Multiple Tick-Borne Pathogens in <i>Ixodes ricinus</i> Ticks Collected from Humans in Romania

• Main Authors: Zsuzsa Kalmár, Mirabela Oana Dumitrache, Gianluca D’Amico, Ioana Adriana Matei, Angela Monica Ionică, Călin Mircea Gherman, Mihaela Lupșe, Andrei Daniel Mihalca
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: Pathogens
• Subjects: <i>Ixodes ricinus</i>; ticks; pathogens; tick-borne disease; humans
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/9/5/390

Ticks are medically important vectors of infectious diseases that are able to transmit pathogens to humans and animals. Tick-borne diseases represent a major health concern, posing an increasing risk to the public health during the last century and affecting millions of people. The aim of the current study was to provide epidemiological data regarding the presence of certain tick-borne pathogens in ticks feeding on humans in Romania. Overall, 522 <i>Ixodes ricinus</i> ticks collected from humans were screened for six pathogens: <i>Borrelia </i>spp., <i>Neoehrlichia mikurensis</i>, <i>Babesia</i> spp., <i>Coxiella</i> spp., <i>Bartonella</i> spp., and <i>Francisella tularensis</i>. Ticks attached to humans were collected between 2013–2015 in Cluj County, Romania. Conventional, nested and quantitative PCR were used to detect specific genetic sequences of each pathogen. For identifying the infectious agents, positive samples were sequenced. The infection prevalence was 21.07% from which 8.18% were mixed infections. The detected agents were <i>Borrelia</i> spp., <i>N. mikurensis</i> and <i>Babesia</i> spp. The present data reveal the endemic occurrence of potentially zoonotic pathogens in Romania. Revealing the current distribution of tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from humans may provide new insights in understanding the complex ecology of tick-borne diseases and enlightens current knowledge about the infection prevalence at local, regional and national levels.