title: Patterns of tick infestation and their Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. infection in wild birds in Portugal.
abstract: Wild birds may act as reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens and may be mechanical carriers of pathogen infected vector ticks through long distances during migration. The aim of this study was to assess tick infestation patterns in birds in Portugal and the prevalence of tick infection by Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. using PCR techniques. Seven tick species were collected from birds including Haemaphysalis punctata, Hyalomma spp., Ixodes acuminatus, Ixodes arboricola, Ixodes frontalis, Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes ventalloi. We found that I. frontalis and Hyalomma spp. were the most common ticks infesting birds of several species and that they were widespread in Portugal. Turdus merula was the bird species that presented the highest diversity of infesting ticks and had one of the highest infestation intensities. B. burgdorferi s.l. was detected in 7.3% (37/505) of Ixodidae ticks derived from birds. The most common genospecies was Borrelia turdi (6.9%), detected in ticks collected from Parus major, T. merula and Turdus philomelos, but Borrelia valaisiana (0.2%) and one Borrelia sp. (0.2%) similar to Borrelia bissettii (96% of similarity of the flaB gene in Blastn) were also detected. This study contributed to a better knowledge of the Ixodidae tick fauna parasitizing birds in Western Europe and to the assessment of the prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. associated with birds and their ticks.
authors.affiliation: MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal; Centre for Vector and Infectious Diseases Research, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Águas de Moura, Portugal. Electronic address: acgnorte@ci.uc.pt.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Norte
authors.affiliation: MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal; CFE - Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, IP, DCNFC-DGOV, Mata Nacional do Choupal, 3000-611 Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: P J Q
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Tenreiro
authors.affiliation: A ROCHA - Associação Cristã de Estudo e Defesa do Ambiente, Apartado 41, 8501-903 Mexilhoeira Grande, Portugal.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Felgueiras
authors.affiliation: MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Rua da capela, n°13, 7630-711 Bicos, Odemira, Portugal.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.affiliation: Casais da Estrada, 2000-335 Achete, Santarém, Portugal.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.affiliation: IEETA/DETI, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: P J S G
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, IP, Estação Ornitológica do Monte do Outeirão - Apartado 139, 7500-999 Vila Nova Santo André, Portugal.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Encarnação
authors.affiliation: MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Espiroquetas y Patógenos Especiales, Servicio de Bacteriología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Escudero
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Espiroquetas y Patógenos Especiales, Servicio de Bacteriología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anda
authors.affiliation: Centre for Vector and Infectious Diseases Research, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Águas de Moura, Portugal.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Núncio
authors.affiliation: Centre for Vector and Infectious Diseases Research, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Águas de Moura, Portugal; Emergence Response and Biopreparadness Unit, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lopes de Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D001717:Birds; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: B. bissettii; B. turdi; Birds; Hyalomma sp.; Ixodes sp.; Portugal