Abstract
In recent years, the distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks has expanded into new territories in many European countries, including Poland, with increased population densities in areas of their regular occurrence. The spread of D. reticulatus enhances the risk of exposure of domestic animals and their owners to tick-borne diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of infection of D. reticulatus ticks feeding on dogs with the pathogens Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The study material comprised 152 D. reticulatus ticks collected from dogs in the northeastern part of Lublin Province (eastern Poland). A ready-made AmpliSens® TBEV, B.burgdorferi sl, A.phagocytophilum, E.chaffeensis/E.muris-FRT PCR kit was used for qualitative detection and differentiation of tick-borne infections. The assessment of the degree of infection of the analyzed ticks with the two pathogens revealed that 9.2% (14/152) of the examined ticks were infected with one of the pathogens. No co-infections with the pathogens were detected in any of the ticks. The highest specific percentage of infections (8.6%, 13/152) was associated with A. phagocytophilum. The presence of B. burgdorferi s.l. was detected in only one of the examined ticks (0.7%). The spread of D. reticulatus to new territories and the increase in population density in areas of their regular occurrence implies the need for further studies of the prevalence of pathogens with medical and veterinary importance in order to assess the risk of tick-borne diseases.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bakken JS, Dumler JS (2015) Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis. Infect Dis Clin North Am 29(2):341–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idc.2015.02.007
Bartosik K, Buczek A, Buczek W et al (2019) Host feeding behaviour of Dermacentor reticulatus males in relation to the transmission of pathogens. Ann Agric Environ Med 26(2):227–230. https://doi.org/10.26444/aaem/105402
Ben I, Lozynskyi I (2019) Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus and Coinfection with Borrelia burgdorferi and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Western Ukraine. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 19(11):793–801. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2019.2450
Biernat B, Karbowiak G, Werszko J et al (2014) Prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) RNA in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks from natural and urban environment, Poland. Exp Appl Acarol 64:543–551. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-014-9836-5
Bonnet S, de la Fuente J, Nicollet P et al (2013) Prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in adult Dermacentor spp. ticks from nine collection sites in France. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 13:226–236
Bullová E, Lukáň M, Stanko M et al (2009) Spatial distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus tick in Slovakia in the beginning of the 21st century. Vet Parasitol 165:357–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.07.023
Dautel H, Dippel C, Oehme R et al (2006) Evidence for an increased geographical distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus in Germany and detection of Rickettsia sp. RpA4. Int J Med Microbiol 40:149–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmm.2006.01.013
Dzięgiel B, Kubrak T, Adaszek Ł et al (2014) Prevalence of Babesia canis, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in hard ticks collected from meadows of Lubelskie Voivodship (eastern Poland). Bull Vet Inst Pulawy 58:29–33
Földvári G, Široký P, Szekeres S et al (2016) Dermacentor reticulatus: a vector on the rise. Parasites Vectors 9:314. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-016-1599-x
Grochowska A, Pancewicz S, Czupryna P et al (2020) Pathogens carried by Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks including coinfections. Przegl Epidemiol 74(3):466–474. https://doi.org/10.32394/pe.74.40
Grubhoffer L, Golovchenko M, Vancová M et al (2005) Lyme borreliosis: insights into tick-/host-borrelia relations. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 52:279–294. https://doi.org/10.14411/fp.2005.039
Karbowiak G (2014) The occurrence of the Dermacentor reticulatus tick—Its expansion to new areas and possible causes. Ann Parasitol 60:37–47
Karbowiak G, Vichová B, Slivinska K et al (2014) The infection of questing Dermacentor reticulatus ticks with Babesia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Vet Parasitol 204:372–375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2014.05.030
Kiewra D, Czułowska A (2013) Evidence for an increased distribution range of Dermacentor reticulatus in south-west Poland. Exp App Acarol 59:501–506. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-012-9612-3
