Transmission risk of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from
 
Ixodes ricinus ticks to humans in southwest Germany

Maiwald, Matthias; Oehme, Rainer; March, Olaf; Petney, Trevor N.; Kimmig, Peter; Naser, K.; Zappe, H. A.; Hassler, Dieter; Doeberitz, Magnus von Knebel

doi:10.1017/s0950268898008929

Cited by 62 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Results similar to those of the Romanian study were obtained from research conducted in 1998 in 2 regions in Germany, yielding an average percentage of infected ticks of 11.3% [42]. In turn, Italian research on ticks acquired between 1995 and 2011 from people who were bitten in 4 regions in Italy have shown a small percentage of infected ticks -0.3-0.5% [43]which cause effects in animals and humans, commonly referred to as to tick-borne diseases (TBDs).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks removed from skin of people and circumstances of being bitten – research from the area of Poland, 2012–2014

Gałęziowska¹,

Rzymowska²,

Najda³

et al. 2018

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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Introduction. During feeding, the tick sucks blood from the host along with the pathogens that are in the blood, simultaneously exchanging its own pathogens with the host. Humans can also be a host. It is important to understand the most typical circumstances in which people might become infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. This knowledge will help to prepare health education programmes aimed at the prevention of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. Objective. The aim of the study was to determine the percentage of ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, depending on the circumstances of getting bitten. Materials and method. The research material consisted of ticks acquired from people who had been bitten, and questionnaires completed by these people. 510 ticks were acquired from 257 females and 253 males. Following delivery of a tick for testing, the stage of its development was determined and a molecular assay of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA performed. Results. A positive result of the nested-PCR test was obtained in 78 ticks, which represents 15.30% of all ticks. The infected ticks were collected from male (41 ticks -52.56%) and female subjects (37 ticks -47.44%). The biggest number of infected ticks were collected in autumn (54 ticks -69.23%) and from people who had been into forests (44 ticks -56.41%). Among the people from whom the infected ticks were acquired, the dominating group included persons over 16 years of age (53 persons -67.95%) and children aged 0-5 years (16 persons -20.51%). One in four infected ticks were acquired from the southwestern (20 ticks -25.64%) and eastern regions of Poland (21 ticks -26.92%). Conclusion. Infestation of ticks infected with Lyme disease spirochete in this study proved to be variable and depend on the season, the area of tick attack and the region in Poland. The results of the study clearly show that ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi inhabit all regions of Poland. The results are consistent with National Institute of Hygiene data which indicates that Lyme disease cases are recorded in all regions of Poland.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks removed from skin of people and circumstances of being bitten – research from the area of Poland, 2012–2014

Gałęziowska¹,

Rzymowska²,

Najda³

et al. 2018

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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“…ricinus is the most widespread and abundant ixodid tick in western Europe and frequently bites humans (2). Most human tick bites are caused by nymphs, but larvae and adult females are also involved (10,11,16).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission Studies of Babesia microti in Ixodes ricinus Ticks and Gerbils

et al. 2002

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In order to investigate the possible role of Ixodes ricinus as a vector of zoonotic Babesia microti infection inEurope, a European rodent isolate (HK) and a zoonotic American isolate (GI) were studied in transmission experiments. PCR detected B. microti in the blood and spleens of infected gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) and also in laboratory-induced infections of I. ricinus ticks. B. microti DNA was detected by PCR in all pooled samples of nymphs and the majority of adults that had fed as larvae and nymphs, respectively, on gerbils with acute infection of the European isolate, confirming that I. ricinus could serve as a vector in Europe. The American isolate, GI, proved to be equally infective for larval and nymphal I. ricinus as the HK strain, despite a very different appearance in gerbil erythrocytes. Nymphs infected with the HK and GI strains readily infected gerbils. In contrast to the finding in acute infections, ticks that fed on gerbils with chronic infections of HK and GI did not become infected. It was also found that the HK strain was not transmitted transovarially. The finding that a B. microti strain (GI) from a distant geographical region (United States) can infect and be transmitted by I. ricinus suggests that other European B. microti strains, in addition to the HK strain used here, are probably infective for I. ricinus, supporting the view that infection of humans with European B. microti may be a regular occurrence.Babesia microti is a tick-transmitted rodent blood parasite that was first reported as a cause of human disease in 1969 in the northeastern United States (23). Several hundred cases are now reported from this region each year (7). The disease is characterized by a gradual onset of malaise with anorexia, fever, headaches, myalgia, and other vague symptoms which may persist for long periods. Occasionally dangerous fulminating infections occur, particularly in immunocompromised or aged individuals. The vector is the tick Ixodes scapularis, and transmission is transstadial, the infection being acquired from mice (e.g., the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus) by larval or nymphal ticks and transmitted by nymphs or adults (5). Transovarial transmission, which occurs in other Babesia species, such as B. canis and B. bovis, has not been reported in B. microti (19).Babesia microti is also present throughout Europe, but no verified cases of human disease have been reported. This may be because the rodent tick Ixodes trianguliceps, implicated as the main vector in Europe (5, 7), does not bite humans. However, it has been shown that at least one European strain of B. microti may be transmitted by Ixodes ricinus (21), which is known to be a vector of several zoonotic diseases (4), and seroprevalence studies suggest that infection of humans with B. microti may occur in Europe (6, 9). In the present study, the infectivity for I. ricinus of a European strain and a zoonotic American strain of B. microti was investigated by PCR and by transmission to and from gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). MAT...

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“…In southern Germany, 47 (17%) of 272 I. ricinus ticks removed from camp attendees were found to be infected with B. burgdorferi, but only 1 of the 47 persons (2.1%) developed symptomatic Lyme disease (Paul et al, 1987). In a larger, two-center prospective study in Germany, an unusually high incidence (16 (26.7%) of 62 persons with PCR-positive ticks) were assessed as having acquired B. burgdorferi sensu lato infection (Maiwald et al, 1998). Nine had clinical evidence of Lyme borreliosis, erythema migrans, lymphocytoma, or neuroborreliosis.…”

Section: Assessment Of the Risk Of Lyme Borreliosis From An Ixodes Timentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis

Sood

2011

Lyme Borreliosis in Europe and North America

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Lyme borreliosis is an emerging infectious disease in both the Old and New worlds. The challenge for prevention of this tick-borne infection is greater than with other vector-borne infections because of the complex life cycle of its tick vectors. This can be exploited to decrease transmission to humans at multiple levels. (Hayes and Piesman, 2003). The opportunities for intervention can be divided into three main areas: prevention of tick exposure and of tick bites, prevention of infection after a tick bite, and immunization. Prevention of tick exposure includes the control of ticks and their reservoirs and hosts in nature, by multipronged efforts at landscape management, acaricide application, biological control of ticks, and control of host animals. Tick control and investigations aimed at decreasing the spirochetal burden in nature are discussed briefly in this chapter. For more information the reader is referred to comprehensive reviews, (Hayes

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Transmission risk of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from Ixodes ricinus ticks to humans in southwest Germany

Cited by 62 publications

References 27 publications

Prevalence of <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> in ticks removed from skin of people and circumstances of being bitten – research from the area of Poland, 2012–2014

Prevalence of <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> in ticks removed from skin of people and circumstances of being bitten – research from the area of Poland, 2012–2014

Transmission Studies of Babesia microti in Ixodes ricinus Ticks and Gerbils

Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis

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