Babesia microti in adult Dermacentor reticulatus ticks from eastern Poland.
A total of 468 adult Dermacentor reticulatus ticks (298 females and 170 males) collected by flagging in the forests of Lubelskie province, eastern Poland, were analyzed by PCR and nested-PCR for the presence of Babesia microti DNA. In all, 21 ticks (4.5%) were found to be infected with B. microti. The infection rate in females (5.0%) was slightly greater than in males (3.5%). Detection of B. microti for the first time in adult D. reticulatus ticks suggests that this species should be considered as a potential vector of B. microti in Europe.
Department of Zoonoses, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, Poland. afatla@poczta.onet.pl
Angelina
A
Wójcik-Fatla
Katarzyna
K
Bartosik
Alicja
A
Buczek
Jacek
J
Dutkiewicz
D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000469:parasitology*; D041001:Babesia microti / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000635:transmission*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003870:Dermacentor / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000635:transmission
D016054:DNA, Protozoan