1. Co-infection of bacteria and protozoan parasites in Ixodes ricinus nymphs collected in the Alsace region, France.
- Author
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Nebbak A, Dahmana H, Almeras L, Raoult D, Boulanger N, Jaulhac B, Mediannikov O, and Parola P
- Subjects
- Animals, Babesia classification, Babesia isolation & purification, Bartonella classification, Bartonella isolation & purification, Borrelia isolation & purification, France, Ixodes growth & development, Nymph growth & development, Nymph microbiology, Nymph parasitology, Phylogeny, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Rickettsia isolation & purification, Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization, Wolbachia isolation & purification, Ixodes microbiology, Ixodes parasitology
- Abstract
Fifty nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in Alsace, France, identified by morphological criteria and using MALDI-TOF MS, were tested by PCR to detect tick-associated bacteria and protozoan parasites. Seventy percent (35/50) of ticks contained at least one microorganism; 26% (9/35) contained two or more species. Several human pathogens were identified including Borrelia burgdorferi s.s. (4%), Borrelia afzelii (2%), Borrelia garinii (2%), Borrelia valaisiana (4%), Borrelia miyamotoi (2%), Rickettsia helvetica (6%) and "Babesia venatorum" (2%). Bartonella spp. (10%) and a Wolbachia spp. (8%) were also detected. The most common co-infections involved Anaplasmataceae with Borrelia spp. (4%), Anaplasmataceae with Bartonella spp. (6%) and Anaplasmataceae with Rickettsia spp. (6%). Co-infection involving three different groups of bacteria was seen between bacteria of the family Anaplasmataceae, Borrelia spp. and Bartonella spp. (2%). Results highlight the panel of infectious agents carried by Ixodes ricinus. Co-infection suggests the possibility of transmission of more than one pathogen to human and animals during tick blood feeding., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2019
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