Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and its co-circulation with Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes ricinus ticks across ecologically different habitats of Central Europe.
BACKGROUND
Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis is a newly emerging tick-borne bacterium from the family Anaplasmataceae. Its presence in Ixodes ricinus ticks was reported from various European countries, however, it's ecology and co-circulation with another member of the same family, Anaplasma phagocytophilum has not been rigorously studied yet.


RESULTS
Candidatus N. mikurensis was detected in all sampling sites. In total, 4.5% of ticks were positive including larvae. The highest positivity was detected in Austria with a prevalence of 23.5%. The probability of Candidatus N. mikurensis occurrence increased with the proportion of ticks infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum.


CONCLUSIONS
A positive association between the occurrences of Candidatus N. mikurensis and A. phagocytophilum indicates that both bacteria share similar ecology for their natural foci in Central Europe.
Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06 Bratislava, Slovakia. marketa.derdakova@gmail.com.
Markéta
M
Derdáková
Radovan
R
Václav
Lucia
L
Pangrácova-Blaňárová
Diana
D
Selyemová
Juraj
J
Koči
Gernot
G
Walder
Eva
E
Špitalská
D000710:Anaplasmataceae / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D003710:Demography; D005060:Europe; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction