Co-circulation of emerging tick-borne pathogens in Middle Germany.

From May until October 2007, a total of 658 Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected off birds (189), rodents (273), and vegetation (196) in a certain area of Middle Germany and investigated for infection with Babesia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Rickettsia spp. Overall, 13.1% (86/658) of the ticks were infected with at least one pathogen; co-infections occurred in 0.6% (4/658). Babesia spp. specific DNA was detected in 9.7% (64/658) of the ticks, 1.4% (9/658) were infected with A. phagocytophilum, and 2.6% (17/658) harbored rickettsiae. At least two different Rickettsia species were identified: Rickettsia monacensis and Rickettsia helvetica. Our study provides first interesting insights into the circulation and co-circulation of several emerging pathogens not only in ticks parasitizing birds and small mammals as potential reservoirs but also in questing ticks in a single natural habitat.

[1]  E. Straube,et al.  Coexistence of Borrelia spp. and Babesia spp. in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Middle Germany. , 2010, Vector borne and zoonotic diseases.

[2]  E. Straube,et al.  The potential role of migratory birds in transmission cycles of Babesia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Rickettsia spp. , 2010, Ticks and tick-borne diseases.

[3]  E. Straube,et al.  Detection of Rickettsia spp. and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes ricinus ticks in a region of Middle Germany (Thuringia). , 2010, Ticks and tick-borne diseases.

[4]  P. Brouqui,et al.  Factors contributing to emergence of Ehrlichia and Anaplasma spp. as human pathogens. , 2010, Veterinary parasitology.

[5]  A. Sjöstedt,et al.  Dissemination of Spotted Fever Rickettsia Agents in Europe by Migrating Birds , 2010, PloS one.

[6]  W. Liu,et al.  Tick-borne Agents in Rodents, China, 2004–2006 , 2009, Emerging infectious diseases.

[7]  A. Paulauskas,et al.  Anaplasma in ticks feeding on migrating birds and questing ticks in Lithuania and Norway. , 2009, Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

[8]  J. Stańczak,et al.  Prevalence of infection with Rickettsia helvetica in feeding ticks and their hosts in western Poland. , 2009, Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

[9]  R. Wölfel,et al.  Typhus and other rickettsioses: emerging infections in Germany. , 2009, Deutsches Arzteblatt international.

[10]  K. Hartelt,et al.  Spread of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Germany due to global warming , 2008, Parasitology Research.

[11]  J. Gray,et al.  Babesiosis: recent insights into an ancient disease. , 2008, International journal for parasitology.

[12]  M. Bigras-Poulin,et al.  Role of Migratory Birds in Introduction and Range Expansion of Ixodes scapularis Ticks and of Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Canada , 2008, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[13]  A. Pawełczyk,et al.  Babesia microti: prevalence in wild rodents and Ixodes ricinus ticks from the Mazury Lakes District of North-Eastern Poland. , 2006, International journal of medical microbiology : IJMM.

[14]  Didier Raoult,et al.  Tick-Borne Rickettsioses around the World: Emerging Diseases Challenging Old Concepts , 2005, Clinical Microbiology Reviews.

[15]  V. Fingerle,et al.  Prevalence of granulocytic Ehrlichiae in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Middle Germany (Thuringia) detected by PCR and sequencing of a 16S ribosomal DNA fragment. , 2002, FEMS microbiology letters.

[16]  S. Ray,et al.  Reorganization of genera in the families Rickettsiaceae and Anaplasmataceae in the order Rickettsiales: unification of some species of Ehrlichia with Anaplasma, Cowdria with Ehrlichia and Ehrlichia with Neorickettsia, descriptions of six new species combinations and designation of Ehrlichia equi and , 2001, International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology.

[17]  M. Brossard,et al.  PCR Detection of Granulocytic Ehrlichiae in Ixodes ricinus Ticks and Wild Small Mammals in Western Switzerland , 2000, Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

[18]  G. Friman,et al.  Rickettsia helvetica in Ixodes ricinus Ticks in Sweden , 1999, Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

[19]  Lyndahl E. Hughes,et al.  Tests on ticks from wild birds collected in the eastern United States for rickettsiae and viruses. , 1969, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

[20]  A. Rymaszewska,et al.  PCR detection of granulocytic Anaplasma and Babesia in Ixodes ricinus ticks and birds in west-central Poland. , 2006, Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM.