Agents of Ehrlichia phagocytophila group and other microorganisms co-infecting ticks in southwestern Slovakia

摘要

A total of 3221 adult ticks of three species, namely Ixodes ricinus (2554), Haemaphysalis concinna (593), and Dermacentor reticulatus (74) were collectd by flagging the vegetatio in a locality of southwestern Slovakia, Martinsky Forest, from February 2000 to August 2001. Altogether 3186 ticks were tested by a hemocyte test (1); 51 (1.60 percent) of them were positive for rickettsiae (Rickettsia sp., Coxiella burnetii, and other rickettsia-like organisms). I. ricinus tick were more frequently infected (48/2530, 1.90 percent) than H.concinna ticks (3/582,0.52 percent). A randomly chosen group of 174 ticks, namely 137 I. ricinus (16 positive, 121 negative), 32 H.concinna (2 positive, 30 negative), and 5 D. reticulatus ticks (all negative) were tasted y a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Rickettsia sp., C. burnetii, B. burgdorferi sensu lato, and microorganisms of E. phagocytophila group.