Speaker
Description
Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of several zoonotic pathogens in Central Europe, including Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV) and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Both are of major public health concern and call for integrated One Health surveillance. While co-circulation is known, co-localization in individual ticks remains largely unexplored.
In this study, 4587 ticks were collected in 2023–2024 from three confirmed TBEV microfoci and two TBEV-free sites in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, and screened for both pathogens using molecular methods. TBEV-RNA was detected in 15 ticks and six of them (40%) were co-infected with different Borrelia species, mainly B. afzelii. Co-infections occurred in both nymphs and adult females.
Borrelia spp. prevalence across all sample sites ranged from 22% to 29%. The species detected were B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. valaisiana, B. burgdorferi s.s., B. lusitaniae and B. miyamotoi. Species composition was analyzed and compared between TBEV-endemic and TBEV-free sites.
These findings provide new evidence for the co-localization of human-pathogenic organisms in individual ticks. Co-infections may be more common than previously assumed and should therefore be considered both in diagnosis and in risk assessment.
Keywords
Ixodes ricinus, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, TBE-Virus, Co-infection
| Registration ID | OHS25-0035 |
|---|---|
| Professional Status of the Speaker | Graduate Student |
| Junior Scientist Status | Yes, I am a Junior Scientist. |
