Publications

investigation of anaplasma phagocytophila infections in ixodes ricinus and dermacentor reticulatus ticks in austria.		2003	12860606
tickborne pathogen detection, western siberia, russia.	ixodes persulcatus (n = 125) and dermacentor reticulatus (n = 84) ticks from western siberia, russia, were tested for infection with borrelia, anaplasma/ehrlichia, bartonella, and babesia spp. by using nested polymerase chain reaction assays with subsequent sequencing. i. persulcatus ticks were infected with borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (37.6% +/- 4.3% [standard deviation]), anaplasma phagocytophilum (2.4% +/- 1.4%), ehrlichia muris (8.8% +/- 2.5%), and bartonella spp. (37.6% +/- 4.3%). d. re ...	2005	16318722
high prevalence of anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in ticks removed from human skin in north-eastern poland.	in order to examine the risk of anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in humans, 76 ixodes ricinus ticks and 3 dermacentor reticulatus removed from humans were examined for the presence of anaplasma phagocytophilum by pcr targeting the16s rrna gene. the average infection rate was 23.7% (18/76) in ixodes ricinus ticks. a very high infection rate reaching 36.8% (14/38) was detected in female ixodes ricinus, followed by males--16.6% and nymphs--10.5%. no infection was noted in larvae. all dermacentor ...	2006	16841871
the root-vole microtus oeconomus (pallas, 1776): a new potential reservoir of anaplasma phagocytophilum.	anaplasma phagocytophilum infection is a recently emerged tick-borne zoonosis. the bacterium's reservoirs likely comprise cervids, some ruminants, rodents, and perhaps other small and intermediate-size mammals; the main vector in europe is the ixodes ricinus tick. the białowieza primeval forest is an ecosystem with a known prevalence of tick-borne pathogens. we studied the root-vole microtus oeconomus to evaluate the natural infection of a. phagocytophilum. intragranulocytic bacterial clusters ( ...	2006	16989562
ticks and associated pathogens collected from domestic animals in the netherlands.	following an outbreak of autochthonous canine babesiosis in the netherlands, a request made to veterinarians and the public to collect ticks from companion animals resulted in 4298 ticks submitted between july 2005 and october 2006 to our center. ticks were identified as ixodes ricinus adults (2907/4298, 67.6%), ixodes sp. nymphs (529/4298, 12.3%) and ixodes sp. larvae (385/4298, 9.0%), i. hexagonus adults (328/4298, 7.6%), dermacentor reticulatus (72/4298, 1.7%), and several other exotic tick s ...	2007	17979540
prevalence of babesia canis, borrelia afzelii, and anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in hard ticks removed from dogs in warsaw (central poland).	the purposes of this study were to specify the occurrence and prevalence of babesia canis, borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, and anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks removed from dogs in warsaw, and to determine the borrelia species occurring in ixodes ricinus ticks. among 590 collected ticks, 209 were identified as i. ricinus, and 381 as dermacentor reticulatus. dna of b. canis was detected in 11% of d. reticulatus ticks. we found that 6.2% of i. ricinus ticks harbored b. burgdorferi s.l. specific ...	2008	18328630
rickettsial agents in slovakian ticks (acarina, ixodidae) and their ability to grow in vero and l929 cell lines.	a total of 80 adult ticks (55 haemaphysalis inermis, 12 dermacentor reticulatus, 11 d. marginatus, 2 ixodes ricinus) were collected from vegetation in three areas of slovakia (forest and pasture habitat) in central europe. forty-six (46 ticks) (57.5%) of all species tested were positive by the hemocyte test, pcr assays based on the glta and ompa genes showed a rickettsiaceae infection in 77.5% of the ticks, whereas only one h. inermis tick was positive for anaplasmataceae on a 16s rrna-based pcr ...	2008	19120229
rickettsia raoultii and anaplasma phagocytophilum in dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected from bialowieza primeval forest european bison (bison bonasus bonasus), poland.		2009	19548992
babesia canis and other tick-borne infections in dogs in central poland.	vector-borne infections constitute increasing health problem in dogs worldwide, including sled dogs, dramatically decreasing the fitness of working dogs and even leading to death. in the period 2006-2008 eighty-two blood samples were collected from eight sled dog kennels in central poland. the prevalence of four vector-borne infections (babesia canis, bartonella sp., anaplasma/ehrlichia and borrelia burgdorferi) was estimated in 82 sled dogs using pcr and nested pcr for diagnosis and the same me ...	2009	19837515
first detection of spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks in serbia.	ticks can transmit multiple pathogenic bacteria responsible for diseases in animals and humans such as borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma phagocytophilum, and spotted fever group rickettsia sp. the current study aimed to investigate the presence of rickettsiae in ticks collected from seven localities in serbia. one hundred thirty-one (131) questing ticks belonging to 5 tick species (dermacentor marginatus, dermacentor reticulatus, haemaphysalis punctata, haemaphysalis concinna, and ixode ...	2010	21142961
