title: Emergence of tick-borne pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ricketsia raoultii and Babesia microti) in the Kyiv urban parks, Ukraine.
abstract: To date, only limited data about the presence of ticks and circulation of tick-borne pathogens in urban parks of Kyiv in northern Ukraine are available. In total, 767 ticks (696 Ixodes ricinus and 69 Dermacentor reticulatus) collected in seven urban parks and one suburban oak wood park in Kyiv were individually analyzed by the PCR assays. Tick-borne pathogens, namely spirochetes from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti, were detected in 11.1% of tested I. ricinus ticks. In total, 4% of I. ricinus ticks tested positive for the presence of B. burdorferi s.l. (Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii), 5.2% for A. phagocytophilum, and Ba. microti was confirmed in 1.9% of examined ticks. Mixed infections were recorded in four DNA samples, representing the prevalence of 0.6%. One female and two I. ricinus nymphs were simultaneously infected with B. afzelii and A. phagocytophilum, and one female carried B. afzelii and Ba. microti. In addition, 10.1% of D. reticulatus ticks tested positive for Rickettsia raoultii. Identification of infectious agents and their diversity, assessment of the relative epidemiological importance and determination of the prevalence in questing ticks from central parts of the cities are crucial steps towards the tick-borne diseases surveillance in urban environment.
authors.affiliation: Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology NAS of Ukraine, B. Khmelnytsky, 15, 01030, Kyiv, Ukraine; Institute of Zoology SAS, Dúbravska cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Yuliya M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Didyk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology SAS, Hlinkova, 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Blaňárová
authors.affiliation: National Museum of Natural History NAS of Ukraine, B. Khmelnytsky, 15, 01030, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Svyatoslav
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pogrebnyak
authors.affiliation: Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology NAS of Ukraine, B. Khmelnytsky, 15, 01030, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Akimov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology SAS, Hlinkova, 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Branislav
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peťko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology SAS, Hlinkova, 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia. Electronic address: vichova@saske.sk.
authors.forename: Bronislava
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Víchová
mesh_terms: D041081:Anaplasma phagocytophilum / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D041001:Babesia microti / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002947:Cities; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D003870:Dermacentor / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D009758:Nymph / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D000068316:Parks, Recreational; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014455:Ukraine / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D016054:DNA, Protozoan
keywords: Bacteria; Dermacentor reticulatus; Ixodes ricinus; Kyiv; Protozoa; Ukraine; Urban parks