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Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes ricinus collected from dogs in eastern Poland

Anna Pańczuk

Anna Pańczuk

Faculty of Health SciencesCambridge, Poland
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Pańczuk, Anna
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Małgorzata Tokarska-Rodak

Małgorzata Tokarska-Rodak

Faculty of Health SciencesCambridge, Poland
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Tokarska-Rodak, Małgorzata
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Patrycja Andrzejuk

Patrycja Andrzejuk

Innovation Research Centre, John Paul II University in Biała PodlaskaBiała Podlaska, Poland
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Andrzejuk, Patrycja
  
Mar 23, 2024
Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes ricinus collected from dogs in eastern Poland's Cover Image
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Published Online: Mar 23, 2024
Page range: 109 - 114
Received: Oct 13, 2023
Accepted: Mar 06, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2024-0015
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© 2024 Anna Pańczuk et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Introduction

Ixodes ricinus ticks are an important vector and reservoir of pathogenic microorganisms causing dangerous infectious diseases in humans and animals. The presence of ticks in urban greenery is a particularly important public health concern due to the potential for humans and companion animals to be exposed to tick-borne diseases there. The study assessed the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in I. ricinus ticks feeding on dogs.

Material and Methods

The study consisted in analyses of I. ricinus ticks collected in 2018–2020 from owned and stray dogs in the north-eastern part of Lubelskie province (eastern Poland). An AmpliSens PCR kit was used for qualitative detection and differentiation of tick-borne infections.

Results

Infections of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum were detected in 10.9% and 12.9% of the examined ticks, respectively. One tick (0.7%) was co-infected by both pathogens. Infection with B. burgdorferi was significantly more highly prevalent in ticks collected from the owned dogs than from the strays (18.7% and 2.8%, respectively), whereas the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum was similar in both groups (12.0% and 13.9%, respectively).

Conclusion

The co-infection observed in the study suggests the possibility of simultaneous infection by both pathogens from a single tick bite. The presence of pathogens in ticks collected from dogs is a factor in assessing infection risk not only to companion animals but also to their owners, who are in close contact with their dogs and visit the same green areas recreationally.
Language:
English
Publication timeframe:
4 times per year
Journal Subjects:
Life Sciences, Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Virology, Life Sciences, other, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine
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