Seroprevalence of six pathogens transmitted by the Ixodes ricinus ticks in asymptomatic individuals with HIV infection and in blood donors

Agnieszka Pawełczyk,Marek Radkowski,Renata Welc-Falęciak,Beata Uszyńska-Kałuża,Justyna D Kowalska,Małgorzata Bednarska

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-38755-9

Agnieszka Pawełczyk, Marek Radkowski + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-38755-9

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Abstract

The objective of our study was to estimate the seroprevalence of six pathogens transmitted by ticks in HIV-infected persons and blood donors in Poland (B. burgdorferi s.l., A. phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp., Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp. Bartonella henselae) to assess the frequency of exposure to such microorganisms in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals in endemic regions for I. ricinus ticks. Serum samples were collected from 227 HIV-infected patients and 199 blood donors. All samples were analyzed for antibodies against six tick-borne pathogens and seroprevalence rates were statistically compared between two tested group as well as age, sex and lymphocyte T CD4+ level in HIV infected patients. The seroprevalence of tick-borne infections in HIV-infected patients is higher than that of the healthy population in Poland, although no association between serological status of patients and lymphocyte CD4+ T cell level has been observed. The frequency of tick-borne coinfections and doubtful results of serological tests were significantly higher in HIV-positive individuals. In Poland, the possibility of tick-borne diseases transmission with blood is rather negligible.

Highlights

The experts of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s have summarized the alarming increase in the number of vector-borne disease cases reported in the United States and territories from 2004 to 20161
The objective of our study was to estimate the seroprevalence of six pathogens transmitted by ticks
Investigations of the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogen infections involving serological studies have concentrated on inhabitants of endemic regions who were healthy and whose immunological function was normal

Summary

Introduction

The experts of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s have summarized the alarming increase in the number of vector-borne disease cases reported in the United States and territories from 2004 to 20161. Tick-borne diseases are a large and growing public health problem in the United States and in Europe[2]. Ixodes ricinus is the most widespread tick species in Europe and constitutes the vector of numerous pathogens, especially Borrelia burgdorferi sl. Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common vector-borne disease in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, and about 85,000 cases are reported annually in Europe[7]. The Rickettsia infections and single cases of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) have been noted in Europe[14,15]. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to R.W.-F.

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