Krämer F, Schaper R, Schunack B et al (2014) Serological detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Ehrlichia canis antibodies and Dirofilaria immitis antigen in a countrywide survey in dogs in Poland. Parasitol Res 113:3229–3239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-3985-7
Król N, Kiewra D, Lonc E et al (2016) Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) and Babesia canis (Piana et Galli-Valerio, 1895) as the parasites of companion animals (dogs and cats) in the Wroclaw area, south-western Poland. Ann Parasitol 62:125–130
Kubiak K, Sielaw H, Dziekońska-Rynko J et al (2018) Dermacentor reticulatus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) distribution in north-eastern Poland: An endemic area of tick-borne diseases. Exp App Acarol 75:289–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-018-0274-7
Mátlová L, Halouzka J, Juřicová Z et al (1996) Comparative experimental infection of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus (Acari: Ixodidae) with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Folia Parasitol 43:159–160
Michalski MM (2019) Comparative assessment of the species composition of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus removed from dogs in the urban area of Olsztyn. Ann Parasitol 65 Supplement 1:195–196
Michalski MM, Kubiak K, Szczotko M et al (2020) Molecular Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ticks Collected from Dogs in Urban Areas of North-Eastern Poland. Pathogens 9(6):455. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9060455
Mierzejewska EJ, Estrada-Peña A, Alsarraf M et al (2016) Mapping of Dermacentor reticulatus expansion in Poland in 2012–2014. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 7:94–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.09.003
Mierzejewska EJ, Pawełczyk A, Radkowski M et al (2015a) Pathogens vectored by the tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, in endemic regions and zones of expansion in Poland. Parasites Vectors 8:490. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-015-1099-4
Mierzejewska EJ, Welc-Faleciak R, Karbowiak G et al (2015b) Dominance of Dermacentor reticulatus over Ixodes ricinus (Ixodidae) on livestock, companion animals and wild ruminants in eastern and central Poland. Exp Appl Acarol 66(1):83–101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-015-9889-0
Namiņa A, Capligina V, Seleznova M et al (2019) Tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from dogs, Latvia, 2011–2016. BMC Vet Res 15:398. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-019-2149-5
Nowak M (2011) Discovery of Dermacentor reticulatus (Acari: Amblyommidae) populations in the Lubuskie Province (Western Poland). Exp App Acarol 54:191–197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-010-9422-4
Nowak-Chmura M (2013) Fauna kleszczy (Ixodida) Europy Środkowej. Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Pedagogicznego, Kraków
Opalińska P, Wierzbicka A, Asman M (2016) The PCR and nested PCR detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti in Dermacentor reticulatus F. collected in a new location in Poland (Trzciel, Western Poland). Acta Parasitol 61:849–854. https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2016-0117
Pańczuk A, Tokarska-Rodak M, Zarębska M et al (2021) Species diversity of ticks infesting dogs in the north-eastern part of Lublin Province (eastern Poland). Ann Parasitol 67(1):79–83. https://doi.org/10.17420/ap6701.314
Paulauskas A, Radzijevskaja J, Mardosaitė-Busaitienė D et al (2015) New localities of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in the Baltic countries. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 6(5):630–635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.05.007
Paziewska A, Zwolińska L, Harris PD et al (2010) Utilisation of rodent species by larvae and nymphs of hard ticks (Ixodidae) in two habitats in NE Poland. Exp Appl Acarol 50(1):79–91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-009-9269-8
Pfäffle M, Littwin N, Petney T (2015) Host preferences of immature Dermacentor reticulatus (Acari: Ixodidae) in a forest habitat in Germany. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 6(4):508–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.04.003
Rar VA, Fomenko NV, Dobrotvorsky AK et al (2005) Tickborne pathogen detection, Western Siberia, Russia. Emerg Infect Dis 11(11):1708–1715. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1111.041195
Reye AL, Stegniy V, Mishaeva NP et al (2013) Prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks from different geographical locations in Belarus. PLoS ONE 8:e54476
Richter D, Kohn C, Matuschka FR (2013) Absence of Borrelia spp., Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing adult Dermacentor reticulatus ticks. Parasitol Res 112:107–111
Roczeń-Karczmarz M, Dudko P, Demkowska-Kutrzepa M et al (2018) Comparison of the occurrence of tick-borne diseases in ticks collected from vegetation and animals in the same area. Med Weter 74(8):484–488. https://doi.org/10.21521/mw.6107
