Tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in ticks feeding on the common nightingale including a novel strain of Rickettsia sp.
We examined 77 Ixodes ricinus ticks found on 33 out of 120 common nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos) sampled in the Czech Republic in 2008 for the presence of Borrelia spirochetes, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., and Babesia spp. We detected Borrelia garinii (in 4% of ticks), A. phagocytophilum (1%), Rickettsia helvetica (3%), a novel strain of Rickettsia sp. (sister taxon of R. bellii; 1%), and Babesia sp. EU1 (1%). Thus, we conclude that nightingales are unlikely to be important reservoir hosts for tick-borne pathogens.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Zluty kopec 7, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic. dubska@mou.cz
Lenka
L
Dubska
Ivan
I
Literak
Pavel
P
Kverek
Eva
E
Roubalova
Elena
E
Kocianova
Veronika
V
Taragelova
D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D046109:Passeriformes; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015047:Zoonoses