Tick-borne infections in wolves from an expanding population in Eastern Europe
In Central and Eastern Europe, wolf populations have been increasing over the last two decades, recolonizing areas from which the species had been previously exterminated. As wolves are still recovering after years of persecution by humans, recognizing pathogens infecting this species, including tic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X2300153X |
| _version_ | 1797394883521019904 |
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| author | Aleksander Wymazał Sabina Nowak Robert W. Mysłajek Anna Bajer Renata Welc-Falęciak Maciej Szewczyk Iga Kwiatkowska Kinga M. Stępniak Michał Figura Agnieszka Kloch |
| author_facet | Aleksander Wymazał Sabina Nowak Robert W. Mysłajek Anna Bajer Renata Welc-Falęciak Maciej Szewczyk Iga Kwiatkowska Kinga M. Stępniak Michał Figura Agnieszka Kloch |
| author_sort | Aleksander Wymazał |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Central and Eastern Europe, wolf populations have been increasing over the last two decades, recolonizing areas from which the species had been previously exterminated. As wolves are still recovering after years of persecution by humans, recognizing pathogens infecting this species, including tick-borne infections, is crucial for its conservation. On the other hand the high mobility of wolves and their frequent contacts with humans, dogs, and other domestic species make them a potentially important zoonotic reservoir. In this paper, we used molecular methods to determine the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in the following genera: Anaplasma, Babesia, Bartonella, Borrelia, and Rickettsia in 50 free-ranging wolves from Poland. We detected Babesia canis in the blood of nine individuals (prevalence 9/50=18 %). The obtained sequence showed the highest similarity to B. canis isolated from dogs and ticks, and all infected individuals originated from regions endemic to the ornate tick, Dermacentor reticulatus. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was found in tissue from one individual (1/50=2 %), and the sequence was assigned to the zoonotic ecotype I. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:26:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-530767acf6374a1389054bba9ee9d4fc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1877-9603 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:26:13Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-530767acf6374a1389054bba9ee9d4fc2023-12-12T04:34:45ZengElsevierTicks and Tick-Borne Diseases1877-96032024-01-01151102272Tick-borne infections in wolves from an expanding population in Eastern EuropeAleksander Wymazał0Sabina Nowak1Robert W. Mysłajek2Anna Bajer3Renata Welc-Falęciak4Maciej Szewczyk5Iga Kwiatkowska6Kinga M. Stępniak7Michał Figura8Agnieszka Kloch9Faculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warszawa 02–089, PolandFaculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warszawa 02–089, PolandFaculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warszawa 02–089, PolandFaculty of Biology, Department of Eco-Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, Warszawa 02–096, PolandFaculty of Biology, Department of Parasitology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, Warszawa 02–096, PolandFaculty of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, Gdańsk 80-308, PolandFaculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warszawa 02–089, PolandFaculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warszawa 02–089, PolandFaculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warszawa 02–089, Poland; Association for Nature “Wolf”, Cynkowa 4, Twardorzeczka 34-324, PolandFaculty of Biology, Department of Ecology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warszawa 02–089, Poland; Corresponding author.In Central and Eastern Europe, wolf populations have been increasing over the last two decades, recolonizing areas from which the species had been previously exterminated. As wolves are still recovering after years of persecution by humans, recognizing pathogens infecting this species, including tick-borne infections, is crucial for its conservation. On the other hand the high mobility of wolves and their frequent contacts with humans, dogs, and other domestic species make them a potentially important zoonotic reservoir. In this paper, we used molecular methods to determine the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in the following genera: Anaplasma, Babesia, Bartonella, Borrelia, and Rickettsia in 50 free-ranging wolves from Poland. We detected Babesia canis in the blood of nine individuals (prevalence 9/50=18 %). The obtained sequence showed the highest similarity to B. canis isolated from dogs and ticks, and all infected individuals originated from regions endemic to the ornate tick, Dermacentor reticulatus. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was found in tissue from one individual (1/50=2 %), and the sequence was assigned to the zoonotic ecotype I.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X2300153XVector-borne blood pathogensBabesia canisAnaplasma phagocytophilumWolfPopulation expansion |
| spellingShingle | Aleksander Wymazał Sabina Nowak Robert W. Mysłajek Anna Bajer Renata Welc-Falęciak Maciej Szewczyk Iga Kwiatkowska Kinga M. Stępniak Michał Figura Agnieszka Kloch Tick-borne infections in wolves from an expanding population in Eastern Europe Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases Vector-borne blood pathogens Babesia canis Anaplasma phagocytophilum Wolf Population expansion |
| title | Tick-borne infections in wolves from an expanding population in Eastern Europe |
| title_full | Tick-borne infections in wolves from an expanding population in Eastern Europe |
| title_fullStr | Tick-borne infections in wolves from an expanding population in Eastern Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tick-borne infections in wolves from an expanding population in Eastern Europe |
| title_short | Tick-borne infections in wolves from an expanding population in Eastern Europe |
| title_sort | tick borne infections in wolves from an expanding population in eastern europe |
| topic | Vector-borne blood pathogens Babesia canis Anaplasma phagocytophilum Wolf Population expansion |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X2300153X |
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