Tytuł pozycji:
Molecular screening for Bartonella henselae and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato co-existence within Ixodes ricinus populations in central and eastern parts of Poland
The presented study aimed at establishing the prevalence and co-infection rates of Bartonella henselae and Borrelia burgdorferi
sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from the central and eastern parts of Poland. The common tick individuals were
gathered in the years 2008-2009. Questing ticks were sampled by dragging a white woollen flag over lower vegetation at 17
localities within diverse types of habitats: urban recreational green areas (city parks and squares), suburban forests and rural
woodlands throughout the investigated regions of Poland. Detection of B. henselae in tested tick specimens was based on
PCR amplification of the citrate synthase (gltA) gene, while screening for the presence of B. burgdorferi s.l. DNA was carried
out by analyzing fragments of two genes: the flagellin (fla) and outer surface protein A (ospA). A total number of 1,571 I. ricinus
ticks were sampled: 865 (55.1%) nymphs, 377 females (24.0%) and 329 males (20.9%). The application of PCR assays revealed
that 76 (4.8%) tick samples were B. henselae-positive, B. burgdorferi s.l. DNA was detected in 194 specimens (12.3%), whereas
the co-existence of these pathogens was evidenced in 22 tested ticks (1.4%). Furthermore, the occurrence of bartonellae
and co-circulation of analysed microorganisms in I. ricinus was affirmed only within adult individuals, while presence of the
screened spirochetes was ascertained in both nymphal and adult ticks. It should be stressed that the suburban woods of
Warsaw and rural forests in Warsaw County characterized the highest prevalence levels of dual infection with investigated
tick-borne pathogens, whereas the lowest co-infection rates were recorded in tick populations inhabiting rural forests in
Płock County and forested areas in Korczew-Mogielnica (within the Nadbużański Landscape Park).