Review of ticks attacking domestic dogs and cats, and their epidemiological role  in the transmission of tick-borne pathogens in Poland

Kocoń, Anna; Nowak-Chmura, Magdalena; Asman, Marek; Kłyś, Małgorzata

doi:10.26444/aaem/161552

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…In Central Europe, in wild, suburban, and urban areas, Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of TBP, however, also other tick species like Dermacentor reticulatus and I. hexagonus can support the circulation of pathogens in the environment (Uspensky 2014). In urban areas, as hosts of adult ticks can serve both wild animals like deer, lagomorphs, foxes, and raccoons, which easily penetrate into green spaces inside cities as well as domesticated animals including dogs, and cats which are often infested by female ticks (Uspensky 2014; Król et al 2015;2016, Kocoń et al 2023). The important role as hosts of immature stages play rodents and birds, especially ground-feeding songbirds, which also can be reservoir hosts for several tick-borne pathogens (Mihalca and Sándor 2013;Rizzoli et al 2014;Eisen 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial pathogens in Ixodes ricinus collected from lizards Lacerta agilis and Zootoca vivipara in urban areas of Wrocław, SW Poland – preliminary study

Dyczko,

Krysmann,

Kolanek

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The aim of this study was to determine the level of infection of Ixodes ricinus ticks with pathogens (Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasma spp.) collected from Lacerta agilis and Zootoca vivipara lizards in the urban areas of Wrocław (SW Poland). The study was carried out in July-August 2020. Lizards were caught by a noose attached to a pole or by bare hands, identified by species, and examined for the presence of ticks. Each lizard was then released at the site of capture. Ticks were removed with tweezers, identified by species using keys, and molecular tests were performed for the presence of pathogens. From 28 lizards (17 specimens of Z. vivipara and 11 specimens of L. agilis) a total of 445 ticks, including 321 larvae and 124 nymphs, identified as I. ricinus were collected. A larger number of ticks were obtained from L. agiliscompared to Z. vivipara. Molecular tests for the presence of pathogens were performed on 445 specimens of I. ricinus. The nested PCR method for the fla gene allowed the detection of Borrelia spp. in 9.4% of ticks, and it was higher in ticks from L. agilis (12.0%) than from Z. vivipara (1.0%). The RFLP method showed the presence of three species, including two belonging to the B. burgdorferi s.l. complex (B. lusitaniae and B. afzelii), and B. miyamotoi. The overall level of infection of Rickettsia spp. was 19.3%, including 27.2% in ticks collected from Z. vivipara and 17.0% from L. agilis. Sequencing of randomly selected samples confirmed the presence of R. helvetica. DNA of Anaplasma spp. was detected only in one pool of larvae collected from L. agilis, and sample sequencing confirmed the presence of A. phagocytophilum. The research results indicate the important role of lizards as hosts of ticks and their role in maintaining pathogens in the environment including urban aglomeration as evidenced by the first recorded presence of B. miyamotoi and A. phagocytophilum in I. ricinus ticks collected from L. agilis. However, confirmation of the role of sand lizards in maintaining B. miyamotoi and A. phagocytophilum requires more studies and sampling of lizard tissue.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial pathogens in Ixodes ricinus collected from lizards Lacerta agilis and Zootoca vivipara in urban areas of Wrocław, SW Poland – preliminary study

Dyczko,

Krysmann,

Kolanek

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Bacterial pathogens in Ixodes ricinus collected from lizards Lacerta agilis and Zootoca vivipara in urban areas of Wrocław, SW Poland– preliminary study

