Publications

host-seeking activity of ixodid ticks in relation to weather variables.	ixodid ticks were monitored in a temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest in south moravia (czech republic). relative abundance of the ticks collected before noon (10.00-12.00 h) was compared to several weather variables (air and soil temperatures, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed, and derived values) using the pearson correlation coefficient. the tick numbers were found to be most closely related to the amplitude of the soil (-5 cm) temperature between 07 h and 14 h (tsamp, in ixodes ...	2003	14714663
seasonal and diel activity of ixodes ricinus (acari: ixodidae) subpopulations in denmark. aspects of size, physiological age, and malate dehydrogenase genotype in a forest site without any undergrowth.	the underlying population dynamics and the behavioural patterns of the vectors are key issues in understanding the transmission of vector borne pathogens. for the tick ixodes ricinus both seasonal and diel activity have been described as bimodal patterns, which in seasonal aspect has been interpreted as representing two cohorts. however, recent studies have shown that this interpretation may be incorrect. the aim of this study was to obtain more detailed information on nymph host seeking by stud ...	2003	14756394
early detection of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection in balb/c mice by co-feeding ixodes ricinus ticks.	in europe, borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted by ixodes ricinus to animals and human. when infected and uninfected ticks co-feed on a host, spirochetes are transmitted from ticks to animal and also to uninfected ticks. here, we used uninfected ticks to co-feed with infected ticks on mice to evaluate this method to detect early infection in mice. a total of 128 mice were challenged by infected nymphs placed in capsules glued on the back of the mice. three days later uninfected larvae were added ...	2003	14760973
contact toxicity and residual activity of different permethrin-based fabric impregnation methods for aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae), ixodes ricinus (acari: ixodidae), and lepisma saccharina (thysanura: lepismatidae).	the effectiveness and residual activities of permethrin-impregnated military battle dress uniforms were evaluated by comparing a new company-manufactured ready-to-use polymer-coating method with two "dipping methods" that are currently used to treat uniforms. residual permethrin amounts and remaining contact toxicities on treated fabrics before and after up to 100 launderings were tested against aedes aegypti (l.), ixodes ricinus (l.), and lepisma saccharina (l.). the residual amount of permethr ...	2003	14765673
acarological risk of exposure to agents of tick-borne zoonoses in the first recognized italian focus of lyme borreliosis.	acarological risk was calculated as the probability of encountering at least one host-seeking ixodes ricinus tick infected by the pathogen borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, in 100 m transects in the province of genoa, italy. the seasonal pattern of i. ricinus was studied using generalized estimating equations (gee) with negative binomial error, to consider overdispersion of tick counts and repeated sampling of the same dragging sites from april 1998 to march 1999. prevalence of infection by b. bu ...	2003	14959782
[longevity of forest and taiga ticks (ixodidae) infected and non-infected with borrelia burgdorferi groups].	a life longevity of ixodes ricinus and i. persulcatus have been examined in laboratory conditions. it was found that specimens infected with borreliae live slightly longer than non-infected ones (difference is not reliable); females live 1.5 times longer than males; i. ricinus lives 2-4 times longer than i. persulcatus. it is suggested that i. persulcatus has a higher rate of metabolism than i. ricinus and that the latter species obtains an ability to survive after the last moult two winters and ...	2003	14964854
modulation of human lymphocyte proliferation by salivary gland extracts of ixodid ticks (acari: ixodidae): effect of feeding stage and sex.	ixodid ticks remain attached to their hosts for several days to weeks. during this extended feeding process new proteins involved in the modulation of host immune responses are expressed in tick salivary glands. in our study a stimulatory or inhibitory effect of salivary gland extracts (sge) of unfed and partially fed female ixodes ricinus (linnaeus, 1758), female and male amblyomma variegatum (fabricius, 1794) and rhipicephalus appendiculatus neumann, 1901 ticks on human lymphocyte proliferatio ...	2003	14971600
immunoglobulin g antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi in game animals and small mammals in eastern slovakia.	in a survey of game animals and small mammals, the sera of 185 animals were examined for the presence of immunoglobulin g antibodies to the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, which causes lyme borreliosis. these animals comprised 59 fallow deer (dama dama), 56 mouflons (ovis musimon) and 70 small mammals of six different species. the sera of the fallow deer and the mouflons were examined by indirect haemagglutination assay. the sera of the small mammals were examined by modified enzyme- ...	2003	15005560
borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in ixodes ricinus (acari: ixodidae) ticks collected from vegetation and small rodents in recreational areas of the city of poznań.	during 1998-1999, ixodes ricinus (l.) populations were investigated in three different biotopes (deciduous, mixed, coniferous forest) situated in popular recreational areas in poznań, poland. in total, 1,123 questing ticks (1,002 nymphs, 69 males, 52 females) were collected by flagging vegetation. additionally, in 1998 between may and september small rodents were trapped and inspected for feeding ticks. altogether, 213 rodents of three species: apodemus agrarius pall., a. flavicollis melchior, c ...	2003	14596285
detection and identification of pathogens and host dna in unfed host-seeking ixodes ricinus l. (acari: ixodidae).	in this study, we have developed molecular methods for the identification of reservoir hosts of sylvatic tick-borne zoonoses. the methods are based on the analysis of the blood meal remnant in the tick gut and include detection of pathogens and identification of the host origin of the blood meal. for host identification, a universal primer pair was used to amplify part of the vertebrate 18s rrna gene followed by reverse line blot hybridization using subgroup-specific probes. analyses of dna from ...	2003	14596289
the seroepidemiology of lyme borreliosis in zoo animals in germany.	we conducted the first seroepidemiological study to evaluate the exposure of zoo animals to borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in german zoos and wildlife parks. a total of 1487 individuals representing 148 ungulate and carnivore species belonging to 19 families were examined using a non-species dependent elisa. specific antibodies were detected in 154 (10.4%) animals; 168 (11.3%) sera produced borderline results. the percentage of seropositive individuals was related to species and origin (zoo), and inc ...	2003	14596540
