title: The role of domestic dogs and cats in the zoonotic cycles of ticks and pathogens. Preliminary studies in the Wrocław Agglomeration (SW Poland).
abstract: The collection of 729 tick specimens (Ixodes ricinus, 88.6%; Ixodes hexagonus, 9.2%; Dermacentor reticulatus, 2.2%) removed from 373 dogs and 78 cats, along with 201 ticks from vegetation (I. ricinus, 75.6%; D. reticulatus, 24.4%), allows one to say that pets play an important role in maintaining tick life cycles in different urban area. It shows the lack of statistical differences between tick intensity in high-impact anthropogenic areas (HIAA), low-impact anthropogenic areas (LIAA) and mixed areas designed, in an objective way, by GIS techniques. The comparable (statistically insignificant) level of infection with Borrelia spp. of I. ricinus from pets (22.5%) and vegetation (24.8%), shows that dogs and cats do not have zooprophylactic competence for Borrelia spp. in different urban areas. Moreover, Borrelia spp. was detected in I. hexagonues (1.5%) collected from pets, and in D. reticulatus (2%) obtained from vegetation. The presence of D. reticulatus in the Wrocław Agglomeration confirms its expansion and the distribution range in Poland.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbial Ecology and Environmental Protection, Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland. Electronic address: nina.krol@uni.wroc.pl.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Król
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbial Ecology and Environmental Protection, Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kiewra
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics and Cartography, Institute of Geography and Regional Development, University of Wrocław, pl. Uniwersytecki 1, 50-137 Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szymanowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbial Ecology and Environmental Protection, Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lonc
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001898:Borrelia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats; D003870:Dermacentor / Q000382:microbiology*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D009758:Nymph / Q000382:microbiology; D057805:Pets; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D015047:Zoonoses
keywords: Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.; Cats; Dermacentor reticulatus; Dogs; Ixodes hexagonus; Ixodes ricinus; Ticks; Urban area