysis were visualized in the G-BOX Syngene transilluminator. Membership in a given genospecies was determined by TasI restriction fragment sizes (bp) according to restriction patterns (Table 2) [62].…”