an enzootic transmission cycle of lyme borreliosis spirochetes in the southeastern united states.	lyme borreliosis, or lyme disease (ld), is a tick-borne zoonotic infection of biomedical significance, caused by borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) spirochetes and transmitted by ixodes species ticks. it usually circulates among wildlife vertebrate reservoirs and vector ticks but may infect humans, causing multisystem problems. in far western and northern north america, the host reservoirs, tick vectors, and genospecies of borrelia are well known but not so in the southern u.s., where there ...	2003	14500917
first isolation of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from ixodes ricinus ticks in morocco.	to determine the infection rate of ixodes ricinus (i. ricinus) ticks with borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (b. burgdorferi sl) and to assess the frequency of the individual borrelia species in this tick species, a total of 295 i. ricinus were collected in taza region (northeast of morocco), from january to june 2002. the presence of b. burgdorferi sl was determined by direct fluorescence antibody assay (dfa) and by pcr after culture. b. burgdorferi sl isolates were identified at the species level ...	2003	14511583
babesia divergens, a bovine blood parasite of veterinary and zoonotic importance.	babesia divergens is an intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite, transmitted by the tick ixodes ricinus, and is the main agent of bovine babesiosis in europe. it is not only a cause of significant loss to the cattle industry; it can also infect immunocompromised humans, causing medical emergencies characterized by rapid fulmination and parasitemias that may exceed 70%. the current emphasis in europe on sustainable agriculture and extensification is likely to lead to an increase in vector tick popul ...	2003	14557289
effect of the salivary gland and midgut extracts from ixodes ricinus and dermacentor reticulatus (acari: ixodidae) on the growth of borrelia garinii in vitro.		2003	14560980
distribution and prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ixodes ricinus ticks of canton ticino (switzerland).	free-living ixodes ricinus ticks were collected from 12 different sites of canton ticino, south of the alps (switzerland). each tick was examined for the presence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (sl), the etiologic agent of lyme borreliosis using direct fluorescent antibody assay, and isolation of the bacteria. borreliae were characterized by pcr followed by rflp. the abundance and infection rates of i. ricinus ticks varied greatly between the areas. two localities were found free of borrelia ...	2003	14561052
high serum folate values in lambs experimentally infected with anaplasma phagocytophilum.		2003	15074632
[to remove ixodes ricinus correctly. how do you turn the tick around?].		2003	15104260
polymerase chain reaction in detection of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (hge) agent dna in ixodes ricinus ticks.	pcr, or polymerase chain reaction, is the most hoped-for diagnostic method for ehrlichiosis detection. in european molecular laboratories, the gene encoding 16s rrna for ribosomal small subunit has been the most frequently used ehrlichia dna marker. due to a lack of pcr standardization, this work compares sensitivity of two pairs of primers that amplify the 16s rdna gene fragments.	2003	15232900
[prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks, ixodes ricinus in tarnowskie góry district].	borrelia burgdorferi is an aetiological factor of borreliosis (lyme disease). the main vectors of borrelia burgdorferi are larvae, nymphs, and females of ixodes ricinus. the aim of this paper was to analyse infection parameters of borrelia burgdorferi in a selected populations of ixodes ricinus. the study was conducted in tarnowskie góry administrative district (krupski młyn, zielona, lubliniec, tarnowskie góry, swierklaniec, tworóg, and zbrosławice). a total of 85 ticks were collected with a pi ...	2003	16889016
[evaluation of occurrence of spirochetes borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ixodes ricinus ticks in selected areas of the lublin region by polymerase chain reaction method (pcr)].	during the period 2001-2002, 1098 ixodes ricinus ticks were collected at forest sampling sites and the degree of their infection with borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes was determined by means of polimerase chain reaction (pcr). the presence of borrelia burgdorferi genetic material was noted in 69 cases (6.3%). it was confirmed that the frequency of infection of adult forms of ticks (males and females) was nearly twice as high as nymphs. the highest degree of infection was observed in females--9.5 ...	2003	16889023
[prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ixodes ricinus population in forests of north-western poland].	the ticks ixodes ricinus were collected during three growing seasons in forested areas of north-western poland. the ticks were collected by flagging at 30 sites. the specimens collected (nymphs and adults) were subjected, after an appropiate treatment, to indirect immunofluorescence analysis (ifa). in addition, effects of temperature and atmospheric precipitation on the tick infection with the spirochaete borrelia burgdorferi were investigated based on data supplied by the institute of meteorolo ...	2003	16889030
[occurrence of babesia microti in ticks ixodes ricinus on selected areas of western pomerania].	the aim of present study was to evaluate acquisition risk of babesiosis in human population exposed to ticks ixodes ricinus by examination of babesia microti dna occurrence in ticks of all development stages. the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) was applied to estimate the occurrence of dna babesia microti in ixodes ricinus. the bab1 and bab4 primers were used to amplify fragment. 238bp in length, of 18s rrna gene for small ribosomal subunit. amplicons were electroforeticaly separated in agarose ...	2003	16889031
ospa heterogeneity of borrelia valaisiana confirmed by phenotypic and genotypic analyses.	although european borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolates have been divided into five genospecies, specific tools for the serotype characterization of only three genospecies are available. monoclonals antibodies (mabs) h3ts, d6 and i17.3 identify b. burgdorferi sensu stricto (ss.), b. garinii and b. afzelii respectively, but no mabs are available to identify b. valaisiana. in the same way, specific primers exist to amplify the ospa gene of b. burgdorferi ss., b. garinii and b. afzelii. the aim ...	2003	12823864