Dyczko,

Krysmann,

Kolanek

et al. 2024

Exp Appl Acarol

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The aim of this study was to determine the level of infection of Ixodes ricinus ticks with pathogens (Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasma spp.) collected from Lacerta agilis and Zootoca vivipara lizards in the urban areas of Wrocław (SW Poland). The study was carried out in July-August 2020. Lizards were caught by a noose attached to a pole or by bare hands, identified by species, and examined for the presence of ticks. Each lizard was then released at the site of capture. Ticks were removed with tweezers, identified by species using keys, and molecular tests were performed for the presence of pathogens. From 28 lizards (17 specimens of Z. vivipara and 11 specimens of L. agilis) a total of 445 ticks, including 321 larvae and 124 nymphs, identified as I. ricinus were collected. A larger number of ticks were obtained from L. agilis compared to Z. vivipara. Molecular tests for the presence of pathogens were performed on 445 specimens of I. ricinus. The nested PCR method for the fla gene allowed the detection of Borrelia spp. in 9.4% of ticks, and it was higher in ticks from L. agilis (12.0%) than from Z. vivipara (1.0%). The RFLP method showed the presence of three species, including two belonging to the B. burgdorferi s.l. complex (B. lusitaniae and B. afzelii), and B. miyamotoi. The overall level of infection of Rickettsia spp. was 19.3%, including 27.2% in ticks collected from Z. vivipara and 17.0% from L. agilis. Sequencing of randomly selected samples confirmed the presence of R. helvetica. DNA of Anaplasma spp. was detected only in one pool of larvae collected from L. agilis, and sample sequencing confirmed the presence of (A) phagocytophilum. The research results indicate the important role of lizards as hosts of ticks and their role in maintaining pathogens in the environment including urban agglomeration as evidenced by the first recorded presence of (B) miyamotoi and (A) phagocytophilum in I. ricinus ticks collected from L. agilis. However, confirmation of the role of sand lizards in maintaining (B) miyamotoi and A. phagocytophilum requires more studies and sampling of lizard tissue.

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Serological screening of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in stray and pet dogs populations in Ukraine

Panteleienko,

Melnyk,

Tsarenko

2023

Nauk. vìsn. vet. med.

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This study describes for the first time in Ukraine the results of serological screening for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in the population of pet and stray dogs. The study was conducted in the city of Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region, in 2021 and 2022. A total of 351 serum samples were examined, of which 168 were collected from pet dogs and 183 from stray dogs. The study included the use of serological methods, including immunochromatographic analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Line blot is a simplified form of Western Blot. The results of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that 14 positive samples from stray dogs had specific antibodies to B. burgdorferi s.l. In addition, 10 questionable serum samples were received, all from stray dogs. Further testing of the questionable samples using a Line blot assay showed that five of them contained antibodies to highly specific surface proteins of B. burgdorferi s.l., in particular to p100, VlsE and p18, confirming the presence of a natural infection. The remaining five samples were negative, indicating nonspecific immunoassay reactions. In contrast, the results of immunochromatographic analysis did not reveal any positive serum samples, which casts doubt on the possibility of using this method as a rapid screening tool for seroprevalence studies and requires further investigation. In summary, the study showed that the seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis among the studied population of stray dogs remained stable between 2021 and 2022, with rates of 10.2% and 10.7%, respectively, without a statistically significant difference (p=0.9164). In contrast, the studied population of pet dogs was consistently seronegative for B. burgdorferi s.l. in both years. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in seroprevalence between the stray and pet dog populations studied (p<0.00001). The stability of the seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis in the population of stray dogs indicates the constant presence and persistence of this zoonosis in the study region. This emphasizes the need to implement long-term surveillance to better understand the dynamics of the disease and the possibility of using dogs, especially stray dogs, as a «marker» species for predicting the risks associated with the spread of Lyme borreliosis. Continuous surveillance is crucial for the development of evidence-based strategies to combat vector-borne diseases within the framework of the One Health concept. Key words: Lyme borreliosis, seroprevalence, dogs, antibodies, B. burgdorferi sensu lato, Ukraine.

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Review of ticks attacking domestic dogs and cats, and their epidemiological role in the transmission of tick-borne pathogens in Poland

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Bacterial pathogens in Ixodes ricinus collected from lizards Lacerta agilis and Zootoca vivipara in urban areas of Wrocław, SW Poland – preliminary study

Bacterial pathogens in Ixodes ricinus collected from lizards Lacerta agilis and Zootoca vivipara in urban areas of Wrocław, SW Poland – preliminary study

Bacterial pathogens in Ixodes ricinus collected from lizards Lacerta agilis and Zootoca vivipara in urban areas of Wrocław, SW Poland– preliminary study

Serological screening of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in stray and pet dogs populations in Ukraine

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