title: Occurrence of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ixodes ricinus Ticks with First Identification of Borrelia miyamotoi in Vojvodina, Serbia.
abstract: Lyme borreliosis is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in Eurasia. Borrelia miyamotoi is the only known relapsing fever Borrelia group spirochete transmitted by Ixodes species. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Lyme Borrelia spp. and relapsing fever Borrelia spp. in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from dogs and the vegetation from different parts of Vojvodina, Serbia. A total of 71 Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected and screened for the presence of Lyme Borrelia spp. group and relapsing fever Borrelia spp. by real-time PCR for the Borrelia flagellin B (flaB) gene followed by DNA sequencing of PCR products. Species identification was verified by PCR of the outer surface protein A (ospA) gene for Lyme Disease Borrelia spp. and by PCR of the glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (glpQ) gene for relapsing fever Borrelia spp. Lyme Borrelia spp. were found in 15/71 (21.13%) of the ticks evaluated and included B. luisitaniae (11.3%), B. afzelii (7%), B. valaisiana (1.4%), and B. garinii (1.4%). Borrelia miyamotoi, from the relapsing fever Borrelia complex, was found, for the first time in Serbia, in one (1.4%) nymph collected from the environment. Co-infections between Borrelia species in ticks were not detected. These results suggest that the dominance of species within B. burgdorferi s.l. complex in I. ricinus ticks may vary over time and in different geographic regions. Further systematic studies of Borrelia species in vectors and reservoir hosts are needed to understand eco-epidemiology of these zoonotic infections and how to prevent human infection in the best way.
authors: 1 Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad , Novi Sad, Serbia .
authors: Aleksandar
authors: A
authors: Potkonjak
authors: 2 Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Rehovot, Israel .
authors: Gabriela
authors: G
authors: Kleinerman
authors: 2 Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Rehovot, Israel .
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Gutiérrez
authors: 3 Scientific Veterinary Institute "Novi Sad ," Novi Sad, Serbia .
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Savić
authors: 1 Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad , Novi Sad, Serbia .
authors: Vuk
authors: V
authors: Vračar
authors: 2 Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Rehovot, Israel .
authors: Yaarit
authors: Y
authors: Nachum-Biala
authors: 4 Department of Environmental and Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad , Novi Sad, Serbia .
authors: Aleksandar
authors: A
authors: Jurišić
authors: 2 Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Rehovot, Israel .
authors: Alicia
authors: A
authors: Rojas
authors: 4 Department of Environmental and Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad , Novi Sad, Serbia .
authors: Aleksandra
authors: A
authors: Petrović
authors: 4 Department of Environmental and Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad , Novi Sad, Serbia .
authors: Ivana
authors: I
authors: Ivanović
authors: 2 Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Rehovot, Israel .
authors: Shimon
authors: S
authors: Harrus
authors: 2 Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Rehovot, Israel .
authors: Gad
authors: G
authors: Baneth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055771:Serbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Borrelia; Borrelia miyamotoi; Serbia; real-time PCR; ticks