detection of anaplasma phagocytophilum in dermacentor reticulatus ticks.		2011	21493539
babesia spp. and anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing ticks, ticks parasitizing rodents and the parasitized rodents--analyzing the host-pathogen-vector interface in a metropolitan area.	the aims of this study were to evaluate the host-tick-pathogen interface of babesia spp. and anaplasma phagocytophilum in restored areas in both questing and host-attached ixodes ricinus and dermacentor reticulatus and their small mammalian hosts.	2012	22950642
species, developmental stage and infection with microbial pathogens of engorged ticks removed from dogs and questing ticks.	research into tick-borne diseases implies vector sampling and the detection and identification of microbial pathogens. ticks were collected simultaneously from dogs that had been exposed to tick bites and by flagging the ground in the area in which the dogs had been exposed. in total, 200 ticks were sampled, of which 104 came from dogs and 96 were collected by flagging. these ticks were subsequently examined for dna of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma phagocytophilum, rickettsia spp. a ...	2012	22882652
molecular detection and characterization of anaplasma phagocytophilum strains.	the zoonotic rickettsial pathogen anaplasma phagocytophilum has a broad geographic distribution and a high degree of biological and clinical diversity. to investigate the genetic diversity of a. phagocytophilum strains in the baltic region and norway, three species of ixodidae ticks were examined for a. phagocytophilum infection, and two genes of the pathogen genome were analyzed. analysis of partial 16s rrna and partial major surface protein (msp4) gene sequences was accomplished through nested ...	2012	22305337
vector-borne pathogens in ticks and edta-blood samples collected from client-owned dogs, kiev, ukraine.	due to the availability of adequate habitats in urban environments, e.g. city parks and recreational green areas, ticks from such settings may also carry pathogens of veterinary and public health concern. thus, tick-borne infections may readily be identified in companion animals residing in urbanised areas. to investigate the presence of vector-borne pathogens in kiev, ukraine, 52 engorged adult ticks, 33 dermacentor reticulatus and 19 ixodes ricinus, were collected from 15 dogs in the spring of ...	2013	23069260
absence of borrelia spp., candidatus neoehrlichia mikurensis, and anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing adult dermacentor reticulatus ticks.	to determine whether dermacentor reticulatus ticks are infected by borrelia spp., candidatus neoehrlichia mikurensis, or anaplasma phagocytophilum, we collected questing adults in the outskirts of berlin, germany, examined them for the presence of dna of these pathogens, and compared the infection rates to those of sympatric ixodes ricinus ticks. questing d. reticulatus adults appeared not to harbor the bacterial pathogens that are prevalent in i. ricinus ticks. based on our sample size, the est ...	2013	22955502
ticks and associated pathogens collected from dogs and cats in belgium.	although ixodes spp. are the most common ticks in north-western europe, recent reports indicated an expanding geographical distribution of dermacentor reticulatus in western europe. recently, the establishment of a d. reticulatus population in belgium was described. d. reticulatus is an important vector of canine and equine babesiosis and can transmit several rickettsia species, coxiella burnetii and tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev), whilst ixodes spp. are vectors of pathogens causing babesi ...	2013	23777784
a novel high-resolution melt pcr assay discriminates anaplasma phagocytophilum and "candidatus neoehrlichia mikurensis".	"candidatus neoehrlichia mikurensis" (anaplasmataceae) is an emerging pathogen transmitted by ixodes ticks. conventional pcr and the newly developed high-resolution melt pcr were used to detect and discriminate "candidatus neoehrlichia mikurensis" and anaplasma phagocytophilum. both bacterial species were frequently found in ixodes ricinus and ixodes hexagonus but virtually absent from dermacentor reticulatus. in rodents, "candidatus n. mikurensis" was significantly more prevalent than a. phagoc ...	2013	23576542
spotted fever group rickettsiae in dermacentor reticulatus and haemaphysalis punctata ticks in the uk.	spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae have recently been identified for the first time in uk ticks. this included the findings of rickettsia helvetica in ixodes ricinus and rickettsia raoultii in dermacentor reticulatus. this paper further investigates the occurrence of sfg rickettsiae in additional geographically distinct populations of d. reticulatus, and for the first time, investigates the occurrence of sfg rickettsiae in uk populations of haemaphysalis punctata ticks.	2013	23870197
prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in ixodes ricinus and dermacentor reticulatus ticks from different geographical locations in belarus.	worldwide, ticks are important vectors of human and animal pathogens. besides lyme borreliosis, a variety of other bacterial and protozoal tick-borne infections are of medical interest in europe. in this study, 553 questing and feeding ixodes ricinus (n = 327) and dermacentor reticulatus ticks (n = 226) were analysed by pcr for borrelia, rickettsia, anaplasma, coxiella, francisella and babesia species. overall, the pathogen prevalence in ticks was 30.6% for i. ricinus and 45.6% for d. reticulatu ...	2013	23349900
