Prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in an urban park in Rome, Italy
Journal Title: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine - Year 2014, Vol 21, Issue 4
Abstract
[b]introduction.[/b] Limited information is available about the presence of tick-borne pathogens in urban parks in Italy. To fill this gap, ticks were collected in a public park in Rome over a 1-year period and screened by molecular methods for tick-borne pathogens. [b]results and conclusion[/b]. The most abundant tick species were Rhipicephalus turanicus and Ixodes ricinus. The predominant pathogens detected were Borrelia. burgdorferi sensu lato (36%), Rickettsia spp. (36%), and Coxiella burnetii (22%). Among less frequently detected pathogens, Babesia microti was detected for the first time in Italy, with a prevalence of 4%. Neither Bartonella spp. nor Francisella tularensis were detected. With regard to co-infections, the most frequent double and triple infections involved Rickettsia spp., B. burgdorferi sl., and C. burnetii.. A positive correlation was detected between pathogens and I. ricinus. Further studies are needed in order to assess risk associated with tick-borne pathogens in urban areas.
Authors and Affiliations
Fabiola Mancini, Marco Di Luca, Luciano Toma, Fenicia Vescio, Riccardo Bianchi, Cristina Khoury, Luca Marini, Giovanni Rezza, Alessandra Ciervo
Keywords
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