The Presence of Borrelia miyamotoi, A Relapsing Fever Spirochaete, in Questing Ixodes ricinus in Belgium and in The Netherlands

C Cochez; P Heyman; D Heylen; M Fonville; P Hengeveld; W Takken; L Simons; H Sprong

doi:10.1111/zph.12154

The Presence of Borrelia miyamotoi, A Relapsing Fever Spirochaete, in Questing Ixodes ricinus in Belgium and in The Netherlands

Zoonoses Public Health. 2015 Aug;62(5):331-3. doi: 10.1111/zph.12154. Epub 2014 Sep 12.

Authors

C Cochez¹, P Heyman¹, D Heylen², M Fonville³, P Hengeveld³, W Takken⁴, L Simons¹, H Sprong³

Affiliations

¹ Research Laboratory for Vector-Borne Diseases, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
² Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
³ Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
⁴ Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

PMID: 25212814
DOI: 10.1111/zph.12154

Abstract

Borrelia miyamotoi is a tick-borne bacterium that may cause relapsing fever in humans. As this pathogen has been discovered in Europe only recently, only little is known about its local impact on human health and its spatial distribution. In this study, we show the results of PCR screenings for B. miyamotoi in flagged Ixodes ricinus from Belgium and the Netherlands. B. miyamotoi was detected in nine of thirteen, and three of five locations from the Netherlands and Belgium, respectively. These outcomes indicate that B. miyamotoi is more spread than previously thought. The mean infection rate B. miyamotoi was 1.14% for Belgium and 3.84% for the Netherlands.

Keywords: Belgium; Borrelia miyamotoi; Ixodes ricinus; relapsing fever; the Netherlands.

MeSH terms

Animals
Belgium
Borrelia / classification*
Borrelia / isolation & purification*
Ixodes / microbiology*
Netherlands