the occurrence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the populations of ixodes ricinus in forest areas of szczecin during 2000-2001.	the aim of the present study was to determine the seasonal abundance of ticks, ixodes ricinus and their infection frequency with spirochetes, borrelia burgdorferi in wooded areas of the vicinity of the city of szczecin during 2000-2001. the ticks were collected from april to october. presence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was detected with the method of indirect immunofluorescence (ifa). the results showed differences in seasonal activity of ticks within the years of the study. in the year ...	2003	12852727
borrelia burgdorferi infection among forestry workers - assessed with an immunoenzymatic method (elisa), pcr and correlated with the clinical state of the patients.	occurrence of borreliosis in human population is associated with possibility of contact with the biological vector of this disease - a common european tick, ixodes ricinus. therefore, the highest number of cases of lyme disease has been recorded among forestry workers and inhabitants of wooded areas. diagnostics of borreliosis is based on immunoserologic tests - elisa or indirect immunofluorescence method, western blot technique, or on increasingly popular dna examination using the polymerase ch ...	2003	12852729
molecular evidence of the presence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in blood samples taken from dogs in poland.	our earlier studies on ticks, ixodes ricinus have demonstrated that the north-western part of poland is an endemic area for borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and therefore sick dogs, at the time of the highest activity of ticks, should be suspected for having borreliosis. we carried out a preliminary pcr survey of the blood of 15 dogs naturally exposed on ticks for the presence of the dna of b. burgdorferi using primers complementary to the fragment of the gene encoding 16s rrna of the small ribos ...	2003	12852742
ixodes ricinus as a potential vector of toxoplasma gondii.	the presence of toxoplasma gondii dna was detected by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) test in 2 out of 92 ixodes ricinus ticks (2.8%) collected in the woodlands of eastern poland. this suggests that ticks of this species may be involved in the spread of toxoplasmosis under natural conditions.	2003	12852744
differences in clinical manifestations and hematological and serological responses after experimental infection with genetic variants of anaplasma phagocytophilum in sheep.	five-month-old lambs were experimentally infected with two 16s rrna genetic variants of anaplasma phagocytophilum, variants 1 (genbank accession no. m73220) and 2 (genbank accession no. af336220). additional sequencing of the groesl heat shock operon gene indicated that these variants differ in three nucleotides at positions 782, 824, and 890. the variants were obtained by blood sampling of a. phagocytophilum-infected lambs from one sheep flock in norway and were stored at -70 degrees c with 10% ...	2003	12853406
isolation and characterization of a new rickettsia from ixodes ricinus ticks collected in slovakia.		2003	12860599
investigation of anaplasma phagocytophila infections in ixodes ricinus and dermacentor reticulatus ticks in austria.		2003	12860606
ehrlichia-like organism gene found in small mammals in the suburban district of guangzhou of china.	the 16s rrna gene of ehrlichia genus was examined from the blood and spleen of 26 wild small mammals that were captured at a canine feed lot where the first case of canine ehrlichiosis was found in south of china in 1998. samples (3 blood and 1 spleen) from rattus norvegicus were positive by polymerase chain reaction. the amplimers were then cloned and sequenced. all of the 16s rrna gene sequence of these samples were found to be same and unique when compared with the other members of genus ehrl ...	2003	12860609
candidatus ehrlichia walkerii: a new ehrlichia detected in ixodes ricinus tick collected from asymptomatic humans in northern italy.	ixodes ricinus harbors many infectious agents pathogenic for humans. a cause of fever is found in less than 50% of patients exposed to ticks. investigations on 359 ixodes ticks removed from asymptomatic patients in northern italy revealed the presence of a new ehrlichial agent in 10 ticks. comparison of the 16s rrna and the glta gene sequences showed the organism is most closely related to ehrlichia ruminantium. we propose this new ehrlichia be named "candidatus ehrlichia walkerii."	2003	12860615
detection of astrakhan fever rickettsia from ticks in kosovo.	astrakhan fever is a summer spotted fever resembling mediterranean spotted fever, endemic in astrakhan, a region of russia located by the caspian sea. its agent is a spotted fever group rickettsia, member of the rickettsia conorii complex, transmitted to humans by rhipicephalus sanguineus and rhipicephalus pumilio ticks. in summer 2001, french united nations troops in kosovo collected 2 ticks on asymptomatic soldiers (1 r. sanguineus and 1 hyalomma marginatum) and 10 ticks on dogs (7 r. sanguine ...	2003	12860620
genetic diversity of bacterial agents detected in ticks removed from asymptomatic patients in northeastern italy.	a total of 360 ticks were removed from 353 asymptomatic subjects in belluno province, italy and surrounding areas, from 1998 to 2001. ticks were identified as ixodes ricinus (357), ixodes hexagonus (1), rhipicephalus sanguineus (1), and ixodes ventalloi (1). tick dna was investigated by pcr and subsequent sequencing of amplified products to identity associated bacterial agents. primers targeting different genes of rickettsia (glta and ompa), borrelia (16s rdna, rpob), francisella (16s rdna), and ...	2003	12860623
detection of rickettsiae in ixodes ricinus ticks in slovenia.		2003	12860626
molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that the ixodes ricinus complex is a paraphyletic group.	the ixodes ricinus species complex is a group of ticks distributed in almost all geographic regions of the world. lyme borreliosis spirochetes are primarily transmitted by tick species within this complex. it has been hypothesized that the lyme vector ticks around the world are closely related and represent a monophyletic group. this implies that vector competence in ixodid ticks for lyme agents might have evolved only once. to test this hypothesis, we used a molecular phylogenetic approach. two ...	2003	12880241
rickettsia aeschlimannii in spain: molecular evidence in hyalomma marginatum and five other tick species that feed on humans.		2003	12899141
israeli spotted fever rickettsia in sicilian rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks.		2003	12899144
co-feeding transmission and its contribution to the perpetuation of the lyme disease spirochete borrelia afzelii.		2003	12899145
real-time pcr for simultaneous detection and quantification of borrelia burgdorferi in field-collected ixodes scapularis ticks from the northeastern united states.	the density of spirochetes in field-collected or experimentally infected ticks is estimated mainly by assays based on microscopy. in this study, a real-time quantitative pcr (qpcr) protocol targeting the borrelia burgdorferi-specific reca gene was adapted for use with a lightcycler for rapid detection and quantification of the lyme disease spirochete, b. burgdorferi, in field-collected ixodes scapularis ticks. the sensitivity of qpcr for detection of b. burgdorferi dna in infected ticks was comp ...	2003	12902243
