Past studies in Serbia have reported concurrent infections of
Ixodes ricinus
ticks with
Borrelia burgdorferi
sensu lato genospecies,
Anaplasma phagocytophilum
and
Francisella tularensis
. As a step ...forward, this investigation included a broader range of microorganisms and five most common and abundant tick species in Serbia. Five tick species were identified (
Dermacentor marginatus
,
D. reticulatus
,
Haemaphysalis punctata
,
H. concinna
and
I. ricinus
) and analyzed for the presence of seven pathogens.
Anaplasma ovis
,
A. phagocytophilum
,
Babesia canis
,
B. burgdorferi
s.l.,
Coxiella burnetii
,
Rickettsia helvetica
and
R. monacensis
were detected. Sequencing of samples positive for
F. tularensis
revealed the presence of
Francisella
-like endosymbionts. No
Bartonella
spp. DNA was amplified. Concurrent infections were present in three tick species (
D. reticulatus
,
H. concinna
and
I. ricinus
). The rate of co-infections was highest in
I. ricinus
(20/27), while this tick species harbored the broadest range of co-infection combinations, with dual, triple and a quadruple infection(s) being detected.
The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a medium-sized canid species native to Europe. This species is characterized by rapid large-scale expansion. A similar trend is also observed in Serbia, where the ...species is now distributed in more than a half of the territory. Although jackals prefer habitats in human-dominated landscapes, these animals have not been studied well enough from an eco-epidemiological point of view, and little is known about their potential for carrying zoonotic pathogens.
In a study conducted during a three-year period (01/2010–02/2013), a total of 216 hunted or road-killed golden jackals were collected from 10 localities in Serbia. Ticks, when present, were removed, and after necropsy, spleen samples were collected from each animal. All tick and spleen samples were tested for the DNA of bacterial and protozoan tick-borne pathogens (Borrelia species, Bartonella species, Rickettsia species, Anaplasma species, Coxiella burnetii, Francisella species and Babesia species) by multiplex real-time PCR, conventional PCR and sequencing analyses.
The DNA of Babesia canis was detected in nine out of 216 (4.2%) spleen samples, and two samples (0.9%) tested positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In 118 ticks collected from jackals, the DNA of two Babesia species (Ba. canis and Ba. microti), three Borrelia species (Bo. garinii, Bo. valaisiana, and Bo. lusitaniae) and A. marginale was detected.
From the aspect of public health surveillance, the potential role of the golden jackal in the maintenance of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens in Serbia must be considered, and further eco-epidemiological studies should be performed to determine the precise role of this animal species in zoonotic disease transmission cycles.
Due to the recorded spreading of ticks in past years, a higher incidence of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) can be expected in the future in endemic areas, but can also pose an emerging public health ...concern in areas where they have not yet been recognized. Assessment of the exposure of vulnerable hosts to ticks would be a very helpful tool for TBD epidemiological studies, as well as for their proper managing. To confirm previous tick bites, the method of choice is detection of antibodies in host serum as markers developed against injected tick saliva proteins during feeding. We recently showed that the recombinant form of
Ixodes ricinus
AV422 saliva protein (r
Ir
AV422) can serve for detection of markers in experimentally infested rats. Here we examine whether it can be used in the same manner in naturally exposed hosts. We chose hunting dogs as good sentinel animals. The study group consisted of 15 dogs that varied in breed, age, sex, previous tick infestation history and repellent treatment. Western blot analysis with r
Ir
AV422 as an antigen confirmed the presence of tick bite markers in all analysed dogs. For some of the dogs, their previous tick infestation history was unclear, which emphasizes the usefulness of r
Ir
AV422 for revealing it. Since hunting dogs are naturally infested with different ticks, the potential of r
Ir
AV422 in assessment of general exposure to ticks is highlighted. Use of r
Ir
AV422 can also be helpful in veterinary practice and research as a tool for validation of the efficiency of tick repellent products.
Tick bites often go unnoticed, so specific reliable tests are needed to confirm them for prompt diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases. One of the promising candidates for developing such a ...test is AV422, a tick saliva protein that has been conserved across tick genera. In this study, we demonstrate the potential of the AV422 homologue from Ixodes ricinus to be used for tick bite detection for both Prostriata and Metastriata. We expressed recombinant (r) I. ricinus (Ir) AV422 in E. coli and subjected it to Western blot analysis using rat antibodies to saliva proteins of both I. ricinus (Prostriata) and Dermacentor reticulatus (Metastriata) larvae. Our data demonstrate that rIrAV422 specifically bound to antibodies from sera of rats used for both I. ricinus and D. reticulatus larvae feeding, but not to antibodies from control serum, emphasizing its specificity since tick bites were the sole cause of sera reactivity.
