Ixodes ricinus as a vector of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti in urban and suburban forests.
			
	
 
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				1
				Medical University of Gdańsk, Interfaculty Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Gdynia, Poland.
				 
			 
						
				2
				Department of Entomology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
				 
			 
										
				
				
		
		 
			
			
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
							
					    		
    			 
    			
    				    					Corresponding author
    					    				    				
    					Joanna  Stańczak   
    					Medical University of Gdańsk, Interfaculty Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, 9B Powstania Styczniowego str., 81-519 Gdynia, Poland
    				
 
    			
				 
    			 
    		 		
			
																											 
		
	 
		
 
 
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2004;11(1):109-114
 
 
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ABSTRACT
In the suburban and urban forests in the cities of Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia (northern Poland), Ixodes ricinus ticks should be considered as the vector of pathogenic microorganisms that may cause significant diseases in wild and domestic animals and humans.  These  microorganisms  include  etiologic  agents  of  Lyme  disease,  human anaplasmosis  (HA)  and  babesiosis:  Borrelia  burgdorferi  sensu  lato,  Anaplasma phagocytophilum  and  Babesia  microti,  respectively.  DNA  extracts  from  701  ticks collected in 15 localities were examined by PCR for the simultaneous detection of these 3 pathogens. Overall, 14% were infected with A. phagocytophilum followed by 12.4% with B. burgdorferi s.l. and 2.3% with B. microti. In total, the percentage of infected females (32.9%) was 2.4 times higher than in males (13.7%) and 3.2 times higher than in  nymphs  (10.3%).  Among  adult  ticks  (n = 303), 8.3%  were  dually  infected  with A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l., 2.0% with the agent of human anaplasmosis and B. microti and 0.3% with borreliae and B. microti.