Podcasts about Ixodes

Sponsored by Elanco Animal Health. Head to dvm360 Flex and login or create a free CE account and claim your credit after listening to this episode. There are many barriers, whether real or perceived, to providing preventive care and treating many common ailments in cats. Clients may be wary of seeking wellness care after they've experienced a high stress veterinary visit. Furthermore, they may worry it will be next to impossible to get their cat to comply with any at home preventive or therapeutic medication. What if we could make this experience completely different for both the patient and the client? This presentation will walk you through how to make your wellness visits and prescribed treatments not just better, but enjoyable for your feline patients. Learn tips and tricks from a behaviorist's point of view on how to keep your feline patients content and compliant with all of their wellness care and keep your clients coming back for more. Dr. Meghan Herron is the Senior Director of Behavioral Medicine, Education and Outreach at Gigi's – A Shelter Organization dedicated to improving the lives of shelter dogs. Prior to her current position she spent over a decade as an Associate Professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences as head of the Behavioral Medicine Service at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center. She graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and became board-certified as diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behavior after completing a residency at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. As a published author and seasoned international speaker, she has given lectures and seminars on animal behavior around the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Dr. Herron is the lead editor on the book “Decoding Your Cat” the long-anticipated sequel to “Decoding Your Dog” where the ultimate experts, The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, explain common cat and dog behaviors and reveal how to prevent or change unwanted ones. Indications Credelio CAT kills adult fleas and is indicated for the treatment and prevention of flea infestations (Ctenocephalides felis) for one month in cats and kittens 8 weeks of age and older and weighing 2.0 pounds or greater. Credelio CAT is also indicated for treatment and control of Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick) infestations for one month in cats and kittens 6 months of age and older and weighing 2.0 pounds or greater. Important Safety Information Lotilaner is a member of the isoxazoline class. This class has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions including tremors, ataxia and seizures. Neurologic adverse reactions have been reported in cats receiving isoxazoline class drugs, even in cats without a history of neurologic disorders. Use with caution in cats with a history of neurologic disorders. The safety of Credelio CAT has not been established in breeding, pregnant and lactating cats. The effectiveness of Credelio CAT against Ixodes scapularis in kittens less than 6 months of age has not been evaluated. The most frequently reported adverse reactions are weight loss, tachypnea and vomiting. For full prescribing information see Credelio CAT package insert.

You find a bull's-eye rash around a tick bite. If you get to the doctor quickly, get a Lyme disease diagnosis, and take the standard antibiotics, everything will be fine, right?  Not for a sizable percentage of Lyme patients. And not for our protagonist in this episode, Siri. She's a seventeen-year-old Nordic ski racer from Vermont who's suffered repeated bouts of pediatric Lyme disease. Siri trains for cross-country ski racing at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont, boosting her mood and stamina. But when she has deep fatigue, brain fog, and poor balance, training is often impossible. “There were many days,” says Siri, “that I just sat on the couch with my head between my legs.” Siri's second major onset of Lyme symptoms occurred at age 11. Perhaps due to previous infection and treatment, she does not test positive for Lyme then, so her doctors would not prescribe antibiotics. Yet her symptoms persisted, setting Siri and her mother, Kara, on a research and treatment odyssey. Our expert commentator for this episode, Dr. Steven Phillips, finds this is often the case for people with chronic Lyme and Lyme related symptoms. “[In] most cases of Lyme, the subjective features vastly outweigh the objective features. Subjective means what the patient feels, what the doctor can't see versus what the doctor can see,” says Dr. Phillips. He's a Yale-trained physician and author of the book, Chronic, about his personal struggle with Lyme and professional efforts to better understand the disease.  “What is very well recognized,” says Phillips, “is that a large percentage of patients develop chronic symptoms after acute Lyme disease.” In Siri's case, that meant trying a wide range of alternative therapies, some of which she'd rather forget.  Will Siri escape the physical and emotional depths of chronic Lyme? Can aerobic exercise like Nordic skiing help people with Lyme and other chronic conditions? Tune in to learn more about Lyme disease and the rewards and challenges of cross-country skiing on this first episode of season two. And meet exceptionally resilient Siri, her devoted mother Kara, and a Nordic skiing family on an odyssey of twists, turns, and steep uphill climbs. My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. Show Notes: Experts: Steven Phillips, MD Steven Phillips Website Steven Phillips Book (2020): Chronic: The Hidden Cause of the Autoimmune Pandemic and How to Get Healthy Again Resources Organizations: LymeDisease.org  LymeNet.info  ILADS Medical Society  Further Readings:  "Chronic Lyme Disease vs Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome" Chronic Lyme Disease: An Evidence-Based Definition by the ILADS Working Group “Evidence assessments and guideline recommendations in Lyme disease: the clinical management of known tick bites, erythema migrans rashes and persistent disease” "Lyme Disease (Borreliosis) in a Saint Bernard Dog: First Clinical Case in Turkey" "Metamorphoses of Lyme disease spirochetes: phenomenon of Borrelia persisters" "Review of evidence for immune evasion and persistent infection in Lyme disease" "Recent Progress in Lyme Disease and Remaining Challenges" "Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an effective adjunctive treatment for chronic Lyme disease" "Novel Diagnosis of Lyme Disease: Potential for CAM Intervention" “The effectiveness of Samento, Cumanda, Burbur, and Dr. Lee Cowden's protocol in the treatment of chronic Lyme disease" “Function and evolution of aquaporin IsAQP1 in the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis" “Comprehensive Review of Herbal Supplements Used for Persistent Symptoms Attributed to Lyme Disease” "Supervised Resistance Exercise for Patients with Persistent Symptoms of Lyme Disease" NIH: Chronic Lyme Disease More at www.mybodyodyssey.com Follow/Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode! And follow us on: Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube

