RESULTS REGARDING SEASONAL ACTIVITY, TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS OF THE EXISTENCE OF IXODUS TICKS AND THEIR ROLE AS TRANSMITTERS OF LYME DISEASE

Abstract

SUMMARY. Over the last 10 years, some countries in Europe have been troubled by the spread of infectious agents that are transmitted by ixodes ticks. Lyme disease is the most frequent ixodes tick-borne human disease in the world, with an estimated 85.500 patients annually.
 The aim – to analyze the relationships between Lyme disease appearance and Ixodes tick bites number, air temperature, and their role in the transmission of Lyme disease.
 Material and Methods. 798 ticks of Ixodes Ricinus were investigated. All ticks of the first type were found mainly in the city of Ternopil and Ternopil region, as well as some ticks were brought from Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Rivne regions. The study was carried out using optical and electronic system SEO-IMAGLAB. Investigation of epidemiological state was carried out using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using amplifier method “ROTOR Gene-6000” in real time.
 Results. Our studies showed, that about 30 % of ticks removed from humans are carriers of pathogens. Females of ticks are more carriers of Borrelia Burgdorferi, and the nymphs are carriers of Anaplasma phagocytophilium and Borrelia Miyamotoi. Larvae can be human ectoparasites and tolerate all three pathogens of infectious diseases. Including a complex carrying, that is the simultaneosus transfer of pathogens of the two diseases. Taking into consideration the dynamics of the frequency of infection with ticks of Ixodes ricinus, were observed an increase number of females and nymphs that are carries of pathogens in the period of May-July, and then, decrease the frequency of their infection in August-October. Obviously, the main cause of these fluctuations is the temperature regime, which changes in the spring-summer-autumn periods. Thus, the average temperature in May-June was 18–23 °C, in July-August – 25–27°C, in September-October – 20–15°C. At a temperature of 10–12°C, the number of patients affected by ticks decreased. As a result of studies on the influence of seasonal changes on the degree of infection with ticks of Ixodes ricinus by pathogens of infectious diseases, it`s direct dependence on the temperature regime: at a temperature of about 18–15°C, the degree of infection in the nymph is 14%, and in females – 22 %, while at 25–28°C in the nymph this figure is 37 %, and in females – 72 %.
 Conclusions. Geographic and seasonal distribution of Lyme borreliosis, patient`s age, sex, and profession has disease-related effects on incidence.