Publication details
Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. v klíšťatech na ostravských haldách.
| Title in English | Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in ixodid ticks from Ostrava slag heaps. |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Epidemiologie, mikrobiologie, imunologie |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Microbiology, virology |
| Keywords | Ixodes ricinus; slag heaps; Lyme borreliosis; transmission risk |
| Description | In 2005 and 2006, Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected on two slag (waste rock) heaps originating from black coal mines in Ostrava (North Moravia/Silesia), partially covered by vegetation including trees, and on a nearby control forest site. Mean number of ticks collected per flag per hour was high (23-35 nymps, 13-26 adults) on all 3 sites. Using dark-field microscopy, 100 nymphal and 100 adult ticks from each site were examined. The differences in the prevalence of borreliae in nymphal and adult ticks between the slag heaps and the control site were insignificant (10-13 % of nymphs, 12-24 % of adults infected). Cultivation was carried out in 16 ticks containing a high number of borreliae, and 8 of these were positive. The cultured borreliae were identified as B. garinii (3), B. afzelii (4) and B. burgdorferi s.s. (1). Slag heaps, when they are covered by wooden vegetation, could potentially present roughly the same LB transmission risk as common forest habitats. |