Insectos Únicos Alrededor Del Mundo #2 Oruga cíclopes peludas (Thosea Vetusta) Las termitas no saben dormir (Blattaria Isoptera) Bichos que huelen a cilantro! (Halyomorpha halys) Estos vampiros gustan de cuellos emplumados (Dermanyssus gallinae) Árboles impermeables Una damisela lista para pelear (Enallagma cyathigerum) Garrapatas te hacen alérgico a la carne! (Ixodes scapularis) Pequeño elefante VS mosquitos (Toxorhynchites splendens) Avispas aman las flores (¡y el champú!) (Vespula germanica) El río pica Las moscas pican? (Lipoptena cervi, Hippobosca equina & Phlebotomus papatasi) #1 EL Gorgojo Jirafa El Chinche Asesino El Grillo Rosa La Oruga Peluche Membrácido Brasileño La Mantis Flor El Chinche Muerde Dedos El Weta Gigante Araña Barba ó Cortador De Cabello Oruga Luminaria Azul Insecto Escudo De Sudáfrica Mirmeleóntido March 26 - Insects (Most Annoying) (1-2) = Insectos (#2-1) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/universos-abiertos/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/universos-abiertos/support

In this podcast, Sarah is joined by two Canadian women who have joined forces to create, research, and sell tick repellants made without harsh chemicals. Lisa Learning is an Indigenous entrepreneur and founder of AtlanTick repellent products. She joins us from Blockhouse, Nova Scotia. Nancy Thompson is her business partner and research collaborator. She joins us from Squamish, British Columbia.  Read the full show notes AtlanTick Dr. Nicoletta Faraone, Acadia University Behavioral responses of Ixodes scapularis tick to natural products: development of novel repellents Chemosensory and Behavioural Responses of Ixodes scapularis to Natural Products: Role of Chemosensory Organs in Volatile Detection

