AUTHOR=Mertens-Scholz Katja , Hoffmann Bernd , Gethmann Jörn M. , Brangsch Hanka , Pletz Mathias W. , Klaus Christine 

TITLE=Prevalence of tick-borne bacterial pathogens in Germany—has the situation changed after a decade?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2024.1429667

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2024.1429667

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Tick-borne pathogens, such as <italic>Borreliella</italic> spp., <italic>Rickettsia</italic> spp., and <italic>Anaplasma</italic> spp., are frequently detected in Germany. They circulate between animals and tick vectors and can cause mild to severe diseases in humans. Knowledge about distribution and prevalence of these pathogens over time is important for risk assessment of human and animal health.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p><italic>Ixodes ricinus</italic> nymphs were collected at different locations in 2009/2010 and 2019 in Germany and analyzed for tick-borne pathogens by real-time PCR and sequencing.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p><italic>Borreliella</italic> spp. were detected with a prevalence of 11.96% in 2009/2010 and 13.10% in 2019 with <italic>B. afzelii</italic> and <italic>B. garinii</italic> as dominant species. <italic>Borrelia miyamotoi</italic> was detected in seven ticks and in coinfection with <italic>B. afzelii</italic> or <italic>B. garinii</italic>. <italic>Rickettsia</italic> spp. showed a prevalence of 8.82% in 2009/2010 and 1.68% in 2019 with the exclusive detection of <italic>R. helvetica</italic>. The prevalence of <italic>Anaplasma</italic> spp. was 1.00% in 2009/2010 and 7.01% in 2019. A<italic>. phagocytophilum</italic> was detected in seven tick samples. None of the nymphs were positive for <italic>C. burnetii</italic>.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>Here, observed changes in prevalence were not significant after a decade but require longitudinal observations including parameters like host species and density, climatic factors to improve our understanding of tick-borne diseases.</p></sec>