Czestosc wystepowania Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato u kleszczy Ixodes ricinus z okolic Tarnowskich Gor

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks, Ixodes ricinus in Tarnowskie Góry district. Borrelia burgdoiferi is an aetiological factor of borreliosis (Lyme disease). The main vectors of Borrelia burgdoiferi are larvae, nymphs, and females of Ixodes ricinus. The aim of this paper was to analyse infection parameters of Borrelia burgdoiferi in a selected populations of Ixodes ricinus. The study was conducted in Tarnowskie Góry administrative district (Krupski Młyn, Zielona, Lubliniec, Tarnowskie Góry, Świerklaniec, Tworóg, and Zbrosławice). A total of 85 ticks were collected with a piece of cloth dragged over the vegetation. The Borrelia burgdoiferi infection was confirmed with a PCR method, using flagellin protein gene DNA amplification. DNA of Borrelia burgdeiferi sensu lato was present in 14 ticks, which constituted 16.5% of the population studied. The percentage of infected females and nymphs was 26.8%, 22.2%, and 5.6%, respectively. A high prevalence of the pathogen (50%) was in ticks revealed in the recreation areas and the community forest in Świerklaniec.