A Six-year study of the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in Ixodes ricinus ticks in the town park of Brno, Czech Republic.

Petra Nejedla, Marie Mejzlikova, Alena Zakovska, Alena Holikova, Hana Martinikova, Lenka Justinova

Department of Comparative Animal Physiology and General Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic

The aim of our study was to monitore the positivity of Ixodes ricinus ticks for the presence of pathogenic Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. collected in the town park used as a recreation place for one hour at regular intervals of 14 days in the term of 6 years. Results from used methods such as DFM, PCR, PCR-RFLP, gradient PAGE were compared or complemented. Ixodes ricinus ticks occurred in each month of the year from April to October except November, December, January and February.

A total of 3.732 Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected by flagging vegetation of a mixed forest town-park in Brno (350.000 inhabitants in the Czech Republic) from September 1996 to October 2002 and examined for the presence of spirochaetes by darkfield microscopy and from the year of 1998 for the presence of B.b. s.l. also using PCR method. 10 isolated strains were further identified by PCR-RFLP methods. Mean annual proportion of infected ticks was 6,9%; in 1996 6,3%, 1997 9,6%; 1998 12,4%; 1999 3,6%; 2000 4,1%; 2001 5,0%; 2002 12,3%

Mean annual proportion for all years was in larvae 2,7%; in nymphs 6,0%; in females 8,5%; in males 12,3%;

Mean annual positivity of samples examined by PCR method was 5,0%; in larvae 1,0%; in nymphs 6,0%; in females 7,5%; in males 7,9%.

The highest risk of infection with tick – borne borreliae for vertebrates (including man) occurred in the study area twice a year: the firs time in May-June, the second in September according to the number of positived ticks (the highest positivity was 20,5%). Using just cultivating method (2002) mean proportion appeared to be 11,8,%.

10 spirochaete isolated strains were obtained from positive ticks, and these were further determined by PCR-RFLP and by SDS- gradient PAGE method with the comparison of strain protein composition to standard stems (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. lusitaniae). 8 isolated strains were determined as to be Borrelia afzelii, 2 as Borrelia garinii. Other results will be prepared in tables and graphs.

This work was partially supported of CEZ: J 07/98: 143100010, FRVS G0427

Keynote speaker - Andersson S et al.: Phylogeny and Distribution of Vector-Borne Pathogens: What to Expect from Genomics?

Keynote speaker - Barbour A et al.: Interrupting transmission of Lyme borreliosis by targeting a reservoir for vaccination: a longitudinal study of a field site in North America

Keynote speaker - Broman T et al.: Campylobacter jejuni and wild birds

Keynote speaker - Broman T et al.: Natural reservoirs and vectors of Francisella tularensis in Sweden

Keynote speaker - Fouchier R: Influenza virus zoonoses

Keynote speaker - Fouchier R: A Novel Corona Virus Causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Keynote speaker - Lundström J: Intercontinental dispersal and local adaptation of a mosquito-borne bird virus

Keynote speaker -Stervander M: Research activities and possibilities at Ottenby Bird Observatory

Bladh L et al.: Rapid detection and quantification of RNA of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus by Real-Time Reversed Transcription-PCR

Dahlgren D et al.: Survival of Campylobacter jejuni within Acanthamoeba polyphaga; a possible transmission route.

Ehrenborg C et al.: Genetic diversity over short geographic distances and no host specificity among Bartonella grahamii infecting woodland rodents of central Sweden

Ekerfelt C et al.: Involvement of cytolytic immune cells in human Lyme borreliosis - indication of intracellular persistance of the Borrelia spirochete?

Ekstrom J-O et al.: Characterization of the Ljungan virus

Haglund M: Characterization of human TBEV-strains from Sweden and a short review of the phylogenetic relationships within TBEV and Louping Ill.

Jarefors S et al.: Suppressed response to Borrelia-antigen in patients co-exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophila

Johansson M et al.: Development of molecular diagnostics for Orthopoxvirus

Mirazimi A et al.: Phatogenesis and the role of innate immunity in emerging patogen (Crimean Congo Heamorraghic fever virus)

Nejedla P et al.: A Six-year study of the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in Ixodes ricinus ticks in the town park of Brno, Czech Republic.

Olsson G et al.: Hot zones in time and space on human hantavirus infections in northern sweden

Palo T et al.: Changing climate and emerging infectious diseases

Persson T et al.: Biological mosquito control in Sweden and risk assessment for non-target wetland insects

Schäfer M et al.: Biological diversity versus risk for mosquito nuisance and disease transmission in constructed wetlands

Shinikar S et al.: Genetic analysis of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus in Iran

Skarphedinsson S et al.: Detection by PCR of Anaplasma in Danish Roe deer

Vostal K et al.: A Five-year Study of the Presence of Borrelia and Antibodies to Borrelia in Small Rodents.

Widhe M et al.: Borrelia specific IFN-γ and IL-4 secretion in CSF and blood during the course of Human Lyme Borreliosis: relation to clinical outcome

You E et al.: Host Immune Mechanisms in Recurrent Lyme Erythema Infection with Focus on the Cytokines Interleukin-4, Interferon-gamma and Interleukin-10

Zakovska A et al.: Spirochaetes and pathogenic Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in mosquitoes (larvae and adults) in the Czech Republic