BACKGROUND: During the last decades, population densities of Ixodes ricinus and prevalences of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. have increased in different regions in Europe. In the present study, we determined tick abundance and the prevalence of different Borrelia genospecies in ticks from three sites in the Siebengebirge, Germany, which were already examined in the years 1987, 1989, 2001 and 2003. Data from all investigations were compared. METHODS: In 2007 and 2008, host-seeking I. ricinus were collected by monthly blanket dragging at three distinct vegetation sites in the Siebengebirge, a nature reserve and a well visited local recreation area near Bonn, Germany. In both years, 702 ticks were tested for B. burgdorferi s.l. DNA by nested PCR, and 249 tick samples positive for Borrelia were further genotyped by reverse line blotting. RESULTS: A total of 1046 and 1591 I. ricinus were collected in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In comparison to previous studies at these sites, the densities at all sites increased from 1987/89 and/or from 2003 until 2008. Tick densities and Borrelia prevalences in 2007 and 2008, respectively, were not correlated for all sites and both years. Overall, Borrelia prevalence of all ticks decreased significantly from 2007 (19.5%) to 2008 (16.5%), thus reaching the same level as in 2001 two times higher than in 1987/89 (7.6%). Since 2001, single infections with a Borrelia genospecies predominated in all collections, but the number of multiple infections increased, and in 2007, for the first time, triple Borrelia infections occurred. Prevalences of Borrelia genospecies differed considerably between the three sites, but B. garinii or B. afzelii were always the most dominant genospecies. B. lusitaniae was detected for the first time in the Siebengebirge, also in co-infections with B. garinii or B. valaisiana. CONCLUSIONS: Over the last two centuries tick densities have changed in the Siebengebirge at sites that remained unchanged by human activity since they belong to a nature reserve. Abiotic and biotic conditions most likely favored the host-seeking activity of I. ricinus and the increase of multiple Borrelia infections in ticks. These changes have led to a potential higher risk of humans and animals to be infected with Lyme borreliosis.

• MeSH
• Borrelia burgdorferi komplex klasifikace   genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• časové faktory MeSH
• DNA bakterií genetika   MeSH
• hustota populace MeSH
• klíště růst a vývoj   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• polymerázová řetězová reakce MeSH
• prevalence MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Německo MeSH
• Názvy látek
• DNA bakterií MeSH

Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected by random collections from western and central Slovakia during the years 1996-98. The midgut content of 240 ticks was examined by dark-field microscopy and submitted for cultivation for the presence of borrelias. Spirochetes were found in 21 unfed and host-seeking adults and nymphs (8.8%). By the analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) one sample from unfed I. ricinus male from western Slovakia was identified as a triple infection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii and B. afzelii. The simultaneous presence of different B. burgdorferi genospecies in one midgut sample (triple infection in the tick) could be observed only after the multipart amplification of denaturated DNA and subsequent pooling of the products for further analysis.

• MeSH
• Borrelia burgdorferi klasifikace   genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• genotyp MeSH
• klíště mikrobiologie   MeSH
• polymerázová řetězová reakce MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

In Europe the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex is represented by five distinct genospecies: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia valaisiana, and Borrelia lusitaniae. These taxonomic entities are known to differ in their specific associations with vertebrate hosts and to provoke distinct clinical manifestations in human patients. However, exceptions to these rules have often been observed, indicating that strains belonging to a single genospecies may be more heterogeneous than expected. It is, therefore, important to develop alternative identification tools which are able to distinguish Borrelia strains not only at the specific level but also at the intraspecific level. DNA from a sample of 370 Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in the Czech Republic was analyzed by PCR for the presence of a approximately 230-bp fragment of the rrfA-rrlB intergenic spacer of Borrelia spp. A total of 20.5% of the ticks were found to be positive. The infecting genospecies were identified by analyzing the amplified products by the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method with restriction enzyme MseI and by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. The two methods were compared, and PCR-SSCP analysis appeared to be a valuable tool for rapid identification of spirochetes at the intraspecific level, particularly when large samples are examined. Furthermore, by using PCR-SSCP analysis we identified a previously unknown Borrelia genotype, genotype I-77, which would have gone unnoticed if RFLP analysis alone had been used.

• MeSH
• Borrelia burgdorferi komplex klasifikace   genetika   MeSH
• DNA bakterií genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• genetická variace * MeSH
• genotyp MeSH
• klíště mikrobiologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mezerníky ribozomální DNA genetika   MeSH
• molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
• polymerázová řetězová reakce metody   MeSH
• polymorfismus délky restrikčních fragmentů MeSH
• polymorfismus konformace jednovláknové DNA * MeSH
• sekvenční analýza DNA MeSH
• techniky typizace bakterií MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• hodnotící studie MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Názvy látek
• DNA bakterií MeSH
• mezerníky ribozomální DNA MeSH

Activities of 19 enzymes were tested by the API ZYM system in 13 strains of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. lusitaniae, B. valaisiana) grown in liquid BSK-H medium supplemented with rabbit serum. All strains produced acid phosphatase, esterase (C4), esterase-lipase (C8), leucine arylamidase and naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase. Nine strains also produced alkaline phosphatase, and three strains produced alpha-glucosidase. The API ZYM system probably cannot be used for differentiation between B. burgdorferi sensu lato genomospecies.

• MeSH
• alfa-glukosidasy metabolismus   MeSH
• alkalická fosfatasa metabolismus   MeSH
• Borrelia burgdorferi komplex enzymologie   MeSH
• esterasy metabolismus   MeSH
• fosfatasy metabolismus   MeSH
• kyselá fosfatasa metabolismus   MeSH
• leucylaminopeptidasa metabolismus   MeSH
• lipasa metabolismus   MeSH
• lymeská nemoc mikrobiologie   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• alfa-glukosidasy MeSH
• alkalická fosfatasa MeSH
• esterasy MeSH
• fosfatasy MeSH
• kyselá fosfatasa MeSH
• leucylaminopeptidasa MeSH
• lipasa MeSH

A total of 2816 unfed adults nymphs of Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected from vegetation in Kosice (Eastern Slovakia) from 1994 to 1997. Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. in I. ricinus ticks, detected by dark field microscopy, varied and depended upon the year and the habitat of the collected ticks. The lowest prevalence was observed in 1994 (4.8%). During 1995 it increased to 17.2% and during the next two years decreased to 15.5% and 14.2%. The rate of infection varied from 2.1 to 23.3% within 10 examined habitats of the Kosice area. A different value of relative density of ticks was observed in various habitats. It ranged from 9-212 ticks per collecting hour within one flagged area (600 m2) which is 1.5-35.5 ticks per 100 m2. Eight isolates were obtained from the infected ticks. Electrophoresis and immunoblotting with 6 monoclonal antibodies were used for the identification of Borrelia strains. Three tick isolates were identified as B. burgdorferi s. s. and the other three isolates were found to be B. garinii. One strain reacted as a mixed culture of B. burgdorferi s. s., and B. garinii. The strain originated from the Vihorlat Mountains habitat and was detected by PCR-SSCP as B. burgdorferi s. s. with a small amount of B. afzelii. The obtained results emphasize the epidemiological importance not only of B. garinii and B. afzelii but also of B. burgdorferi s. s. in Central Europe.

• MeSH
• Borrelia burgdorferi komplex izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• Borrelia burgdorferi * MeSH
• Borrelia klasifikace   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• elektroforéza MeSH
• klíště parazitologie   MeSH
• polymerázová řetězová reakce MeSH
• prevalence MeSH
• western blotting MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Slovenská republika MeSH