internal and external mycoflora of the american dog tick, dermacentor variabilis (acari: ixodidae), and its ecological implications.	scopulariopsis brevicaulis, the anamorph of microascus brevicaulis (microascaceae, ascomycota), has been identified in the body contents of the tick dermacentor variabilis. after topical application of the fungal inoculum, tick mortality was marked. this is the first account describing the internal mycoflora of d. variabilis with a novel technique used to recover potential biological control agents.	2003	12902299
epidemiological survey of babesia species in japan performed with specimens from ticks collected from dogs and detection of new babesia dna closely related to babesia odocoilei and babesia divergens dna.	detection and analysis of babesia species from ticks recovered from dogs in japan were attempted by pcr and nucleotide sequence analysis based on the 18s rrna gene, respectively. a total of 1136 ticks were examined for babesia dna by 18s rrna-based pcr and nucleotide sequencing. partial sequences of babesia canis vogeli dna were detected from six ticks in aomori, nara, hiroshima, oita, and okinawa prefectures; and babesia gibsoni asia-1 dna was also detected in four ticks in osaka, hiroshima, mi ...	2003	12904344
first isolation and characterization of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains from ixodes ricinus ticks in turkey.	in order to investigate the presence and prevalence of lyme borreliosis (lyme disease) borrelia species, 312 unfed ticks were collected by flagging at a woodland area in trakya, in the european side of turkey, in may 2002. twelve of 299 ixodes ricinus ticks were infected with borrelia spp., as determined by cultivation in bsk medium (prevalence rate 4.0 %). ten pure cultures were subjected to further characterization by sequencing analysis of the 5s-23s rdna intergenic spacer, 16s rdna and flage ...	2003	12909659
the effects of an imidacloprid and permethrin combination against developmental stages of ixodes ricinus ticks.		2003	12928874
identification of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma and ehrlichia species, and spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks from southeastern europe.	prevalence data for tick-borne pathogens are used to assess the risk for human health. in this study the presence and identity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, ehrlichia, anaplasma, and rickettsia species in bulgarian ixodes ricinus ticks and in non- ixodes ticks from turkey and albania was determined by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) and reverse line blot hybridization. in the adult bulgarian ticks, the prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection was approximately 40%, while bor ...	2003	12938010
thresholds for disease persistence in models for tick-borne infections including non-viraemic transmission, extended feeding and tick aggregation.	lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (tbe) are two emergent tick-borne diseases transmitted by the widely distributed european tick ixodes ricinus. the life cycle of the vector and the number of hosts involved requires the development of complex models which consider different routes of pathogen transmission including those occurring between ticks that co-feed on the same host. hence, we consider here a general model for tick-borne infections. we assumed ticks feed on two types of host speci ...	2003	12941594
ectoparasite infestations of red foxes (vulpes vulpes) in hungary.	a survey was carried out to investigate the ectoparasite infestations of 100 red foxes (vulpes vulpes) in hungary. the overall prevalence of flea and tick infestation was high (62 and 86% with the dominance of the anthropophil pulex irritans and ixodes ricinus), but the number of parasites was low to moderate. felicola vulpis was not found in the present study, and the prevalence of otodectes cynotis was only 2%. based on prevalence (21%), mange lesion scores, and the negative correlation betwee ...	2003	12944049
diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis by a mu-capture immunoglobulin m-enzyme immunoassay based on secreted recombinant antigen produced in insect cells.	acute tick-borne encephalitis is diagnosed by detection of igm antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev) (genus flavivirus) in patient serum. tbev membrane (m) and envelope (e) proteins have previously been shown to form virus-like particles when expressed in mammalian cells. we expressed the prm/m and e proteins in insect cells with a recombinant baculovirus system and obtained antigenic protein secreted into the cell culture medium, as evidenced by detection by a panel of five monoclo ...	2003	12958266
molecular characterization of a non-babesia divergens organism causing zoonotic babesiosis in europe.	in europe, most reported human cases of babesiosis have been attributed, without strong molecular evidence, to infection with the bovine parasite babesia divergens. we investigated the first known human cases of babesiosis in italy and austria, which occurred in two asplenic men. the complete 18s ribosomal rna (18s rrna) gene was amplified from specimens of their whole blood by polymerase chain reaction (pcr). with phylogenetic analysis, we compared the dna sequences of the pcr products with tho ...	2003	12967491
tick salivary gland extract accelerates proliferation of francisella tularensis in the host.	accelerated proliferation of the tick-borne bacterial pathogen francisella tularensis was demonstrated in mice when the bacterium was injected together with salivary gland extract from ixodes ricinus ticks. a significant increase in the numbers of bacteria was recorded in the dermal site of infection,the draining lymph nodes, and the spleen. analysis of the expression of cytokine messenger ribonucleic acids showed polarization toward a th2 profile. salivary gland extract-mediated suppression of ...	2003	12659297
molecular evidence of coinfection of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent, and babesia microti in ticks from northwestern poland.	to assess the potential risk for tick-borne agents, ixodes ricinus were collected from 2 sites in northwestern poland. the ticks were tested by polymerase chain reaction for coinfection with borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s. l.), human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (hge) agent, and babesia microti. of the 533 processed ticks, 16.7% were positive for b. burgdorferi s. l., 13.3% for b. microti, and 4.5% for the hge agent. twenty ticks were coinfected with 2 or 3 of the pathogens.	2003	12659331
