Markéta Derdáková1, Radovan Václav, Lucia Pangrácova-Blaňárová, Diana Selyemová, Juraj Koči, Gernot Walder, Eva Špitalská
Parasit Vectors. 2014 Apr 2;7:160. doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-160.
Abstract
Background: Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis is a newly emerging tick-borne bacterium from the family Anaplasmataceae. Its presence in Ixodes ricinus ticks was reported from various European countries, however, it’s ecology and co-circulation with another member of the same family, Anaplasma phagocytophilum has not been rigorously studied yet.
Findings: Candidatus N. mikurensis was detected in all sampling sites. In total, 4.5% of ticks were positive including larvae. The highest positivity was detected in Austria with a prevalence of 23.5%. The probability of Candidatus N. mikurensis occurrence increased with the proportion of ticks infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum.
Conclusion: A positive association between the occurrences of Candidatus N. mikurensis and A. phagocytophilum indicates that both bacteria share similar ecology for their natural foci in Central Europe.
Links: PMID: 24693971; PMCID: PMC3984398; DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-160