title: Incidence of Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii in Ixodes ricinus ticks in an urban environment, Prague, Czech Republic, between 1995 and 1998.
abstract: The presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and its individual genospecies was determined using a single-step polymerase chain reaction in a total of 779 Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from an urban park in Prague, Czech Republic. The incidence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was 9.2% in 1995, 3.4% in 1996, 4.5% in 1997 and 2.8% in 1998. The Borrelia garinii to Borrelia afzelii ratio was 1.4:1 and it did not differ significantly throughout the study period. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto was not detected. Borrelia garinii/Borrelia afzelii coinfection was found in 5.7% of positive ticks. The results indicate it is possible for the urban population to come in contact with the causative agent of Lyme disease in an urban park.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Basta
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Plch
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hulínská
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daniel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001898:Borrelia / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001899:Borrelia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D014504:Urban Health