Seasonal changes in populations of sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus (L., 1758) (Acari: Ixodinae) in natural biotopes of St. Petersburg and Leningrad province, Russian Federation

摘要

Changes in the seasonal activity and age composition of adults and nymphs in populations of the Ixodes ricinusin northwestern Russia have been studied. Adult ticks and nymphs were collected on flag twice a month from April to October in 2014-2016. They were investigated for biological age (light-optical preparations of the midgut after staining fat with Sudan III). DNA isolated from ticks was analyzed using real-time PCR (fluorescent probe technology) for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. pathogens based on amplification of the 16SrRNA and Hbb gene fragments.