prevalence of borreliae in ixodid ticks from a floodplain forest ecosystem.	host-seeking ixodid ticks were sampled in a floodplain forest ecosystem along the lower reaches of the thaya (dyje) river in south moravia (czech republic) and lower austria during the period 1989-2002. the ticks were examined by dark-field microscopy for borreliae (borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the agent of lyme borreliosis), and attempts were made to culture the spirochetes in bsk-h medium from preparations containing their high numbers. isolated borreliae were identified by pcr-rflp analys ...	2003	12674689
longitudinal surveillance of the tick ixodes ricinus for borreliae.	host-seeking ixodes ricinus (l.) (acari: ixodidae) were monitored for borreliae (borrelia burgdorferi s.l.) using dark-field microscopy in south moravia (czech republic) each may from 1991 to 2001 (150 nymphs, 100 females and 100 males each year). this survey revealed a mean annual percentage of infected ticks of 16.8% (range, 11.7-24.2) in nymphs, 24.9% (range, 16.5-33.6) in females and 26.1% (range, 17.1-37.3) in males. annual incidence of lyme borreliosis in humans of the area in the same per ...	2003	12680924
sex-specific genetic structure: new trends for dioecious parasites.	in dioecious parasite species, genetic structure can differ between sexes, as recently demonstrated for the digenetic trematode schistosoma mansoni and the ectoparasitic tick ixodes ricinus. this article presents some of the methods that allow detecting such a pattern in natural populations. the proximate and ultimate factors that potentially generate a sex-specific genetic structure are discussed, as are evolutionary and epidemiological consequences for dioecious parasites and vectors.	2003	12689647
prevalence of granulocytic ehrlichia and borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ixodes ricinus ticks collected from southwestern finland and from vormsi island in estonia.	altogether, 343 adult and 111 nymphal ixodes ricinus ticks collected from parks in turku and suburban and rural islands of the turku archipelago, finland, and 100 adult i. ricinus ticks collected from vormsi island, estonia, were included in this study. using the polymerase chain reaction the ticks were examined for 16s rdna of the ehrlichia phagocytophila genogroup and for borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato reca and flagellin genes. none of the finnish ticks was found to be infected with e. phagoc ...	2003	12716393
darkness induces mobility, and saturation deficit limits questing duration, in the tick ixodes ricinus.	the behaviour of ixodes ricinus nymphs was recorded in 10-day experiments using computer-assisted video-tracking, in the absence of any host stimuli. these ticks switch spontaneously from questing in a desiccating atmosphere to quiescence in a water-saturated atmosphere after dark. quantification of both questing and quiescence duration demonstrates that questing duration is inversely related to saturation deficit whereas quiescence duration is not. distance walked after quiescence increased wit ...	2003	12728002
association of borrelia garinii and b. valaisiana with songbirds in slovakia.	in europe, 6 of the 11 genospecies of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato are prevalent in questing ixodes ricinus ticks. in most parts of central europe, b. afzelii, b. garinii, and b. valaisiana are the most frequent species, whereas b. burgdorferi sensu stricto, b. bissettii, and b. lusitaniae are rare. previously, it has been shown that b. afzelii is associated with european rodents. therefore, the aim of this study was to identify reservoir hosts of b. garinii and b. valaisiana in slovakia. son ...	2003	12732554
habitat-specific diversity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in europe, exemplified by data from latvia.	the distribution of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies in questing ixodes ricinus ticks from ecologically distinct habitats in latvia was analyzed. a significant variation in the frequency of the genospecies across sites was observed, pointing to the importance of the host community in the ecology of lyme borreliosis.	2003	12732580
shift of the tick ixodes ricinus and tick-borne encephalitis to higher altitudes in central europe.		2003	12736793
ixodes ricinus tick salivary gland extract inhibits il-10 secretion and cd69 expression by mitogen-stimulated murine splenocytes and induces hyporesponsiveness in b lymphocytes.	tick saliva contains immunosuppressive factors allowing this blood-feeding ectoparasite to remain on hosts and enhancing pathogen transmission. in this study, we examined the modulation of mitogen-induced activation of naive murine splenocytes by the saliva and salivary gland extract (sge) of i. ricinus ticks. we found that saliva-specific factors reduced il-10 production by both concanavalin a (cona) and lipopolysaccharide (lps) stimulated splenocytes. the lps-induced il-10 production is 10 tim ...	2003	12753435
cloning of a salivary gland metalloprotease and characterization of gelatinase and fibrin(ogen)lytic activities in the saliva of the lyme disease tick vector ixodes scapularis.	the full-length sequence of tick salivary gland cdna coding for a protein similar to metalloproteases (mp) of the reprolysin family is reported. the ixodes scapularis mp is a 488 amino acid (aa) protein containing pre- and pro-enzyme domains, the zinc-binding motif hexxhxxgxxh common to metalloproteases, and a cysteine-rich region. in addition, the predicted amino-terminal sequences of i. scapularis mps were found by edman degradation of pvdf-transferred sds/page-separated tick saliva proteins, ...	2003	12767911
bartonella henselae in ixodes ricinus ticks (acari: ixodida) removed from humans, belluno province, italy.	the potential role of ticks as vectors of bartonella species has recently been suggested. in this study, we investigated the presence of bartonella species in 271 ticks removed from humans in belluno province, italy. by using primers derived from the 60-kda heat shock protein gene sequences, bartonella dna was amplified and sequenced from four ixodes ricinus ticks (1.48%). to confirm this finding, we performed amplification and partial sequencing of the pap31 protein and the cell division protei ...	2003	12643827
[borrelia in ticks biting humans and prevention of lyme borreliosis].	we examined by dark field microscopy 195 of 209 ixodes ricinus ticks that were removed from humans in the czech republic (mainly in southern moravia) during 1997-2001. the majority of the ticks were nymphs (62%), 31% were females and 7% larvae; 10.7% of the nymphs, 20.3% of the females but no larvae were found to be infected with b. burgdorferi s.l., the agent of lyme borreliosis (lb). this observation supports for central europe the conclusions drawn from north america about nymphal ixodid tick ...	2003	12647556
prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi species and identification of borrelia valaisiana in questing ixodes ricinus in the lyon region of france as determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.	many cases of lyme borreliosis have been reported over the years in the region of lyon, france. the identification and prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ixodes ricinus were investigated by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) of the flagellin gene and restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) analysis. questing ixodes ricinus larvae, nymphs and adults were collected by the flagging method from deciduous forests in four areas in the lyon region of france between october 1994 and s ...	2003	12649714