The Ixodes ricinus tick is common in the central part of the Balkan
Peninsula. It is a vector of pathogenic agents causing diseases in humans and
animals. Little is known about the genetic structure ...of I. ricinus in this
region. We have investigated intraspecific variability of the COI gene among
I. ricinus ticks collected from different regions of Serbia, and the
correlation between the various types of habitat and genetic variability of
ticks. The obtained COI gene sequences are the first barcoding sequences of
I. ricinus ticks collected at localities in Serbia. Intraspecific variability
of these COI gene sequences was very low, and there was no correlation
between the various types of habitat and genetic variability of ticks.
Samples from isolated localities (canyon/gorge) showed no genetic
differentiations from the majority of samples from open areas.
The Ixodes ricinus tick is common in the central part of the Balkan
Peninsula. It is a vector of pathogenic agents causing diseases in humans and
animals. Little is known about the genetic structure ...of I. ricinus in this
region. We have investigated intraspecific variability of the COI gene among
I. ricinus ticks collected from different regions of Serbia, and the
correlation between the various types of habitat and genetic variability of
ticks. The obtained COI gene sequences are the first barcoding sequences of
I. ricinus ticks collected at localities in Serbia. Intraspecific variability
of these COI gene sequences was very low, and there was no correlation
between the various types of habitat and genetic variability of ticks.
Samples from isolated localities (canyon/gorge) showed no genetic
differentiations from the majority of samples from open areas. Projekat
Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. ON 173006
This article has been retracted. Link to the retraction 10.2298/ABS1404689U
nema
Molecular detection of Babesia spp. in ticks in northern Serbia Mihaljica, D., Institute for Medical Research, Belgrade (Serbia); Radulović. Ž., Institute for Medical Research, Belgrade (Serbia); Tomanović, S., Institute for Medical Research, Belgrade (Serbia) ...
Archives of Biological Sciences,
(2012), 2012-00-00, 2012-01-01, Letnik:
64, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
In order to evaluate the prevalence rate of Babesia spp. in ticks collected from vegetation at seven localities in northern Serbia, tick samples were subjected to molecular analysis. A total of 132 ...unfed adult ticks of five different species (Dermacentor marginatus, Dermacentor reticulatus, Ixodes ricinus, Haemaphysalis concinna and Haemaphysalis punctata), were examined by PCR for the presence of Babesia spp. Out of the analyzed ticks, 10.61% (14/132) were positive for babesial DNA. The presence of babesiae was found at the localities Pančevački Rit, Titov Gaj, Makiš, PKB and Kljajićevo. Prevalence in D. reticulatus ticks was 21.57% (11/51) and in H. concinna ticks, 8.57% (3/35). Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed a clustering of the obtained sequences with those of B. canis from the GenBank database. These results add to the knowledge of the distribution of babesial pathogens and their vectors in Serbia.
Barbour‐Stoenner‐Kelly II (BSK‐II) and BSK‐H media were used for cultivation and isolation of fastidious Borrelia species ‐ the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis. Culture media have a limited ...shelf life and require adequate storage. Our goal was to assess how the growth of Borrelia would be affected by prolonged storage of media and inadequate storage conditions (BSK‐H stored at +4 °C for 2.5 years and BSK‐II stored at −20 °C for 11 years). Growth of different Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia lusitaniae and Borrelia valaisiana strains was assessed during 2 weeks of incubation at 33 °C. Monitored parameters included cell count per mL, morphology and motility. The results of this study have shown weaker growth of borrelia strains in BSK‐H at +4 °C (median final cell number of 1.5 × 106/mL) than in BSK‐II at −20 °C (median final cell number of 7.75 × 106/mL) and in fresh BSK‐H media (median final cell number of 8.95 × 106/mL). Duration of storage of media had no impact on Borrelia morphology and motility. Our results indicate that temperature of −20 °C is optimal for long‐term storage of medium, BSK‐II stored for 11 years provided effective support to growth of Borrelia and may be employed for cultivation.
The first aim was to determine the prevalence of bullying behavior in the city of Split, Croatia. The second aim was to associate the specific bully status with demographic, family, psychosocial, ...behavioral, and school variables. This cross-sectional study with self-administered questionnaires included 567 children and 166 teachers. Study results revealed 16.3% of all children to have been involved in bullying behavior. Regression analysis revealed the bullies as compared to the non-involved group to be significantly associated with aggressive behavior, children's approving attitude towards aggressiveness, and male gender. Our overall prevalence rate and associations of variables were in accordance with the other international studies. Interventions for male pupils who have manifest bully behavior and have aggressive attitudes, as well as for their families, need to be a priority.
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