Infection of ticks collected from humans in Ukraine, by causative agents of some bacteriosis

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Topicality. Tick-borne bacteriosis is a serious medical and social problem. Often, ixodic ticks are infected with several pathogens of human infectious diseases concurrently: tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme-borreliosis, granulocyte anaplasmosis, monocytic ehrlichiosis, babesiosis. Real-time PCR allows the identification of several pathogens in a single tick using a single method.The aim of the study – to establish the frequency of natural infection of ticks with B. burgdorferi s. l., A. phagocytophilum B. miyamotoi, Babesia spp., selected from the residents of Ternopil region, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.Material and methods.1226 tickswere examined: 1179 - received from residents of Ternopil and the region, 47 – from other regions of Ukraine. DNA B. burgdorferi s. l., B. miyamotoi, A. phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. was determined by real-time PCR. The study of tick infestation by pathogens of the above bacteriosis selected from humans was conducted for the first time in Ukraine.Results. 1226 ticks have been identified: 1212 Ixodes ricinus, 12 Dermacentor reticulatus and 2 Rhipiciphalus sanguineus. Identification of Ixodes ricinus ticks by sex and stage of development, noted that females were 32.3 %, males – 0.9 %, larvae – 2.6 %, 10.6 % of ticks were not identified; the largest part – 53.5 % of the studied ticks of I. Ricinus were nymphs. DNA of B. burgdorferi s. l., B. miyamotoi, A. phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. identified in 36.0 % of ticks, including in 32.0 % the DNA of one pathogen was detected, in 4.0 % — several at the same time.Conclusions. For the first time in Ukraine ticks identification shows the presence of three species — I. ricinus, D. reticulatus and R. sanguineus, I. ricinus dominated (98.9 %). Ticks of the genus I. ricinus were dominated by nymphs (53.5 %) and adult individuals (33.2 %). 19.2 % of ticks are infected with B. burgdorferi s. l., 14.7 % – A. phagocytophilum, 1.7 % – B. miyamotoi, 0.3 % –Babesia sp. Among 441 infected ticks, B. burgdorferi s. l. (53.5 %) and A. phagocytophilum (40.8 %), in 3.8 % of individuals, the DNA of several bacteria simultaneously were diagnosed.