anaplasma phagocytophilum reduces neutrophil apoptosis in vivo.	ovine neutrophils spontaneously underwent apoptosis during culture in vitro, as assessed by morphological changes and exposure of annexin v binding sites on their cell surfaces. the addition of conditioned medium from concanavalin a-treated ovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) could partially protect against this progression into apoptosis, but dexamethasone and sodium butyrate could not. actinomycin d accelerated the rate at which ovine neutrophils underwent apoptosis. neutrophils is ...	2003	12654818
transmission of anaplasma phagocytophilum to ixodes ricinus ticks from sheep in the acute and post-acute phases of infection.	a total of 60 sheep were exposed to anaplasma phagocytophilum infection on an enclosed area of ixodes ricinus-infested pasture in north wales, united kingdom, and rapidly acquired acute a. phagocytophilum infections detectable by pcr and blood smear examination. of the ticks that had engorged in the previous instar on infected sheep, 52% of adult ticks and 28% of nymphs were pcr positive; a significant, 10-fold increase in prevalence compared to that of ticks that engorged on sheep preinfection ...	2003	12654828
relapsing fever-like spirochetes infecting european vector tick of lyme disease agent.	to determine whether relapsing fever-like spirochetes associated with hard ticks may infect ixodes ricinus ticks in central europe, we screened questing ticks for 16s rdna similar to that of asian and american relapsing fever-like spirochetes. we compared the prevalence of these spirochetes to that of lyme disease spirochetes transmitted by the same vector. relapsing fever-like spirochetes infect 3.5% of questing vector ticks in our three central european sites near the rhein valley. these spiro ...	2003	12781009
prevalence of four species of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and coinfection with anaplasma phagocytophila in ixodes ricinus ticks in central germany.	a total of 305 ixodes ricinus ticks collected from three areas of thuringia in central germany were investigated for infection with borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species and anaplasma phagocytophila. overall, 11.1% were infected with borrelia burgdorferi and 2.3% with anaplasma phagocytophila. adult ticks showed a significantly higher rate of infection with both borreliae and anaplasma phagocytophila. borrelia garinii (55.9%) was detected most frequently, followed by borrelia burgdorferi sensu ...	2003	12783276
prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genomospecies and of the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (hge) agent in ixodes ricinus ticks collected in the area of monti lepini, italy.	ticks are obligate hematophagous arthropods that are parasites in every class of vertebrates in most regions of the world. they are also considered to be important vectors for the transmission of human infectious diseases. in the present study we used polymer chain reaction (pcr) amplification analysis to determine the prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi and ehrlichia phagocytophila, the agents of, respectively, lyme borreliosis and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, among ticks inhabiting the area ...	2003	12797900
detection of coxiella burnetii in ticks collected in slovakia and hungary.	a total of 235 adult ticks collected from vegetation in slovakia and hungary in 1998-2000 were tested for coxiella burnetii by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (pcr-rflp). c. burnetii was identified in six ticks of ixodes ricinus, dermacentor marginatus, and haemaphysalis concinna species.	2003	12800953
babesia microti infection of anthropophilic ticks (ixodes ricinus) in hungary.		2003	12803863
[effect of juvenoids and retinoic acid on the development or larva and nymphs of the tick ixodes ricinus l. (acari: ixodidae) and regeneration of haller's organ during metamorphosis].	larvae and nymphae of the tick ixodes ricinus l. display similar reactions to analogs of the insect juvenile hormones (methopren and pyriproxyfen), which induce at both stages juvenalization of the haller's sense organ regenerates. similar effects were also described for retinoic acid. unlike juvenoids, retinoic acid can affect not only regeneration, but also normal development of the haller's organ and cause changes corresponding to so-called regenerative induction. amputation of the leg and tr ...	2003	12625074
antigenic classification of rickettsia felis by using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.	rickettsia felis is a flea-transmitted rickettsia. there is a discrepancy between its reported phylogenic and phenotypic identifications. following the first report of r. felis, it was considered by tests with serologic reagents to be closely related to another recognized flea-transmitted rickettia, r. typhi. subsequently, it appeared to be more closely related to spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae by genetic analysis. in the present work, r. felis was studied by microimmunofluorescence (mif) ...	2003	12626446
in vitro and in vivo studies on the effect of a combination containing 10% imidacloprid and 50% permethrin against ixodes ricinus ticks.		2003	12632172
the molecular evidence of babesia microti infection in small mammals collected in slovenia.	in europe, the zoonotic cycle of babesia microti has not been determined so far. recently, b. microti was detected in ixodes ricinus ticks in slovenia by using molecular methods. in order to investigate the mammalian hosts of b. microti in slovenia we collected 261 small mammals representing 11 species. they were tested for the presence of babesial parasites with a pcr assay based on the nuclear small subunit rrna gene (nss-rdna). the bank vole (clethrionomys glareolus) and yellow-necked mouse ( ...	2003	12636348
ixodes hexagonus is the main candidate as vector of theileria annae in northwest spain.	babesia canis and babesia gibsoni have, until recently, been considered the only piroplasms that parasitise dogs. however, recent reports indicate that "small" babesia infections in spanish dogs are surprisingly frequent and molecular phylogenetic analysis indicates that the infecting agent is closely related to babesia microti. because the 18srdna sequence was not completely identical to that of b. microti, the new name "theileria annae" was assigned to the canine agent. no information is avail ...	2003	12581593
antibiotic susceptibilities of anaplasma (ehrlichia) phagocytophilum strains from various geographic areas in the united states.	we tested the antibiotic susceptibilities of eight strains of anaplasma phagocytophilum (the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis) collected in various geographic areas of the united states, including minnesota, wisconsin, california, and new york. the results are homogeneous and show that doxycycline, rifampin, and levofloxacin are the most active antibiotics against these strains in vitro.	2003	12499227
