Ticks and tick-borne pathogens in South Bohemia (Czech Republic)--Spatial variability in Ixodes ricinus abundance, Borrelia burgdorferi and tick-borne encephalitis virus prevalence

V Hönig; P Svec; P Halas; Z Vavruskova; H Tykalova; P Kilian; V Vetiskova; V Dornakova; J Sterbova; Z Simonova; J Erhart; J Sterba; M Golovchenko; N Rudenko; L Grubhoffer

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.04.010

Ticks and tick-borne pathogens in South Bohemia (Czech Republic)--Spatial variability in Ixodes ricinus abundance, Borrelia burgdorferi and tick-borne encephalitis virus prevalence

Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2015 Jul;6(5):559-67. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.04.010. Epub 2015 Apr 27.

Authors

V Hönig¹, P Svec², P Halas³, Z Vavruskova⁴, H Tykalova⁴, P Kilian⁴, V Vetiskova⁴, V Dornakova⁴, J Sterbova⁴, Z Simonova⁴, J Erhart⁵, J Sterba⁴, M Golovchenko⁵, N Rudenko⁵, L Grubhoffer⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, AS CR, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. Electronic address: honigva@gmail.com.
² Institute of Geoinformatics, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15, 708 03 Ostrava - Poruba, Czech Republic.
³ Institute of Geonics, AS CR, Drobneho 28, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
⁴ Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, AS CR, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
⁵ Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, AS CR, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.

PMID: 25976235
DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.04.010

Abstract

Spatial distribution of Ixodes ricinus tick host-seeking activity, as well as prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) were studied in the TBE endemic area of South Bohemia (Czech Republic). High variability in tick abundance detected in a network of 30 study sites was most closely associated with characteristics of vegetation cover. Of 11,182 tested tick samples, 12% carried DNA of spirochete from B. burgdorferi s.l. complex. B. afzelii and B. garinii prevailed among spirochete species. The presence of B. spielmanii in the region was confirmed. The median number of borrelial genome copies in positive samples reached 6.6 × 10(3) by real-time PCR. The total prevalence of TBEV in pooled samples reached 0.32% (20,057 samples tested), at least one TBEV positive tick was present in 21 out of 30 sampling sites.

Keywords: Environmental factors; GIS; Ixodes ricinus; Lyme borreliosis; Tick; Tick-borne encephalitis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Borrelia burgdorferi / isolation & purification*
Czech Republic / epidemiology
Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / isolation & purification*
Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / epidemiology
Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / virology
Female
Ixodes / physiology*
Lyme Disease / epidemiology
Lyme Disease / microbiology
Male