Abstract
In Europe, Ixodes ricinus is the most important vector of tick-borne zoonotic bacteria. It transmits spirochaetes from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. Although spatial differences in the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens have been intensively studied, seasonal (within-year) fluctuations in the prevalence of these pathogens within sites are often overlooked. We analyzed the occurrence and seasonal dynamics of Ixodes ricinus in an urban forest in Bratislava, Slovakia. Furthemore, we examined temporal trends in the community structure of B. burgdorferi s.l., A. phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. in questing and bird-feeding ticks. The total prevalence for B. burgdorferi s.l. in questing I. ricinus was 6.8%, involving six genospecies with the dominance of bird-associated B. garinii and B. valaisiana. A. phagocytophilum, R. helvetica and R. monacensis occurred in 5.9%, 5.0% and 0.2% of questing ticks, respectively. In total, 12.5% and 4.4% of bird-feeding I. ricinus ticks carried B. burgdorferi s.l. and R. helvetica. The total prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. in our study site was two times lower than the mean prevalence for Europe. In contrast, A. phagocytophilum prevalence was significantly higher compared to those in other habitats of Slovakia. Our results imply that tick propagation and the transmission, suppression and seasonal dynamics of tick-borne pathogens at the study site were primarily shaped by abundance and temporal population fluctuations in ruminant and bird hosts.
Highlights
Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus 1758) is the most widespread tick species in Europe
Sixteen ticks were determined as Haemaphysalis concinna Koch, 1844 and these were not included in further analyses. 543 ticks were identified as Ixodes ricinus; 249 and 294 I. ricinus ticks were collected in 2011 and 2012, respectively
This study implies that structure and seasonality in tick host communities may have an important role in the transmission potential and seasonal dynamics of different Borrelia genospecies
Summary
Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus 1758) is the most widespread tick species in Europe. It widely occurs in sylvatic as well as in urban habitats with ample vegetation such as parks, recreational areas, gardens and urban forests. Occurrence of ticks in urban parks is significantly influenced by vegetation that maintains adequate humidity for ticks as well as the abundance and species composition of hosts [2,3,4]. The most common ones are spirochetes from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. This bacterial complex consists of 21 known genospecies [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
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