Abstract
Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex, is one of the most common vector-borne zoonotic diseases in Europe. Knowledge about the enzootic circulation of Borrelia pathogens between ticks and their vertebrate hosts is epidemiologically important and enables assessment of the health risk for the human population. In our project, we focused on the following vertebrate species: European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), Northern white-breasted hedgehog (E. roumanicus), Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), and Common blackbird (Turdus merula). The cadavers of accidentally killed animals used in this study constitute an available source of biological material, and we have confirmed its potential for wide monitoring of B. burgdorferi s.l. presence and genospecies diversity in the urban environment. High infection rates (90% for E. erinaceus, 73% for E. roumanicus, 91% for S. vulgaris, and 68% for T. merula) were observed in all four target host species; mixed infections by several genospecies were detected on the level of individuals, as well as in particular tissue samples. These findings show the usefulness of multiple tissue sampling as tool for revealing the occurrence of several genospecies within one animal and the risk of missing particular B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies when looking in one organ alone.
Highlights
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is one of the most abundant vector-borne diseases in Europe, with a purported annual number of human disease cases between 65,000 and 85,000 [1,2]
We focused on four vertebrate species: The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), MthicreooNrgoanritshmesr2n02w0, h8,it1e90-b8 reasted hedgehog (E. roumanicus), the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vul3goafr1is6), and the Common blackbird (Turdus merula), which tend towards synurbization, are frequently heavily frineqfeusetnedtlybyhetaicvkilsy, ainnfdesateredibmyptoicrktas,natnrdesaerreviomirphoortsatsntorfeBse. rbvuorgirdhorofsetrsi os.fl.B[.4b6u–r5g3d]o.rW ferei su.ls.e[d46r–a5n3d].oWmely ufsoeudnrdancaddoamvelyrsfoouf nacdcicdaednatvaellrys koifllaecdciadneinmtaalllsyokrihllaenddaincaimppaelsdoarnhimanadlsictahpatphedadandiimedailns trheasctuheadcedniteedrs, inasrtehsecuyecocnensttietrust,eaasntheaesyyctooncsotiltluectet aanndevaasylutaoblceoslloeucrtcaenodf vbiaoluloagbilcealsomuartceerioafl fboiroltoicgki-cbaol rmneatpearitahlofgoern timcko-nbiotornrienpga[t4h4o].gen monitoring [44]
Three vertebrate species chosen for this study (E. europaeus, S. vulgaris, T. merula) have been listed as reservoir hosts of B. burgdorferi s.l. for a long time [32,49,50], and European hedgehog was reported as a potential reservoir host [52], there is only a limited number of studies focused on the prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. or genospecies diversity in these hosts
Summary
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is one of the most abundant vector-borne diseases in Europe, with a purported annual number of human disease cases between 65,000 and 85,000 [1,2]. Rough estimates of the LB incidence in Europe are available because the reporting systems differ among countries, and LB is not a compulsorily notifiable disease in all of them. The incidence numbers seem to be underestimated as results of a more recent study calculate ~232,000 new cases per year in Western Europe alone, while several countries with the highest incidence rates on the continent were not included [3,4]. The disease is caused by spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex [5]. 22 named B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies are known and well established around the world. As new species and variants are continuously being recognized, the current number of described taxa is apparently not final
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