BACKGROUND: The range of the ornate dog tick Dermacentor reticulatus is rapidly expanding in Europe. This tick species is the vector of canine babesiosis, caused by Babesia canis, and also plays a role in the transmission of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in equids. METHODS: The geographic range of D. reticulatus in the Czech Republic was re-assessed, and an up-to-date distribution map is presented based on material and data obtained during a nationwide citizen science campaign. Received and flagged individuals of D. reticulatus were also analysed for the presence of B. canis DNA. RESULTS: In striking contrast to historical records, D. reticulatus was found in all regions of the Czech Republic, with most reports coming from the southeast and northwest of the country. Between February 2018 and June 2021, the project team received 558 photo reports of ticks and 250 packages containing ticks. Of the former, 71.1% were identified as Dermacentor sp. with the remainder identified as Ixodes sp., Haemaphysalis sp., Argas sp. or Hyalomma sp. The majority of specimens in the subset of ticks that were received (N = 610) were D. reticulatus (N = 568, 93.7%), followed by Ixodes ricinus and Hyalomma spp. A total of 783 adult D. reticulatus, either received (568) or collected by flagging (215), were tested for the presence of B. canis DNA using species-specific nested PCR targeting part of the 18S rRNA gene; B. canis DNA was demonstrated in 22 samples (2.81%). CONCLUSIONS: The continuous spread of D. reticulatus in the Czech Republic was documented in this study. In addition, DNA of B. canis was also detected in a number of ticks, suggesting the establishment of B. canis in the Czech Republic. These results suggest that veterinarians need to consider the possibility of canine babesiosis even in dogs without a history of travel.

• Klíčová slova
• Babesia canis, Citizen science, Czech Republic, Dermacentor reticulatus, Europe, Geographic distribution,
• MeSH
• Babesia * genetika   MeSH
• babezióza * epidemiologie   MeSH
• Dermacentor * MeSH
• infestace klíšťaty * epidemiologie   veterinární   MeSH
• Ixodidae * MeSH
• klíště * MeSH
• nemoci psů * epidemiologie   MeSH
• občanská věda * MeSH
• psi MeSH
• Rhipicephalus sanguineus * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• psi MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH

Ticks are a growing concern to human and animal health worldwide and they are leading vectors of arthropod-borne pathogens in the United States. Ticks are pool blood feeders that can attach to the host skin for days to weeks using their saliva to counteract the host defenses. Tick saliva, as in other hematophagous arthropods, contains pharmacological and immunological active compounds, which modulate local and systemic immune responses and induce antibody production. In the present study, we explore differences in the salivary gland extract (SGE) protein content of Amblyomma americanum ticks raised in a laboratory colony (CT) vs. those collected in the field (FT). First, we measured the IgG antibody levels against SGE in healthy volunteers residing in Kansas. ELISA test showed higher IgG antibody levels when using the SGE from CT as antigen. Interestingly, antibody levels against both, CT-SGE and FT-SGE, were high in the warm months (May-June) and decreased in the cold months (September-November). Immunoblot testing revealed a set of different immunogenic bands for each group of ticks and mass spectrometry data revealed differences in at 19 proteins specifically identified in the CT-SGE group and 20 from the FT-SGE group. Our results suggest that differences in the salivary proteins between CT-SGE and FT-SGE may explain the differential immune responses observed in this study.

• Klíčová slova
• Amblyomma americanum, antibodies, human immune response, lone star tick, salivary proteins, seasonal response,
• MeSH
• antigeny imunologie   MeSH
• buněčné linie MeSH
• cytokiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• hmyzí proteiny imunologie   MeSH
• infestace klíšťaty genetika   imunologie   MeSH
• interakce hostitele a parazita imunologie   MeSH
• klíšťata imunologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• slinné proteiny a peptidy imunologie   MeSH
• slinné žlázy imunologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antigeny MeSH
• cytokiny MeSH
• hmyzí proteiny MeSH
• slinné proteiny a peptidy MeSH