First report of lyme disease spirochetes in ticks from Romania (Sibiu County)

• Published in: Experimental & applied acarology 2010-10, Vol.52 (2), p.193-197
• Main Authors: Coipan, Elena Claudia, Vladimirescu, Alexandru Filip
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Ecology; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Borrelia burgdorferi; Borrelia burgdorferi - isolation & purification; Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato; Entomology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health risks; Ixodes - growth & development; Ixodes - microbiology; Ixodes ricinus; Ixodidae; Life Sciences; Lyme disease; Medically important nuisances and vectors, pests of stored products and materials: population survey and control; Nymph - growth & development; Nymph - microbiology; PCR-RLB; Romania; Spirochetes; ticks; Vector-borne diseases; Vectors. Intermediate hosts
• ISSN: 0168-8162; 1572-9702
• DOI: 10.1007/s10493-010-9353-0

We examined 200 questing Ixodes ricinus ticks (nymphs and adults) collected in three different sites in Sibiu County, Romania by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by reverse line blot (RLB) for Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.. We detected the bacteria in 19% of the investigated ticks. The prevalence of infection was higher in nymphs (27%) than in adults (12%). Two B. burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies were detected: B. garinii (20%) and B. afzelii (80%). We did not detect any mixed infections in the investigated ticks. In two of the investigated sites B. burgdorferi prevalence values were comparable (25%), while in the third site the prevalence was lower (≈7%). Our preliminary study provides evidence that Lyme disease spirochetes are present in various areas and at a relatively high prevalence in their vectors, thus posing a risk of infection to human subjects that undergo work or leisure activities in those areas.