Abstract
Hard ticks Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus are the most important vectors for Rickettsia spp. in Central and Western Europe. We studied questing ticks from urban parks and green areas in eastern, northern and central Ukraine. The DNA of Rickettsia spp. was detected in 16.3% of I. ricinus and 29.1% of D. reticulatus. Totally, three species were found in urban habitats: R. helvetica was found in 14.7% of I. ricinus and in 1.5% D. reticulatus; R. monacensis in 1.5% of I. ricinus, and R. raoultii in 28.8% of D. reticulatus. We can conclude that the risk of contracting rickettsiosis in popular tourist urban habitats of Ukraine exists.
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Data availability
The DNA sequences analysed during the current study are available in the Genbank®.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank A. Baranovič for technical support. This study was financially supported by the National Scholarship Program for the Support of Mobility of Students, PhD students, University Teachers, Researchers and Artists (SAIA) in 2015–2016 and the projects VEGA 2/0004/22, Vega 2/0021/21, VEGA 2/0137/21, from the Scientific Grant Agency of Ministry of Education and Slovak Academy of Science.
Funding
This study was financially supported by the National Scholarship Program for the Support of Mobility of Students, PhD students, University Teachers, Researchers and Artists (SAIA) in 2015–2016 and the projects VEGA 2/0004/22, 2/0021/21, 2/0137/21, from the Scientific Grant Agency of Ministry of Education and Slovak Academy of Science.
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Conceptualisation and design [Yu. M. Didyk]. Material collection and morphological identification [Yu. M. Didyk]. Material preparation, data collection and analysis [Yu. M. Didyk and B. Mangová]. R. helvetica screening [E. Špitalská]. The first draft of the manuscript was written by [Yu. M. Didyk] and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript [Yu. M. Didyk, B. Mangová, E. Špitalská, M. Derdáková]. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Didyk, Y.M., Mangová, B., Špitalská, E. et al. Rickettsial infection in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in urban green areas of Ukraine. Biologia 78, 2099–2106 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-023-01323-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-023-01323-8