Community structure and prevalence of genetic markers of vector-borne infection agents in ixodus ticks collected from vegetation and removed from individuals victimed by suction in the Tyumen region

The aim of this work is to study the species and sex structure of ixodid tick communities removed from people and collected from vegetation in the Tyumen region in 2021-2024, and the frequency of detection of genetic markers of pathogens of vector-borne infections in these ticks.

Research methods: collecting ticks from vegetation on a flag, removing from human skin, identification by morphological features, polymerase chain reaction method.

Results: Two species of ixodid ticks were detected: Ixodes persulcatus and Dermacentor reticulatus. Among the ticks removed from people, taiga ticks were more common than meadow ticks. Among the ticks of both species removed from people, females were significantly more common. The prevalence of genetic markers of pathogens was higher in I. persulcatus than in D. reticulatus. The frequency of detection of Borrelia DNA was higher in I. persulcatus than in D. reticulatus, and in taiga ticks collected from vegetation, it was higher than in those removed from people. The dynamics of the frequency of detection of genetic markers of pathogens in taiga ticks collected from vegetation suggests that in 2021-2024 there was a decrease in the infection of taiga ticks with the tick-borne encephalitis virus and an increase in infection with Borrelia, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma. The results show the leading role of taiga ticks in maintaining the epidemic activity of natural foci in the Tyumen region and the need to continue monitoring the epidemiological significance of meadow ticks. The detected increase in the prevalence of genetic markers of borrelia, ehrlichia and anaplasma in taiga ticks by 2024, the detection of borrelia DNA for the first time in several years in 2024 in meadow ticks collected from vegetation, apparently indicate an increase in the epidemic risk of human infection with tick-borne infections.

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