Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks in southwestern Finland.
Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the causative agent of an emerging tick-borne disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis. While the bacterium has been reported from questing ticks in neighboring Sweden, Norway and Russia, the few surveys regarding questing ticks in Finland have thus far been negative. In the current study, the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in Ixodes ricinus populations was evaluated in several study localities around southwestern Finland during 2013-2014. Some of these populations were previously screened and found negative for A. phagocytophilum in 2000. A total of 3158 I. ricinus collected by blanket dragging were screened for Anaplasma spp. using qPCR. Anaplasma were detected in 9.2% of adult ticks (n = 87) and 3.1% of nymphs (n = 979). All larval samples were negative for infection. All Anaplasma-positive samples were identified as A. phagocytophilum by sequencing. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of the pathogen from questing ticks in Finland. Furthermore, the pathogen was detected from several localities found negative during the previous screening 13 years earlier.
Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland. jani.j.sormunen@utu.fi.|Archipelago Research Institute, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland. jani.j.sormunen@utu.fi.
Jani J
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6763-8477
JJ
Sormunen
Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
Ritva
R
Penttinen
Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
Tero
T
Klemola
Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.|Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
Eero J
EJ
Vesterinen
Archipelago Research Institute, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
Jari
J
Hänninen
D041081:Anaplasma phagocytophilum / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000712:Anaplasmosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D018884:Ixodes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology; D009758:Nymph / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Anaplasma phagocytophilum; DNA; Finland; Ixodes ricinus; Questing tick; qPCR