pathogens in ticks collected from dogs in berlin/brandenburg, germany.	tick-borne diseases are a major health risk for humans and dogs. in addition to collection and analysis of questing ticks, analysis of host-associated ticks for the presence of pathogens is a valuable method to gain insight into transmission patterns of tick-borne diseases.	2014	25441762
circulation of four anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotypes in europe.	anaplasma phagocytophilum is the etiological agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans and animals. wild animals and ticks play key roles in the enzootic cycles of the pathogen. potential ecotypes of a. phagocytophilum have been characterized genetically, but their host range, zoonotic potential and transmission dynamics has only incompletely been resolved.	2014	25127547
occurrence of ticks and prevalence of anaplasma phagocytophilum and borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in three types of urban biotopes: forests, parks and cemeteries.	the aim of the present study was to compare different urban biotopes for the occurrence of ixodid tick species, for the population density of ixodes ricinus and for the prevalence rates of two emerging, zoonotic pathogens. altogether 2455 ticks were collected from the vegetation on 30 places (forests, parks, cemeteries) of budapest, hungary. i. ricinus and haemaphysalis concinna were collected in all three biotope types, but dermacentor reticulatus only in parks and forests, and d. marginatus on ...	2014	25127161
the infection of questing dermacentor reticulatus ticks with babesia canis and anaplasma phagocytophilum in the chernobyl exclusion zone.	tick occurrence was studied in the chernobyl exclusion zone (cez) during the august-october 2009-2012. dermacentor reticulatus ticks were collected using the flagging method and then screened for infection with anaplasma phagocytophilum and babesia canis by a pcr method incorporating specific primers and sequence analysis. the prevalence of infection with b. canis canis and a. phagocytophilum was found to be 3.41% and 25.36%, respectively. the results present the first evidence of b. canis canis ...	2014	24953751
tick-borne diseases (borreliosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis) in german and austrian dogs: status quo and review of distribution, transmission, clinical findings, diagnostics and prophylaxis.	tick-borne diseases (tbd) in dogs have gained in significance in german and austrian veterinary practices. the widespread european tick species ixodes ricinus represents an important vector for spirochaetes of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group and rickettsiales such as anaplasma phagocytophilum. the meadow or ornate dog tick (dermacentor reticulatus) is an important vector for babesia canis, as is the brown dog tick (rhipicephalus sanguineus) for babesia vogeli in the mediterranean regio ...	2015	26152408
candidatus neoehrlichia mikurensis and anaplasma phagocytophilum in natural rodent and tick communities in southern hungary.	the aim of this study was to investigate the natural cycle of the new human pathogenic bacteria candidatus neoehrlichia mikurensis and anaplasma phagocytophilum in southern hungary. we collected rodents with live-traps (2010-2013) and questing ticks with flagging in 2012. small mammals were euthanized, tissue samples were collected and all the ectoparasites were removed and stored in 70% alcohol. we found relatively low overall prevalence of tick infestation (8%). samples were analysed for a. ph ...	2015	25468763
anaplasma phagocytophilum prevalence in ticks and rodents in an urban and natural habitat in south-western slovakia.	ixodes ricinus is the principal vector of anaplasma phagocytophilum, the ethiological agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis in europe. anaplasmosis is an emerging zoonotic disease with a natural enzootic cycle. the reservoir competence of rodents is unclear. monitoring of a. phagocytophilum prevalence in i. ricinus and rodents in various habitat types of slovakia may contribute to the knowledge about the epidemiology of anaplasmosis in central europe.	2015	25980768
anaplasmataceae in wild ungulates and carnivores in northern spain.	wild vertebrates are essential hosts for tick-borne diseases but data on the prevalence and diversity of anaplasma spp. in wildlife are scarce. in this study, we used real-time pcr to investigate the distribution of anaplasma species in spleen samples collected from 625 wild animals (137 cervids, 227 wild boar, and 261 carnivores) in two regions in northern spain. a first generic real-time pcr assay was used to screen for the presence of anaplasma spp. followed by a second species-specific multi ...	2016	26596894
