Abstract
BackgroundBirds play a major role in the maintenance of enzootic cycles of pathogens transmitted by ticks. Due to their mobility, they affect the spatial distribution and abundance of both ticks and pathogens. In the present study, we aim to identify members of a pathogen community [Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.), B. miyamotoi, ‘Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis’, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia helvetica] in songbird-derived ticks from 11 locations in the Netherlands and Belgium (2012–2014).ResultsOverall, 375 infested songbird individuals were captured, belonging to 35 species. Thrushes (Turdus iliacus, T. merula and T. philomelos) were trapped most often and had the highest mean infestation intensity for both Ixodes ricinus and I. frontalis. Of the 671 bird-derived ticks, 51% contained DNA of at least one pathogenic agent and 13% showed co-infections with two or more pathogens. Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) DNA was found in 34% of the ticks of which majority belong to so-called avian Borrelia species (distribution in Borrelia-infected ticks: 47% B. garinii, 34% B. valaisiana, 3% B. turdi), but also the mammal-associated B. afzelii (16%) was detected. The occurrence of B. miyamotoi was low (1%). Prevalence of R. helvetica in ticks was high (22%), while A. phagocytophilum and ‘Ca. N. mikurensis’ prevalences were 5% and 4%, respectively. The occurrence of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) was positively correlated with the occurrence of ‘Ca. N. mikurensis’, reflecting variation in susceptibility among birds and/or suggesting transmission facilitation due to interactions between pathogens.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the contribution of European songbirds to co-infections in tick individuals and consequently to the exposure of humans to multiple pathogens during a tick bite. Although poorly studied, exposure to and possibly also infection with multiple tick-borne pathogens in humans seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
Highlights
Birds play a major role in the maintenance of enzootic cycles of pathogens transmitted by ticks
A total of 671 ticks was collected from the birds, belonging to three species: Ixodes ricinus (134 larvae, 479 nymphs and 1 adult female; collected from 334 birds), I. frontalis (40 larvae, 5 nymphs and 11 adult females; collected from 46 birds) and one Hyalomma spp. nymph from Sylvia borin (Table 1)
We have shown that half of the songbird-derived I. ricinus ticks, that readily feed on humans, contained DNA of one or more bacteria that are pathogenic to humans: B. burgdorferi (s.l.), R. helvetica, A. phagocytophylum, B. miyamotoi, ‘Ca. N. mikurensis’
Summary
Birds play a major role in the maintenance of enzootic cycles of pathogens transmitted by ticks. Songbirds are swift transporters of ticks and tick-borne pathogens, spreading them over long distances on bird migration and dispersal routes They are important pathogen reservoirs and carriers of infected ticks in areas that are less accessible to mammals, but still frequently visited by humans, such as islands, green space and gardens in urbanized areas [1,2,3,4,5]. Their contribution in the terrestrial cycles of pathogens has become clear during the past decades, and their. Understanding the mechanisms underlying co-infections in ticks is important, as co-infections in hosts in which tick bites are relatively low (e.g. humans) can result from the attachment of a single co-infected tick rather than sequential bites of multiple singly-infected ticks [18].
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