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. 2020 Apr 24;10(1):6975.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63883-y.

Comparison of tick-borne pathogen prevalence in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in urban areas of Europe

Anna Grochowska  1 , Robert Milewski  2 , Sławomir Pancewicz  3 , Justyna Dunaj  3 , Piotr Czupryna  3 , Anna Justyna Milewska  2 , Magdalena Róg-Makal  4 , Sambor Grygorczuk  3 , Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska  3
Affiliations

Comparison of tick-borne pathogen prevalence in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in urban areas of Europe

Anna Grochowska et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Tick-borne diseases are a major threat to human and animal health. An increasing number of natural habitats have been transformed into urban areas by human activity; hence, the number of reported tick bites in urban and suburban areas has risen. This retrospective analysis evaluated 53 scientific reports concerning infections of Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from urban and suburban areas of Europe between 1991 and 2017. The results indicate significant differences in many variables, including a higher number of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infections in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe. The opposite result was observed for Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis infections. A comparison of climate zones revealed that Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. infections have the greatest median incidence rate in subtropical climate zones. No statistical significance was found when comparing other tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), such as Borrelia miyamotoi, Rickettsia spp., Babesia spp., Bartonella spp., Ehrlichia spp., Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis. The analysis also showed significant differences in the overall prevalence of TBPs according to average temperatures and rainfall across Europe. This retrospective study contributes to the knowledge on the occurrence and prevalence of TBPs in urbanized areas of Europe and their dependence on the habitats and geographical distributions of ticks. Due to the increased risk of tick bites, it is of great importance to investigate infections in ticks from urban and suburban areas.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Differences in the overall tick-borne pathogen (TBP) prevalence (a), Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection rates (b) and Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis infection rates (c) depending on geographical region (Western and Eastern Europe).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences in the overall tick-borne pathogen (TBP) prevalence depending on average January temperatures.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Differences in overall tick-borne pathogen (TBP) (a) and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. infection rates (b) depending on average July temperatures.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Difference in the overall tick-borne pathogen (TBP) prevalence depending on average January rainfall.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Differences in the overall tick-borne pathogen (TBP) prevalence depending on average July rainfall.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Differences in the overall tick-borne pathogen (TBP) prevalence (a), Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. infection rates (b) and Borrelia afzelii infection rates (c) depending on the climate zone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Supplementary concepts