Detection of tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes persulcatus (Sch., 1930) from national park “Alkhanai”

The results of adult taiga ticks study (Ixodes persulcatus), flagged in the national park “Alkhanai” (Zabaikalsky Krai, Duldurginsky district), for the range of tick-borne pathogens was held. ELISA detected the tickborne encephalitis virus (TBEV) antigen. Genetic markers of Anaplasma, Borrelia and Ehrlichia were detected by real-time PCR, using the kit «AmpliSens® TBEV, B. burgdorferi s.l., A. phagocytophilum, E.chaffeensis/E. muris-FL». Virus prevalence according ELISA results reached 0.9 %. PCR revealed at least two pathogen in 49.8 % of ticks. Genetic markers of Borrelia were found in 31.1 % of cases, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma – in 13.5 % and 12.6 % occured samples respectively, TBEV RNA – in 1.7 % of ticks’ suspensions. From to four pathogens in one tick in 14.7 % of samples in eight different variants of co-infection. The most often variants were Borrelia with Anaplasma and Ehrlichia. At the same time, Borrelia more often was detected as single pathogen. The genotyping of Borrelia have shown the circulation of three pathogenic species on the territory: B. afzelii и B. garinii и B. miyamotoi. The genotyping of TBEV revealed the Baikalian subtype of the virus.

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