Back to Search Start Over

Review of Lyme Borreliosis in Africa—An Emerging Threat in Africa

Authors :
Nejib Doss
Aldo Morrone
Patrizia Forgione
Giusto Trevisan
Serena Bonin
Source :
Biology, Vol 13, Iss 11, p 897 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is more common in the Northern Hemisphere. It is endemic mainly in North America, where the vectors are Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus, and in Eurasia, where the vectors are Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes persulcatus. Both tick-borne diseases and LB are influenced by climate change. Africa and South America are crossed by the equator and are situated in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In Africa, the LB is present on the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean coasts. Borrelia lusitaniae is prevalent in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such as Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt. Ticks were detected in the Ixodes Ricinus, which are carried by migratory birds and the Ixodes inopinatus and captured by the Psammodromus algirus lizards. The Borreliae Lyme Group (LG) and, in particular, Borrelia garinii, have been reported in countries bordering the Indian Ocean, such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, transported by migratory birds from North African countries, where the vector was identified as Hyalomma rufipes ticks. This review aims to document the presence of Borreliae LG and LB in Africa.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20797737
Volume :
13
Issue :
11
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Biology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.647e1c103ab1473cb7af19fa29461b2d
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13110897