Abstract
BackgroundTick-borne diseases are a major health risk for humans and dogs. In addition to collection and analysis of questing ticks, analysis of host-associated ticks for the presence of pathogens is a valuable method to gain insight into transmission patterns of tick-borne diseases.MethodsTicks were collected from dogs living in the Berlin/Brandenburg area. The three tick species Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes hexagonus and Dermacentor reticulatus were examined for the presence of Babesia spp., Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp. and Anaplasmataceae. Conventional PCR followed by sequencing was used for pathogen detection and characterization.ResultsBabesia spp. were found in 2.5% and 3% of I. ricinus and I. hexagonus, respectively. Sequencing revealed the presence of Babesia microti, Babesia capreoli and Babesia venatorum. D. reticulatus were free of Babesia canis. Rickettsia spp. were detected in 61% of I. ricinus, 44% of I. hexagonus and 39% of D. reticulatus. Specifically detected were Rickettsia raoulti in D. reticulatus and I. hexagonus, Rickettsia helvetica in I. ricinus and I. hexagonus and Rickettsia monacensis in I. hexagonus. Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis have been reported previously in I. ricinus (6.5% and 4.3%, respectively) and I. hexagonus (3.9% and 5.9%). Borrelia spp. were found in 11.6% of I. ricinus and 11.2% of I. hexagonus. Subsequent genospecies analysis revealed Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Borrelia miyamotoi. Simultanous presence of more than one pathogen was found in 20% of I. ricinus and in 59% of I. hexagonus whereas the total frequency of any pathogen was 65% in I. ricinus, 59% in I. hexagonus and 64% in D. reticulatus. Ticks in which A. phagocytophilum was detected had a significantly increased risk of also containing Rickettsia. Ticks harbouring a pathogen had significantly higher scutal indices than ticks without presence of any pathogen.ConclusionsFrequencies of potential human or canine pathogens in ticks were considerable and DNA of all four groups of pathogens was detected. Differences in scutal indices might suggest that pathogens are frequently taken up by ticks when feeding on dogs in Berlin/Brandenburg.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-014-0535-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Tick-borne diseases are a major health risk for humans and dogs
In the area of Berlin/ Brandenburg, the most common tick species reported to date are Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes hexagonus and Dermacentor reticulatus [2]
Studies in Germany have reported a prevalence of Babesia of 1–4.1% in I. ricinus, predominantly the zoonotic Babesia microti, Babesia venatorum and Babesia divergens, and Babesia capreoli [4,5]
Summary
Tick-borne diseases are a major health risk for humans and dogs. Vector-borne diseases represent an important threat to canine health and are of major zoonotic relevance [1]. Many tick species are potential vectors of infectious agents that are pathogenic in dogs. In the area of Berlin/ Brandenburg, the most common tick species reported to date are Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes hexagonus and Dermacentor reticulatus [2]. Studies in Germany have reported a prevalence of Babesia of 1–4.1% in I. ricinus, predominantly the zoonotic Babesia microti, Babesia venatorum and Babesia divergens, and Babesia capreoli [4,5]. In southern Germany, 2.5% of D. reticulatus ticks contained the nonzoonotic canine parasite Babesia canis [6]
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