title: Anaplasmataceae and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the sand lizard Lacerta agilis and co-infection of these bacteria in hosted Ixodes ricinus ticks.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anaplasmataceae and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. are important tick-borne bacteria maintained in nature by transmission between ticks and vertebrate hosts. However, the potential role of lizards as hosts has not been sufficiently studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The current study showed that 23 of 171 examined sand lizards Lacerta agilis were PCR positive for Anaplasmataceae. The nucleotide sequences of the several selected PCR products showed 100% homology with Anaplasma spp. found in Ixodes ricinus collected in Tunisia and Morocco (AY672415 - AY672420). 1.2% of lizard collar scale samples were PCR positive for B. lusitaniae. In addition, 12 of 290 examined I. ricinus were PCR positive for B. burgdorferi s.l. and 82 were PCR positive for Anaplasmatacea. The number of ticks per lizard and the number of ticks PCR positive for both microorganisms per lizard were strongly correlated. Moreover, we found a significant correlation between numbers of ticks infected with Anaplasmataceae and with B. burgdorferi s.l. living on the same lizard. However, there was no significant correlation between detection of both bacteria in the same tick.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Anaplasmataceae DNA and additionally the second report of B. burgdorferi s.l DNA detection in the sand lizard.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ekner
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dudek
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sajkowska
authors.forename: Viktória
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Majláthová
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Majláth
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tryjanowski
mesh_terms: D000710:Anaplasmataceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000711:Anaplasmataceae Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000382:microbiology; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000382:microbiology*; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D008116:Lizards / Q000382:microbiology*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male