Search

The goal of this paper is to present up-to-date maps depicting the geographical distribution of Dermacentor species in Europe based on georeferenced sampling sites. Therefore, a dataset was compiled, resulting in 1286 D. marginatus (Sulzer, 1776) and 1209 D. reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) locations. Special emphasis is given to the region of the European Alps depicting a presumable climate barrier of the mountains and to overlaps in the distribution of both species as well as on the situation in eastern European countries. For the latter newly described Dermacentor findings comprise 59 locations in Romania and 62 locations in Ukraine. The geographical distributions of both species in Europe range from Portugal to Ukraine (and continue to the east of Kazakhstan). Although it is well known that D. marginatus is adapted to a warmer and drier climate at more southern latitudes and D. reticulatus to a moderately moist climate at more northern latitudes, the distribution limits of both species were not well known. Here, the northern and southern distribution limits for both species in Europe, as determined from the georeferenced database, were specified for D. marginatus by the belt of 33-51° N latitude and for D. reticulatus by the belt of 41-57° N latitude. Thus, overlapping species distributions were found between 41° N and 51° N., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Georeferenced locations of ixodid ticks are required to depict the observed distribution of species. Further, they are used as input data for species distribution models also known as niche models. The latter were applied to describe current and future (projected) tick distributions. Beside model assumptions and selected climate parameters, the number of georeferenced tick locations available as a digital dataset is of fundamental importance for the reliability of such models. For Germany, however, no comprehensive dataset of ixodid tick species exists. The goal of this study was to put together all the available information on ixodid tick locations in Germany to produce such a digital dataset and to visualize it in a map., Findings: A total of 2,044 georeferenced locations of ixodid ticks in Germany were compiled from two existing datasets (altogether 993 locations) and an extensive literature study (1,051 locations). The resulting digital dataset comprises the following tick species: Ixodes ricinus (1,855 locations), Ixodes apronophorus (1), Ixodes frontalis (1), Ixodes hexagonus (1), Ixodes trianguliceps (4), Dermacentor marginatus (77), Dermacentor reticulatus (96), Haemaphysalis concinna (8) and Hyalomma marginatum (1). The data were used to draw a tick map for Germany, showing I. ricinus occurring in the whole federal territory, while D. marginatus has been restricted to the climatically favoured region of the Rhine valley. Clustered locations of D. reticulatus were also documented in the Rhine valley as well as in Berlin and its vicinity., Conclusions: The introduced map depicts for the first time the available geographical coordinates of ixodid tick locations in Germany. The digital dataset used to draw the map is provided to the scientific community as a basis for further investigations such as species distribution modelling.

Background: In search of an alternative screening technique, we compared complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) with PRA-STAT, a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)., Methods: A total of 188 pre- and posttransplant sera from 50 renal allograft recipients were tested with both methods., Results: A significant correlation was found between both methods. Discrepant results could be explained by the fact that PRA-STAT detects both HLA class I and II antibodies (while CDC with peripheral blood lymphocytes as target cell detects mainly HLA class I reactivity), by the presence of IgM antibodies (which are not detected by the IgG-specific ELISA test), and by CDC "false-positive" results due to antibody rejection treatment. The clinical relevance of antibodies detected by PRA-STAT is suggested by the following. (a) In eight patients, donor-specific HLA antibodies detected by PRA-STAT (but not seen by CDC) resulted in severe rejection episodes, which led to graft loss in four cases. In all but one patient, antibodies were directed against class II or mixtures of class I and H antigens. Six patients with complications were shown to have developed de novo antibodies against DQ incompatibilities. (b) Half of the patients with a positive ELISA test at the moment of crossmatch experienced complications. Such patients are at a threefold higher risk of suffering from rejection episodes and/or graft loss than patients who are not sensitized (P<0.05, Fisher exact test)., Conclusions: Because PRA-STAT is very reproducible, detects both HLA class I and II antibodies, and is not influenced by rejection therapy, we consider it an additional tool for pre- and posttransplant monitoring of kidney allograft recipients.

Alloimmune neonatal neutropenia is a rare condition, it must be distinguished from hereditary forms of neutropenia and acquired neutropenia accompanying sepsis. In a family with four affected newborns, the degree of the disease became more and more severe from the first child to the third child. The third child died of sepsis. After birth of the third child, specific antibodies (anti-NA 1) reacting with the neutrophils originating from the father and the first two children were detected in the mother's serum. No neutrophils were detectable in the fourth child immediately after birth. In this child falling concentrations of diaplacentally transferred antibodies could be demonstrated over 8 weeks after birth. Neutrophil counts returned to normal as the antibodies disappeared. In this newborn, infection could be prevented by the use of a germ-free environment and antimicrobial prophylaxis. The antibody titres could only be lowered by repeated exchange transfusions with Na 1-free blood. White blood cell transfusion only resulted in a short transient effect on neutropenia.

Twenty retransplant patients were serially screened for donor-reactive antibodies (DRA). DRA appeared exclusively in patients whose grafts permanently failed and these DRA shared some common features, namely early appearance (days 4-8 post-transplant), high titers (1:10 up to more than 1:400), and broad anti-HLA specificity. This preliminary data would suggest that regrafted patients with primary graft failure represent a distinct subgroup of particularly immune responsive individuals.

Alloimmune neonatal neutropenia is a rare disease. A family with four affected newborns is described in which the course of the disease aggravated from the first to the third child. The third child died from generalized infection. In the mother's serum specific antibodies against neutrophils (anti-NA 1) were detected which reacted with cell suspensions from the father and the other children. In the fourth child no neutrophils were present even immediately after birth. In this child the diaplacental transferred antibodies were detectable in falling concentrations over 8 weeks. The number of neutrophils normalized when the antibodies disappeared. Infection in the newborn was prevented by care in an environment poor in bacteria and by antimicrobial prophylaxis. Repeated exchange transfusions with NA 1-free blood only lowered the antibody titer. Transfusions of white blood cell concentrates had only shortlived effects on the neutropenia.