genetic variability within borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies established by pcr-single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of the rrfa-rrlb intergenic spacer in ixodes ricinus ticks from the czech republic.	in europe the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex is represented by five distinct genospecies: borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, borrelia afzelii, borrelia garinii, borrelia valaisiana, and borrelia lusitaniae. these taxonomic entities are known to differ in their specific associations with vertebrate hosts and to provoke distinct clinical manifestations in human patients. however, exceptions to these rules have often been observed, indicating that strains belonging to a single genospecies ...	2003	12514035
ehrlichia chaffeensis: a prototypical emerging pathogen.	ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligately intracellular, tick-transmitted bacterium that is maintained in nature in a cycle involving at least one and perhaps several vertebrate reservoir hosts. the moderate to severe disease caused by e. chaffeensis in humans, first identified in 1986 and reported for more than 1,000 patients through 2000, represents a prototypical "emerging infection." knowledge of the biology and natural history of e. chaffeensis, and of the epidemiology, clinical features, and ...	2003	12525424
four serine proteinase inhibitors (serpin) from the brown ear tick, rhiphicephalus appendiculatus; cdna cloning and preliminary characterization.	while development of an anti-boophilus microplus vaccine is advanced and practical, work on other economically important ticks such as rhipicephalus appendiculatus is still in its infancy. guess pcr primers, designed from a consensus amino acid sequence (navykfg) motif were used with rapid amplification of cdna ends (race) to clone four cdnas encoding serine proteinase inhibitors (serpin) from the brown ear tick rhipicephalus appendiculatus. the four genes designated as r. appendiculatus serpin ...	2003	12535684
molecular cloning, expression and isolation of ferritins from two tick species--ornithodoros moubata and ixodes ricinus.	genes encoding ferritins were isolated and cloned from cdna libraries of hard tick ixodes ricinus and soft tick ornithodoros moubata. both tick ferritins are composed of 172 amino-acid residues and their calculated mass is 19,667.2 da and 19,974.5 da for i. ricinus and o. moubata, respectively. the sequences of both proteins are closely related to each other as well as to the ferritin from another tick species dermacentor variabilis (>84% similarity). the proteins contain the conserved motifs fo ...	2003	12459205
application of broad-range 16s rrna pcr amplification and dgge fingerprinting for detection of tick-infecting bacteria.	ticks play an important role in the transmission of arthropod-borne diseases of viral, protozoal and bacterial origin. the present article describes a molecular-biological based method, which facilitated the broad-range analyses of bacterial communities in ixodid ticks (ixodes ricinus). dna was extracted both from single ticks and pooled adult ticks. eubacterial 16s rrna gene fragments (16s rdna) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) with broad-range ribosomal primers. sequences span ...	2003	12459246
an ospa-polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism-based method for sensitive detection and reliable differentiation of all european borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species and ospa types.	we describe a sensitive and reliable method for detection and differentiation of the five relevant european borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species ( b. burgdorferi sensu stricto, b. afzelii, b. garinii, b. valaisiana, and b. lusitaniae), based on a heminested ospa-pcr followed by restriction enzyme analysis. sensitivity was one borrelia per pcr except for b. afzelii, where it was five per pcr. none of seven relapsing fever borreliae, eight leptospira serovars or two treponema species were ampli ...	2004	13680214
[prevalence of ixodes ricinus infection with borrelia burgdorferi s.l.: seasonal and annual variations].	the present study deals with the ecology of lyme borreliosis in northern poland. the complexity of environmental conditions are: (1) the presence of certain rodent hosts for the borrelia, (2) the seasonal patterns of abundance and infection rate of i. ricinus in the population of rodents and on vegetation, (3) the prevalence of b. burgdorferi s.l., b. garinii and b. afzelii. the long-term studies were carried out on a monthly basis from april to october (1998-2001) in woodlands at urwitałt near ...	2004	16859032
[biology of ixodes ricinus (l.) and its pathogens in wrocław area].	within 2001-2003, a total of 4743 ticks of ixodes ricinus were trapped from the forest area in masyw sliy (lower silesia, poland) near wrocław. common distribution of ixodid ticks in all examined habitats, located near touristic routes, are potential loci of lyme borreliosis in these recreational areas. out of 1108 tick samples examined by the observation in dfm for the presence of spirochetes, 6.7% were positive. the highest percent of infected ticks (13.1%) was found in 2003.	2004	16859033
occurrence and seasonal activity of european ticks ixodes ricinus (linnaeus, 1758) in the forest areas of olsztyn.	a total of 667 ticks (82% nymphs, 10.5% females and 7.5% males) were caught at 7 selected sites within the las miejski in olsztyn. the average population of ticks was 18.6 individuals/100 m2. two peaks of tick activity were recorded: the spring peak in may and the autumn peak in august.	2004	16859034
[morphology of tick tarsus (acari: ixodida)--modifications connected with life cycle, behaviour, and habitat].	ticks are ectoparasites of wide variety of vertebrates living in various types of environment all over the world. morphological, biological, and physiological differences among tick species as well as among tick life stages are the result of tick adaptations to various life conditions. this paper presents morphological adaptations of tick tarsus to the hosts and the life conditions. the authors underline morphological differences of haller's organ and pretarsus in four tick species: argas reflex ...	2004	16859038
[occurence of pathogenic genospecies of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ixodes ricinus ticks collected from north-western poland].	in order to learn the heterogeneity of the dna of b. burgdorferi s.l. and the prevalence of co-infections of b. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies in the populations of i. ricinus, collected in north-western poland, the nested pcr method was applied, a fragment of the fla gene being used as a marker. basing on the prevalence data of b. burgdorferi s.l. dna in i. ricinus ticks in 8 sampling sites during 1998-2001, it may be stated that a risk of contracting lyme disease exists in forested areas of nort ...	2004	16865967
