The occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks from east Poland with the use of pcr.

Abstract

715 Ixodes ricinus ticks from 4 regions of Lublin macroregion (Piotrowice, Polesie National Park, Dabrowa and Leczynsko-Wlodawskie Lakeland) were examined for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Toxoplasma gondi, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested-PCR methods. The clonal type of samples tested positive for T. gondii was identified by amplification and fragmenting with restrictions enzymes (RFLP-restriction fragment length polymorphism). Positive results were confirmed by sequencing. The overall percentage of tick infection with B. burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) was 12.7 %, and with T. gondii - 12.6 %. The coincidence of both pathogens was found in 2.4 % of the examined specimens. The highest proportions of infections were detected in females, among all the developmental stages, both in the case of single pathogens (23.5 % of ticks infected with B. burgdorferi s.l., and 19.7% - with T. gondii), and their coincidence (3.8 % of all the tested females). RFLP PCR test detected that type I and atypical (type A) T. gondii strains were most common in ticks. The presence of type II/III was confirmed exclusively in females.