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: TICKS have not gone away even though the season has changed. We speak with our tick specialist, Dr. Beatrice Szantyr on tick awareness, bite prevention, & treatment, Lyme & tick-borne illness. 1. Why are we doing a tick program in the Fall? 2. Do we still need to be vigilant about tick-borne illnesses in the Fall & Winter when the weather gets cool and cold? 3. Do ticks stop spreading disease when the weather is cold? 4. What is the life cycle of ticks throughout the year? 5. What are some preventative techniques we can use to minimize our risk of getting a tick-borne illness? 6. What precautions should hunters in particular take, when out in the woods? And in handling animals? 7. What is permethrin and what are the benefits to using it on our clothes, socks and shoes? 8. What products are useful for putting on our skin to prevent tick bites? 9. What are co-infections? 10. What does clinical diagnosis mean? 11. What is a prophylactic preventative course of antibiotics, and is this a valid and effective strategy to use after a tick bite? 12. If you get a tick bite, how do you remove the tick safely? 13. Should you send a tick to a lab for analysis? Guest/s: Dr. Beatrice Szantyr, Internist and Pediatrician who lectures on Lyme disease and related tick-borne disorders in Maine and nationally, to both professional and community groups. She is an active member of the Maine CDC Vector Borne Disease Work Group, and a member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society. Dr. Szantyr served on the 2022 Federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group. Websites of Interest: University of Maine Tick Lab, Protect Yourself from ticks & tick-borne diseases Tick testing Amherst MA. (tests for more diseases) Lyme Disease Association, Research, Education, Prevention and Patient Support Lyme disease[dot]org. Powered by patients. Home of Lyme Times and My Lyme Data Maine CDC Lyme disease Frequently Asked Questions Maine Tracking Network: Tickborne Diseases. Improving public health with better information University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter, Tick-borne Disease prevention Education This article is brief enough for a patient to bring to a doctor's visit for them to consider: The Management of Ixodes scapularis Bites in the Upper Midwest For clinicians: LymeCME Free, Evidence-based, AAFP-Accredited Courses that Physicians Can Trust Previous Healthy Options programs on ticks & Lyme, with links to other websites of interest, can also be found here and here About the host: Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition. The post Healthy Options 10/5/22: The Ticks Are Still Here- What You Need to Know first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

We're talking ticks this week on Critter of the Week - specifically, the endangered kiwi tick, Ixodes anatis.

Whether it's from fear of red meat allergy or Lyme's disease, it's safe to say that most people don't hope to find a tick on them during routine checks. In this episode, Marcus introduces longtime friend and newly hired UF Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management Dr. Carolina Baruzzi. Join as they break down their recent (unreleased) study assessing the effects that fire timing and deer have on tick populations.   Articles mentioned in this episode: The Phenology of Ticks and the Effects of Long-Term Prescribed Burning on Tick Population Dynamics in Southwestern Georgia and Northwestern Florida Reptile Host Associations of Ixodes scapularis in Florida and Implications for Borrelia spp. Ecology Why Lyme disease is common in the northern US, but rare in the south: The roles of host choice, host-seeking behavior, and tick density Can restoration of fire-dependent ecosystems reduce ticks and tick-borne disease prevalence in the eastern United States? Reduced Abundance of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) with Exclusion of Deer by Electric Fencing Get access Arrow Abundance of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) After the Complete Removal of Deer from an Isolated Offshore Island, Endemic for Lyme Disease Dr. Carolina Baruzzi - @OaksandGoats Dr. Marcus Lashley  - @DrDisturbance - @ufdeerlab  Enroll now in our free wildland fire course. Available to all! This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort. For more information, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube!

Whether it's from fear of red meat allergy or Lyme's disease, it's safe to say that most people don't hope to find a tick on them during routine checks. In this episode, Marcus introduces longtime friend and newly hired UF Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management Dr. Carolina Baruzzi. Join as they break down their recent (unreleased) study assessing the effects that fire timing and deer have on tick populations. Articles mentioned in this episode: The Phenology of Ticks and the Effects of Long-Term Prescribed Burning on Tick Population Dynamics in Southwestern Georgia and Northwestern Florida Reptile Host Associations of Ixodes scapularis in Florida and Implications for Borrelia spp. Ecology Why Lyme disease is common in the northern US, but rare in the south: The roles of host choice, host-seeking behavior, and tick density Can restoration of fire-dependent ecosystems reduce ticks and tick-borne disease prevalence in the eastern United States? Reduced Abundance of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) with Exclusion of Deer by Electric Fencing Get access Arrow Abundance of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) After the Complete Removal of Deer from an Isolated Offshore Island, Endemic for Lyme Disease Dr. Carolina Baruzzi - @OaksandGoats Dr. Marcus Lashley  - @DrDisturbance - @ufdeerlab  Enroll now in our free wildland fire course. Available to all! This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort. For more information, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube!

