Search results for "Ticks"
showing 10 items of 26 documents
BORRELIA BURGDORFERI SENSU LATO DETECTED IN SKIN OF NORWEGIAN MOUNTAIN HARES (LEPUS TIMIDUS) WITHOUT SIGNS OF DISSEMINATION
2011
The mountain hare (Lepus timidus) population in southern Norway appears to be in decline. Necropsy and laboratory examinations of 36 hares found dead or diseased during 2007-2009 in Vest- and Aust-Agder counties showed that disease and deaths were attributed to multiple causes, with no specific etiology emerging as a cause for population decline. To investigate whether Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) infection is associated with mortality in mountain hares, tissues and ticks collected from hares were investigated for infection with the spirochete. Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. DNA was not detected in samples from internal organs, whereas Borrelia afzelii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.…
First Report of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti in Rodents in Finland
2014
Tick-borne diseases pose an increasingly important public health problem in Europe. Rodents are the reservoir host for many tick-transmitted pathogens, including Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti, which can cause human granulocytic anaplasmosis and babesiosis, respectively. To estimate the presence of these pathogens in rodents in Finland, we examined blood samples from 151 bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and demonstrate, for the first time, that A. phagocytophilum and B. microti commonly infect bank voles (in 22% and 40% of animals, respectively) in Finland. Sequence analysis of a fragment of 18S rRNA showed that the B. microti strain isolated was identical to the Munich strain, …
Continous alert for rickettsiosis in Sicily: molecular characterization of Rickettsia sp. obtained from ticks and human beings (1986-2001).
2006
Several strains of Rickettsia sp. were isolated from patients in western Sicily with MSF (Mediterranean Spotted Fever) as well as ticks. Strains isolated were examined by PCR and identified as belonging to R. conorii sp. Importantly a strain of Israeli Spotted Fever Rickettsiae, obtained from a tick, was also identified. Our data prove that strains other than the classical R. conorii also circulate in Sicily.
Bioactive chromenes from Rhyncholacis penicillata.
1994
Investigation of the aerial parts of Rhyncholacis penicillata afforded the new chromenes, 7-hydroxy-6-(3-methylbutyryl)-5-oxymethyl-chromene (rhynchonin A) and 7-hydroxy-6-(2-methylbutyryl)-6-oxymethylchromene (rhynchonin B). Structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and independent synthesis. Rhynchonin A showed broad insecticidal, acaricidal and nematicidal potency including strong biological activity against Heliothis zea.
18S rRNA gene sequences and phylogenetic relationships of European hard-tick species (Acari: Ixodidae)
1998
The complete 18S rRNA gene sequences of the following six European hard-tick species were obtained by direct PCR cycle sequencing and silver-staining methods: Rhipicephalus pusillus, Boophilus annulatus, Dermacentor marginatus, Hyalomma lusitanicum, Haemaphysalis punctata, and Ixodes ricinus. Differences observed in the sequence alignment of these six species together with the 18S rRNA gene sequences of 13 other hard-tick species demonstrate that this gene is a good marker for supraspecific differentiation as well as genus grouping among hard ticks. Phylogenetic analyses strongly support that Hyalomma species share a common ancestor with Rhipicephalinae and, consequently, Hyalomminae should…
Do bank voles (Myodes glareolus) trapped in live and lethal traps show differences in tick burden?
2020
In studies assessing tick abundance, the use of live traps to capture and euthanize rodent hosts is a commonly used method to determine their burden. However, captive animals can experience debilitating or fatal capture stress as a result prior to collection. An alternative method is the use of lethal traps, but this can potentially lead to tick drop-off between the time of capture and collection. In this study, in order to determine whether subjecting animals to capture stress is inevitable, we tested the difference in sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus) larval burdens between bank voles (Myodes glareolus) captured alive and euthanized, and lethally trapped bank voles. During 2017 and 2018, 1318 b…
High-elevational occurrence of two tick species, Ixodes ricinus and I. trianguliceps, at their northern distribution range
2021
Abstract Background During the last decades a northward and upward range shift has been observed among many organisms across different taxa. In the northern hemisphere, ticks have been observed to have increased their latitudinal and altitudinal range limit. However, the elevational expansion at its northern distribution range remains largely unstudied. In this study we investigated the altitudinal distribution of the exophilic Ixodes ricinus and endophilic I. trianguliceps on two mountain slopes in Norway by assessing larval infestation rates on bank voles (Myodes glareolus). Methods During 2017 and 2018, 1325 bank voles were captured during the spring, summer and autumn at ten trapping st…
Isolation on "VERO" cells of a spotted fever group rickettsia "Mortilli strain" from Rhipicephalus sanguineus.
1986
The isolation of a Spotted Fever Group (SFG) Rickettsia « Mortilli strain » from brown dog ticks Rhipicephalu.s sanguineus removed from dogs associated with a confirmed case of Boutonneuse Fever (BF) in a site of a Western Sicily is reported. The need is stressed for isolation and adaption on cell cultures of SFG rickettsial strains for analysis of antigenic structure employing modern methodology.
Susceptibility to infection with Borrelia afzelii and TLR2 polymorphism in a wild reservoir host
2019
AbstractThe study of polymorphic immune genes in host populations is critical for understanding genetic variation in susceptibility to pathogens. Controlled infection experiments are necessary to separate variation in the probability of exposure from genetic variation in susceptibility to infection, but such experiments are rare for wild vertebrate reservoir hosts and their zoonotic pathogens. The bank vole (Myodes glareolus) is an important reservoir host of Borrelia afzelii, a tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme disease. Bank vole populations are polymorphic for Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), an innate immune receptor that recognizes bacterial lipoproteins. To test whether the TLR2 polym…
Ticks infesting humans in Italy and associated pathogens
2014
Background: Ticks may transmit a large variety of pathogens, which cause illnesses in animals and humans, commonly referred to as to tick-borne diseases (TBDs). The incidence of human TBDs in Italy is underestimated because of poor surveillance and the scant amount of studies available. Methods. Samples (n = 561) were collected from humans in four main geographical areas of Italy (i.e., northwestern, northeastern, southern Italy, and Sicily), which represent a variety of environments. After being morphologically identified, ticks were molecularly tested with selected protocols for the presence of pathogens of the genera Rickettsia, Babesia, Theileria, Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Bor…