Dynamics of tick Infection with borrelia, anaplasma and Ehrlichia in the kirov Region

Abstract

The purpose of the researchis identification of the genetic material of microorganisms of the group Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, of the genera Anaplasma and Ehrlichia in ixodic ticks of various species collected in the Kirov Region from 2010 to 2017.Materials and methods.Ixodic ticks were collected from the vegetation cover, people's clothing and the hair of domestic animals (dogs and cats). Species and gender of ticks were identified using definition tables. Total nucleic acids were isolated from ixodic ticks fixed in 70 % ethanol by the method using guanidine thioisocyanate buffer. Ticks’ infection by pathogens was determined using polymerase chain reaction.Results and discussion.Three species of ixodic ticks Ixodes persulcatus, Dermacentor reticulatus and I. ricinus were studied. The species I. persulcatus had the highest infection rates with the studied pathogens. The largest percentage of ticks tested was infected with Ehrlichia (35.6%). The most common were cases of simultaneous infection of ticks with Borrelia and Ehrlichia (16.3%). Cases of combined infection with three pathogens at once (Borrelia, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia) were found in all studied tick species with the same probability. Peaks of tick infection were revealed: the maximum level for all studied pathogens during the research period was noted in 2011; an increase in the number of infected ticks was observed in 2015 and 2016.