title: High prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in ticks removed from human skin in north-eastern Poland.
abstract: 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 reticulatus also tested negative. The positive PCR products were sequenced and deposited in the Gen Bank (Accession No. DQ006828).
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Białystok, Zurawia 14 St., 15-540 Białystok, Poland. oliwa@amb.edu.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grzeszczuk
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stanczak
mesh_terms: D041081:Anaplasma phagocytophilum / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003870:Dermacentor / Q000382:microbiology; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009758:Nymph / Q000382:microbiology; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S