title: Borrelia miyamotoi in host-seeking Ixodes ricinus ticks in England.
abstract: This paper reports the first detection of Borrelia miyamotoi in UK Ixodes ricinus ticks. It also reports on the presence and infection rates of I. ricinus for a number of other tick-borne pathogens of public health importance. Ticks from seven regions in southern England were screened for B. miyamotoi, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Neoehrlichia mikurensis using qPCR. A total of 954 I. ricinus ticks were tested, 40 were positive for B. burgdorferi s.l., 22 positive for A. phagocytophilum and three positive for B. miyamotoi, with no N. mikurensis detected. The three positive B. miyamotoi ticks came from three geographically distinct areas, suggesting a widespread distribution, and from two separate years, suggesting some degree of endemicity. Understanding the prevalence of Borrelia and other tick-borne pathogens in ticks is crucial for locating high-risk areas of disease transmission.
authors.affiliation: Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology Group, MRA&BS, Emergency Response Department,Public Health England,Porton Down,UK.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hansford
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology,National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM),Bilthoven,The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fonville
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology,National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM),Bilthoven,The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jahfari
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology,National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM),Bilthoven,The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sprong
authors.affiliation: Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology Group, MRA&BS, Emergency Response Department,Public Health England,Porton Down,UK.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Medlock
mesh_terms: D041081:Anaplasma phagocytophilum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D001898:Borrelia / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004199:Disease Vectors; D004739:England; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: public health