Rubel F, Brugger K, Pfeffer M et al (2016) Geographical distribution of Dermacentor marginatus and Dermacentor reticulatus in Europe. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 7:224–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.10.015
Rudolf I, Hubálek Z (2003) Effect of the salivary gland and midgut extracts from Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus (Acari: Ixodidae) on the growth of Borrelia garinii in vitro. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 50:159–160
Rybářová M, Široký P (2017) Occurrence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in three sympatric tick species in the South Moravia, Czech Republic. Biologia 72(4):365–369. https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2017-0051
Sainz Á, Roura X, Miró G et al (2015) Guideline for veterinary practitioners on canine ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis in Europe. Parasit Vectors 8:75. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-015-0649-0
Schreiber C, Krücken J, Beck S et al (2014) Pathogens in ticks collected from dogs in Berlin/Brandenburg. Ger Parasites vectors 7:535. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-014-0535-1
Skotarczak BB (2002) Canine borreliosis-epidemiology and diagnostics. Ann Agric Environ Med 9(2):137–140
Sreter T, Szell Z, Varga I (2005) Spatial distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus in Hungary. Evid change? Vet Parasitol 128:347–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2004.11.025
Stuen S, Granquist EG, Silaghi C (2013) Anaplasma phagocytophilum—a widespread multi-host pathogen with highly adaptive strategies. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 3:31
Szczotko M, Dmitryjuk M, Michalski MM (2019) Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in hard ticks isolated from wildlife animals in the Warmia-Mazury Voivodeship. Ann Parasitol 65 Supplement 1:200–201
Široký P, Kubelová M, Bednář M et al (2011) The distribution and spreading pattern of Dermacentor reticulatus over its threshold area in the Czech Republic—How much is range of this vector expanding? Vet. Parasitol 183:130–135
Tijsse-Klasen E, Hansford KM, Jahfari S et al (2013) Spotted fever group rickettsiae in Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis punctata ticks in the UK. Parasit Vectors 19(6):212. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-6-212
Tomanović S, Chochlakis D, Radulović Ž et al (2013) Analysis of pathogen co-occurrence in host-seeking adult hard ticks from Serbia. Exp Appl Acarol 59:367–376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-012-9597-y
Wójcik-Fatla A, Cisak E, Zając V et al (2011) Prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected from the Lublin region (eastern Poland). Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2:16–19
Wójcik-Fatla A, Zając V, Sawczyn A et al (2015) Occurrence of Francisella spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in eastern Poland. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 6:253–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.01.005
Zając Z, Sędzikowska A, Maślanko W et al (2021) Occurrence and Abundance of Dermacentor reticulatus in the Habitats of the Ecological Corridor of the Wieprz River, Eastern Poland. Insects 12(2):96. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12020096
Zając Z, Woźniak A, Kulisz J (2020a) Infestation of dairy cows by ticks Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) and Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) in eastern Poland. Ann Parasitol 66(1):87–96. https://doi.org/10.17420/ap6601.241
Zając Z, Woźniak A, Kulisz J (2020b) Density of Dermacentor reticulatus Ticks in Eastern Poland. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17(8):2814. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082814
Zając V, Wójcik-Fatla A, Sawczyn A et al (2017) Prevalence of infections and co-infections with 6 pathogens in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected in eastern Poland. Ann Agric Environ Med 24(1):26–32. https://doi.org/10.5604/12321966.1233893
Zygner W, Wędrychowicz H (2006) Occurrence of hard ticks in dogs from Warsaw area. Ann Agric Environ Med 13:355–359
Funding
This study was supported by the Pope John Paul II State School of Higher Education in Biała Podlaska, grant number FG.V.5.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
No approval of research ethics committees was required to accomplish the goals of this study because experimental work was conducted with an unregulated invertebrate species.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pańczuk, A., Tokarska-Rodak, M., Teodorowicz, P. et al. Tick-borne pathogens in Dermacentor reticulatus collected from dogs in eastern Poland. Exp Appl Acarol 86, 419–429 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-022-00700-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-022-00700-3