TY - JOUR
T1 - A large-scale screening for the taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus, and the meadow tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, in southern Scandinavia, 2016
AU - Kjær, Lene Jung
AU - Soleng, Arnulf
AU - Edgar, Kristin Skarsfjord
AU - Lindstedt, Heidi Elisabeth H.
AU - Paulsen, Katrine Mørk
AU - Andreassen, Åshild Kristine
AU - Korslund, Lars
AU - Kjelland, Vivian
AU - Slettan, Audun
AU - Stuen, Snorre
AU - Kjellander, Petter
AU - Christensson, Madeleine
AU - Teräväinen, Malin
AU - Baum, Andreas
AU - Isbrand, Anastasia
AU - Mark Jensen, Laura
AU - Klitgaard, Kirstine
AU - Bødker, René
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - The taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus, has previously been limited to eastern Europe and northern Asia, but recently its range has expanded to Finland and northern Sweden. The species is of medical importance, as it, along with a string of other pathogens, may carry the Siberian and Far Eastern subtypes of tick-borne encephalitis virus. These subtypes appear to cause more severe disease, with higher fatality rates than the central European subtype. Until recently, the meadow tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, has been absent from Scandinavia, but has now been detected in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Dermacentor reticulatus carries, along with other pathogens, Babesia canis and Rickettsia raoultii. Babesia canis causes severe and often fatal canine babesiosis, and R. raoultii may cause disease in humans. We collected 600 tick nymphs from each of 50 randomly selected sites in Denmark, southern Norway and south-eastern Sweden in August-September 2016. We tested pools of 10 nymphs in a Fluidigm real time PCR chip to screen for I. persulcatus and D. reticulatus, as well as tick-borne pathogens. Of all the 30,000 nymphs tested, none were I. persulcatus or D. reticulatus. Our results suggest that I. persulcatus is still limited to the northern parts of Sweden, and have not expanded into southern parts of Scandinavia. According to literature reports and supported by our screening results, D. reticulatus may yet only be an occasional guest in Scandinavia without established populations.
AB - The taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus, has previously been limited to eastern Europe and northern Asia, but recently its range has expanded to Finland and northern Sweden. The species is of medical importance, as it, along with a string of other pathogens, may carry the Siberian and Far Eastern subtypes of tick-borne encephalitis virus. These subtypes appear to cause more severe disease, with higher fatality rates than the central European subtype. Until recently, the meadow tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, has been absent from Scandinavia, but has now been detected in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Dermacentor reticulatus carries, along with other pathogens, Babesia canis and Rickettsia raoultii. Babesia canis causes severe and often fatal canine babesiosis, and R. raoultii may cause disease in humans. We collected 600 tick nymphs from each of 50 randomly selected sites in Denmark, southern Norway and south-eastern Sweden in August-September 2016. We tested pools of 10 nymphs in a Fluidigm real time PCR chip to screen for I. persulcatus and D. reticulatus, as well as tick-borne pathogens. Of all the 30,000 nymphs tested, none were I. persulcatus or D. reticulatus. Our results suggest that I. persulcatus is still limited to the northern parts of Sweden, and have not expanded into southern parts of Scandinavia. According to literature reports and supported by our screening results, D. reticulatus may yet only be an occasional guest in Scandinavia without established populations.
KW - Dermacentor reticulatus
KW - Ixodes persulcatus
KW - meadow tick
KW - range expansion
KW - Siberian and Far Eastern tick-borne encephalitis
KW - southern Scandinavia
KW - Taiga tick
U2 - 10.1186/s13071-019-3596-3
DO - 10.1186/s13071-019-3596-3
M3 - Letter
C2 - 31288866
AN - SCOPUS:85068879277
SN - 1756-3305
VL - 12
JO - Parasites and Vectors
JF - Parasites and Vectors
IS - 1
M1 - 338
ER -