Abstract
BackgroundIxodes ricinus, the predominant tick species in Europe, can transmit the causative agents of important human diseases such as Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by Borrelia spirochetes. In northern Spain, LB is considered endemic; recently, a significant increase of the annual incidence of LB was reported in the northwestern (NW) region.MethodsIn order to provide information on the prevalence of Borrelia spp., pooled and individually free-living I. ricinus from NW Spain were molecularly analyzed. Positive samples were characterized at the fla and Glpq genes and the rrfA-rrlB intergenic spacer region to identify Borrelia species/genospecies.ResultsBorrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) (s.l.) individual prevalence and MIR were significantly higher in adult females (32.3 and 16%) than in nymphs (18.8 and 6.2%) and adult males (15.6 and 8.4%). Five Borrelia genospecies belonging to the B. burgdorferi (s.l.) group were identified: B. garinii was predominant, followed by B. valaisiana, B. lusitaniae, B. afzelii and B. burgdorferi (sensu stricto) (s.s.). One species belonging to the tick-borne relapsing fever group (B. miyamotoi) was also found, showing low individual prevalence (1%), positive pool (0.7%) and MIR (0.1%) values. To our knowledge, this is the first citation of B. miyamotoi in free-living ticks from Spain.ConclusionsThe significant prevalences of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) genospecies detected in questing ticks from NW Spain are similar to those detected in northern and central European countries and higher to those previously found in Spain. These results together with the high incidence of LB in humans and the high seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) in roe deer shown in other studies reveal that the northwest area is one of the most risky regions for acquiring LB in Spain.
Highlights
Ixodes ricinus, the predominant tick species in Europe, can transmit the causative agents of important human diseases such as Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by Borrelia spirochetes
LB is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.); more than 20 Borrelia genospecies have been currently identified within the B. burgdorferi (s.l.) species complex
In Europe, LB is mainly caused by three genospecies: Borrelia garinii, associated with neuroborreliosis; Borrelia afzelii related to atrophic chronic acrodermatitis; and Borrelia burgdorferi (s.s.) related to arthritis [3]
Summary
The predominant tick species in Europe, can transmit the causative agents of important human diseases such as Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by Borrelia spirochetes. Ixodes ricinus is considered the tick species with the widest distribution in Europe, transmitting the causative agents of important human and animal diseases; Borrelia spp. are amongst the most commonly identified pathogens in I. ricinus [1]. These spirochetes are clustered into three major phylogenetic groups, namely the Lyme borreliosis (LB) group, the relapsing fever (TBRF) group and the reptile-associated borreliae [2]. It was initially considered as non-pathogenic for people, Díaz et al Parasites & Vectors (2017) 10:615 human cases of B. miyamotoi disease (BMD), very different to relapsing fever cases, have recently been reported in the USA, the Netherlands, Russia and Japan [5, 7]
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