the pcr and nested pcr detection of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma phagocytophilum and babesia microti in dermacentor reticulatus f. collected in a new location in poland (trzciel, western poland).	the study was performed in the trzciel forest districts which is located in the west part of poland. the scots pine is the main tree species creating forest landscape there. dermacentor reticulatus, usually found in wet, boggy and damp habitat, in this case was discovered in fresh mixed coniferous forest and fresh coniferous forest. in central europe the dermacentor reticulatus is after ixodes ricinus the second most important vector for tick-borne diseases in europe. the ticks were collected by ...	2016	27787203
the role of particular tick developmental stages in the circulation of tick-borne pathogens affecting humans in central europe. 2. tick-borne encephalitis virus.	hard-bodied ticks transmit various pathogens, such as borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma phagocytophilum, rickettsia spp., babesia spp., and carry numerous other microorganisms with an unknown pathogenic potential. among them, tick-borne encephalitis virus has great importance. in central european conditions all developmental stages of ticks participate in the zoonotic cycle of the tbe virus. according to pathogen and tick biology, the roles of larvae, nymphs and adults are different. la ...	2016	27262951
first molecular evidence of zoonotic bacteria in ticks in bosnia and herzegovina.	in bosnia and herzegovina, the tick fauna is very diverse, but data on the occurrence of zoonotic tick-borne bacteria are lacking. thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the presence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma phagocytophilum, 'candidatus neoehrlichia mikurensis', spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae and francisella tularensis in questing ticks. in 19 (21.8%) of 87 ticks (ixodes ricinus, n = 30; dermacentor reticulatus, n = 54; d. marginatus, n = 3) collected by flagg ...	2016	26799474
molecular detection of emerging tick-borne pathogens in vojvodina, serbia.	ticks play an important role in disease transmission globally due to their capability to serve as vectors for human and animal pathogens. the republic of serbia is an endemic area for a large number of tick-borne diseases. however, current knowledge on these diseases in serbia is limited. the aim of this study was to investigate the presence of new emerging tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from dogs and the vegetation from different parts of vojvodina, serbia. a total of 187 ticks, includ ...	2016	26565929
detection of selected pathogens in ticks collected from cats and dogs in the wrocław agglomeration, south-west poland.	tick-borne infections are no longer confined to rural areas, they are documented with increasing frequency in urban settlements across the world. they are known to cause diseases in humans as well as in their companion animals.	2016	27329450
prevalence of infections and co-infections with 6 pathogens in dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected in eastern poland.	occurrence of co-infections with various pathogens in ixodid ticks creates a risk of increased severity of tick-borne diseases in humans and animals exposed to bite of the ticks carrying multiple pathogens. accordingly, co-infections in ticks were subject of numerous analyses, but almost exclusively with regard to ixodes ricinus complex whereas potential tick vectors belonging to other genera were much less studied. taking into consideration the role of dermacentor reticulatus in the transmissio ...	2017	28378977
borrelia diversity and co-infection with other tick borne pathogens in ticks.	identifying borrelia burgdorferi as the causative agent of lyme disease in 1981 was a watershed moment in understanding the major impact that tick-borne zoonoses can have on public health worldwide, particularly in europe and the usa. the medical importance of tick-borne diseases has long since been acknowledged, yet little is known regarding the occurrence of emerging tick-borne pathogens such as borrelia spp., anaplasma phagocytophilum, rickettsia spp., bartonella spp., "candidatus neoehrlichi ...	2017	28261565
emergence of tick-borne pathogens (borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, anaplasma phagocytophilum, ricketsia raoultii and babesia microti) in the kyiv urban parks, ukraine.	to date, only limited data about the presence of ticks and circulation of tick-borne pathogens in urban parks of kyiv in northern ukraine are available. in total, 767 ticks (696 ixodes ricinus and 69 dermacentor reticulatus) collected in seven urban parks and one suburban oak wood park in kyiv were individually analyzed by the pcr assays. tick-borne pathogens, namely spirochetes from borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, anaplasma phagocytophilum, and babesia microti, were detected in 11.1% o ...	2017	27923669
impact of a freeway on the dispersal of ticks and ixodes ricinus-borne pathogens: forested resting areas may become lyme disease hotspots.	man-made barriers are well known for their effects on ecosystems. habitat fragmentation, for instance, is a recognised consequence of modern-day infrastructure. the aim of the present study was to investigate the diversity and abundance of tick species, as well as the risks of acquiring tick-borne infections in habitats adjacent to a freeway. therefore, ixodid ticks were collected from the vegetation at two-week intervals (in the main tick season, from march to june) in eight habitats of differe ...	2017	28605964