All Posts Tagged With: "Ixodes ricinus ticks"

Article:

Excerpt:

To determine whether and which spirochetes are cleared from
Ixodes ricinus ticks while feeding on ruminants, ticks were
removed from goats and cattle grazing on tick-infested pastures.
Al-though about a quarter of ticks questing on the pasture was
infected by spirochetes, no molted ticks that had previously
engorged to repletion on ruminants harbored Lyme disease
spirochetes. Ixodes ricinus ticks, however, appear not
to be eliminated. Thus, the more subadult ticks are diverted from
reservoir competent hosts to zooprophylactic ruminants, the
smaller the risk of infection by Lyme disease spirochetes.

Full article: http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/3/1/42

Excerpt:

Lizards are considered zooprophylactic for almost all Borrelia burgdorferi species, and act as dilution hosts in parts of North America. Whether European lizards significantly reduce the ability of B. burgdorferi to maintain itself in enzootic cycles, and consequently decrease the infection rate of Ixodes ricinus ticks for B. burgdorferi and other tick-borne pathogens in Western Europe is not clear.

Results

Ticks were collected from sand lizards, their habitat (heath) and from the adjacent forest. DNA of tick-borne pathogens was detected by PCR followed by reverse line blotting. Tick densities were measured at all four locations by blanket dragging. Nymphs and adult ticks collected from lizards had a significantly lower (1.4%) prevalence of B. burgdorferi sensu lato, compared to questing ticks in heath (24%) or forest (19%). The prevalence of Rickettsia helvetica was significantly higher in ticks from lizards (19%) than those from woodland (10%) whereas neither was significantly different from the prevalence in ticks from heather (15%). The prevalence of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia spp in heather (12%) and forest (14%) were comparable, but significantly lower in ticks from sand lizards (5.4%). The prevalence of Babesia spp in ticks varied between 0 and 5.3 %. Tick load of lizards ranged from 1 – 16. Tick densities were ~ 5-fold lower in the heather areas than in woodlands at all four sites.

Excerpt:

Ecological changes are recognized as an important driver behind
the emergence of infectious diseases. The prevalence of infection
in ticks depends upon ecological factors that are rarely taken
into account simultaneously. Our objective was to investigate the
influence of forest fragmentation, vegetation, adult tick hosts,
and habitat on the infection prevalence of three tick-borne
bacteria – Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma
phagocytophilum, and Rickettsia sp of the Spotted Fever Group –
in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks, taking into account tick
characteristics. Questing nymphs and adults were sampled in 61
pastures and neighbouring woodlands in central France. Ticks were
tested by PCR by pools of nymphs and individual adults. The
individual infection prevalence was modeled using multivariate
regression.

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20453131&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks