Prevalence of Borrelia and Rickettsia in Ixodes ricinus from Chosen Urban and Protected Areas in Poland and the Czech Republic

• Published in: Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2024-10, Vol.15 (10), p.785
• Main Authors: Kiewra, Dorota, Dyczko, Dagmara, Žákovská, Alena, Nejezchlebova, Helena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Arachnids; Borrelia; Borrelia spp; Environmental aspects; Fever; Forests; Identification and classification; Infections; Insects as carriers of disease; Ixodes ricinus; Parasitic diseases; Parks & recreation areas; Pathogens; Physiological aspects; Polymerase chain reaction; Precipitation; Protected areas; Public health; Rickettsia; Rickettsia spp; Sea level; Testing; tick-borne risk; Ticks; Urban areas
• ISSN: 2075-4450; 2075-4450
• DOI: 10.3390/insects15100785

(1) Background: is responsible for the spreading of medically important pathogens. Monitoring the level of tick infection in various areas is essential for determining the potential tick-born risk. This study aimed to detect spp. and spp. in ticks collected in urban and protected areas both in Poland and the Czech Republic. (2) Methods: Ticks were collected by flagging in the years 2016-2017. spp. was detected using nested PCR targeting the gene and spp. using nested PCR targeting . (3) Results: In total, DNA of spp. was detected in 25.9% of samples. Ticks collected in Poland were more infected compared to the Czech Republic and ticks collected in protected areas were more infected with spp. than ticks collected in urban areas. The RFLP analysis showed the occurrence of and in both countries, and additionally , s.s., and in Poland. spp. was detected in 17.4% of , with comparable infection level in both countries; however, regional differences were observed. (4) Conclusion: The regional differences in spp. and spp. prevalence in indicate the complexity of factors influencing the level of infection and underline the need for adaptation public health surveillance strategies in each region.