A New Endemic Locality of Dermacentor reticulatus in Central-Southern Poland and Its Potential Epidemiological Implications

• Published in: Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 15; no. 8; p. 580
• Main Authors: Asman, Marek, Bartosik, Katarzyna, Jakubas-Zawalska, Justyna, Świętek, Agata, Witecka, Joanna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30-07-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Adults; Arachnids; Babesia; Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato; Dermacentor; Dermacentor reticulatus; Disease transmission; Ecological research; Ectoparasites; Endemic species; Epidemiology; Females; Forests; Grinding tools; Habitats; Infestation; Ixodes ricinus; Parasitic diseases; Pathogens; Polymerase chain reaction; Populations; Rickettsia; Risk; Rivers; tick distribution; tick expansion; Tick-borne diseases; tick-borne pathogens; Ticks; Poland; Vistula River; Europe; Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato; Dermacentor reticulatus; tick distribution; tick-borne pathogens; tick expansion; Ixodes ricinus; Babesia spp; sympatric tick species
• ISSN: 2075-4450; 2075-4450
• DOI: 10.3390/insects15080580

(Acari: Ixodidae) is an important arthropod vector in medical and veterinary contexts. Its geographic range is divided into western and eastern populations separated by a "
-free zone" in central Poland. Recent faunistic studies showed a new endemic locality of the species in Upper Silesia to the west of the Vistula River (central-southern Poland) and its co-occurrence with
The prevalence of five tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), e.g.,
s.l.,
spp.,
spp., and
spp., in the ticks was assessed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. The molecular studies revealed the presence of
spp. in 23.8% of the
specimens. In turn, 94.1% of the
adults were infected with
s.l., 11.7 % with
spp., and 5.8% with
spp. Coinfections with two TBPs were noted in 17.6% of the
. These findings highlight not only the risk of infestation by both tick species in an area previously considered
-free, but also the high prevalence of TBPs in the study area. Increased focus on medical and veterinary services appears necessary to diagnose and prevent tick-borne diseases in this region.