[anaplasma phagocytophila and protozoans of babesia genus in dogs from endemic areas of lyme disease in north-western poland].	infections caused by the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato may be accompanied by other microorganisms, such as anaplasma, ehrlichia and babesia. these pathogens are transmitted by the ticks and are a risk to humans and animals. ixodes ricinus ticks collected from recreational areas of szczecin and northwestern poland contained dna of the pathogens mentioned above and cases of double and triple coinfection have been documented. the aim of this paper was to determine if dogs suspect to ti ...	2004	16865968
[participation of ixodes ricinus developmental stages in transmission of anaplasma (ehrlichia) phagocytophila].	the present study constitutes a survey on the prevalence of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent, anaplasma (ehrlichia) phagocytophila, infecting ticks, ixodes ricinus. i. ricinus were collected in the spring and autumn of the years 2000-2002 in western pomerania (poland), on vegetation using cloth drags. in all, 3340 individuals of i. ricinus were collected from the sampling sites. this total comprised of 511 females, 525 males, and 1998 nymphs. the prevalence of this pathogen in ticks was ass ...	2004	16865969
reduced variation among northern deer tick populations at an autosomal microsatellite locus.	to determine whether genes flow freely between populations of the ixodes ricinus-like ticks of eastern north america, and to determine whether the abundant northerly populations of these vectors of lyme disease and other zoonotic infections may have arisen recently from a small cohort of ancestral founders, we characterized the nuclear ir27 microsatellite alleles in ticks sampled from the geographic extremes of their ranges. these microsatellite alleles differentiated populations located in the ...	2004	15707282
[ehrlichiosis--a disease rarely recognized in poland].	ehrlichioses constitute a group of acute zoonoses caused by the infection with the microorganisms belonging to the genera ehrlichia, anaplasma and neorickettsia (rickettsiaceae). presence of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (hge) caused by infection with anaplasma phagocytophila (a. phagocytophila) and transmitted by ixodes ricinus tick has been confirmed in poland. all the cases described so far were noted in the area of endemic prevalence of lyme borreliosis (north-east of poland). lack of char ...	2004	15765762
tick ecology: processes and patterns behind the epidemiological risk posed by ixodid ticks as vectors.	the population ecology of ticks is fundamental to the spatial and temporal variation in the risk of infection by tick-borne pathogens. tick population dynamics can only be fully understood by quantifying the rates of the demographic processes, which are influenced by both abiotic (climatic) factors acting on the free-living tick stages and biotic (host) responses to the tick as a parasite. within the framework of a population model, i review methods and results of attempts to quantify (1) rates ...	2004	15938504
tick-borne viruses.	at least 38 viral species are transmitted by ticks. virus-tick-vertebrate host relationships are highly specific and less than 10% of all tick species (argasidae and ixodidae) are known to play a role as vectors of arboviruses. however, a few tick species transmit several (e.g. ixodes ricinus, amblyomma variegatum) or many (i. uriae) tick-borne viruses. tick-borne viruses are found in six different virus families (asfarviridae, reoviridae, rhabdoviridae, orthomyxoviridae, bunyaviridae, flaviviri ...	2004	15938513
zoonotic reservoir of babesia microti in poland.	babesiosis is as one of the emerging human and animal diseases transmitted by ticks. it is caused intraerythrocytic parasites of the genus babesia. current evidence of human babesiosis suggests that the majority of cases are involved by babesia divergens and babesia microti piroplasms. as zoonotic reservoir of b. microti serve small mammals--insectivores and rodents. the occurrence of this parasite in natural environment in poland is documented for various regions, in the wide range of mammal ho ...	2004	15787199
comparing the sensitivity of anaplasma phagocytophilum dna detection in ixodes ricinus ticks by amplifying a fragment of the epank-1 and the 16s rdna genes.	the study compared the sensitivity of two genetic markers (epank1, 16s rdna) in identifying anaplasma dna by using the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) technique. material for anaplasma dna studies was isolated from i. ricinus. amplification of the 16s rdna gene resulted in 5.77% positive samples, the value for the epank-1 gene equaled 11.54%. the results suggest that the sensitivity of the reaction for the epank-1 gene is greater than that of 16s rdna for the identification of anaplasma dna from ...	2004	16261882
human anaplasmosis in north-eastern poland: seroprevalence in humans and prevalence in ixodes ricinus ticks.	sera of 500 inhabitants of north-eastern poland, 450 suspected for lyme borreliosis and 50 blood donors (control group), were analysed for the presence of igg antibodies against anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agent of human anaplasmosis (ha), known so far as human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (hge). forty one (9.1 %) sera of the study group and one serum (2 %) of the control group were positive using indirect fluorescence assay (ifa). the seropositivity tended to be more frequent among ma ...	2004	15236505
the prevalence of spirochete borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks ixodes ricinus and mosquitoes aedes spp. within a selected recreational area in the city of szczecin.	the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of spirochete borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in ticks ixodes ricinus and mosquitoes aedes spp. within the bukowa forest, collected between 2000 and 2001. the study covered 215 ticks (193 nymphs and 22 adults) and 947 mosquitoes female of the genus aedes. spirochetes of borrelia burgdorferi s.l. were detected in the arthropods studied with the method of indirect immunofluorescence assay (ifa). positive readings of the immunological reaction were st ...	2004	15236506
ixodes ricinus as a vector of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma phagocytophilum and babesia microti in urban and suburban forests.	in the suburban and urban forests in the cities of gdansk, sopot and gdynia (northern poland), ixodes ricinus ticks should be considered as the vector of pathogenic microorganisms that may cause significant diseases in wild and domestic animals and humans. these microorganisms include etiologic agents of lyme disease, human anaplasmosis (ha) and babesiosis: borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma phagocytophilum and babesia microti, respectively. dna extracts from 701 ticks collected in 15 lo ...	2004	15236507