Abstract
The importance of studies on the diversity of ticks attacking humans resides mostly in the relatively highly-specific tick-pathogen associations. Human tick bites are commonly reported worldwide but removal of ticks from patients is rarely followed by specific identification of the ticks, leaving to some degree of hazard the preventive treatment of possible associated diseases. A total number of 308 ticks were collected between April and June 2010 from 275 human patients who voluntarily presented to a hospital from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The mean intensity of infection was 1.12 ± 0.46. Four species of ticks were identified Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor marginatus, Haemaphysalis concinna and H. punctata. Ixodes ricinus was the most abundant species feeding on humans in the study area. A brief review of possible associated pathogen is provided.
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Acknowledgments
The publication of this paper was supported from grant IDEI-PCCE CNCSIS 84, 7/2010 and from a project co-financed by E.S.F POSDRU 88/1.5/S/56949.
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Briciu, V.T., Titilincu, A., Ţăţulescu, D.F. et al. First survey on hard ticks (Ixodidae) collected from humans in Romania: possible risks for tick-borne diseases. Exp Appl Acarol 54, 199–204 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-010-9418-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-010-9418-0