Lyme disease is our most common tick-borne disease and it is estimated that there are around 400,000 cases each year. Black-legged ticks or deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are the only species of tick that carries Lyme disease in the eastern U.S. Although deer ticks are found throughout the eastern U.S., Lyme disease is much more common in the northeast, than it is in the southeast. In this episode of the Backyard Ecology Podcast, we talk with Dr. Howard Ginsberg. He is a Research Ecologist with the Eastern Ecological Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey. Recently, he and a number of his colleagues published a journal article about their research into why Lyme disease is more common in the north. Our conversation covers a number of different topics from basic tick biology to the research and their conclusions. One of the things that really stood out to me about their research was just how complicated the issue is. It isn't as simple as just looking at how common deer ticks are in your area. Instead, deer ticks in different parts of the country often choose different hosts, and not all of those hosts are equally likely to transfer the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. The immature ticks also have different behavioral patterns depending on where they are from. All of these factors help to contribute to our risk of catching Lyme disease in different regions of the country. Ticks may not be our favorite organisms. I'll admit to having no great love for them. But, as people who enjoy nature and presumably spend quite a bit of time outside, I think it is important to understand our risks of catching different tick-borne diseases. The recent research by Dr. Ginsberg and his colleagues shines an important light on how complicated this topic is and how behavioral and ecological factors at a regional level can impact risks of contracting Lyme disease. This is one of those situations where the answers can be complicated, but at the same time fascinating and intriguing. It also shows just how much we still have to learn. Links: Howard Ginsberg's USGS research profile Journal article Why Lyme disease is common in the northern US, but rare in the south: The roles of host choice, host-seeking behavior, and tick density Other resources Project blog Project Homepage CDC Lyme disease webpages Backyard Ecology's website My email: shannon@backyardecology.net Episode image: Deer tick nymph Photo credit: Graham Hickling, University of Tennessee, public domain

Board Certified in Family Medicine, Dr. Kelley was among the first physicians to become Board Certified in Integrative Medicine. She has studied the causes, effects, and treatments of Lyme Disease extensively, and lectures nationally on this and other topics.  Dr. Kelley graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed her residency in Family Medicine at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago.  She is a ten-year member of the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM), a Director on the board of The International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS), and is a Founding Member of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM).  Dr. Kelley is on the faculty at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.   Prior to founding Case Integrative Health, Dr. Kelley practiced medicine at WholeHealth Chicago, Michigan Avenue Immediate Care, and St. Joseph Hospital. In the United States, some ticks carry pathogens that can cause human disease, including: Anaplasmosis is transmitted to humans by tick bites primarily from the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) in the northeastern and upper midwestern U.S. and the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) along the Pacific coast. Babesiosis is caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells. Most human cases of babesiosis in the U.S. are caused by Babesia microti. Babesia microti is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and is found primarily in the northeast and upper midwest. Borrelia mayonii infection has recently been described as a cause of illness in the upper midwestern United States. It has been found in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Borrelia mayonii is a new species and is the only species besides B. burgdorferi known to cause Lyme disease in North America. Borrelia miyamotoi infection has recently been described as a cause of illness in the U.S. It is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and has a range similar to that of Lyme disease. Bourbon virus infection has been identified in a limited number patients in the Midwest and southern United States. At this time, we do not know if the virus might be found in other areas of the United States. Colorado tick fever is caused by a virus transmitted by the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni). It occurs in the the Rocky Mountain states at elevations of 4,000 to 10,500 feet. Ehrlichiosis is transmitted to humans by the lone star tick (Ambylomma americanum), found primarily in the southcentral and eastern U.S. Heartland virus cases have been identified in the Midwestern and southern United States. Studies suggest that Lone Star ticks can transmit the virus. It is unknown if the virus may be found in other areas of the U.S. Lyme disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) in the northeastern U.S. and upper midwestern U.S. and the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) along the Pacific coast. Powassan disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the groundhog tick (Ixodes cookei). Cases have been reported primarily from northeastern states and the Great Lakes region. Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis is transmitted to humans by the Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum). Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is transmitted by the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni), and the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sangunineus) in the U.S. The brown dog tick and other tick species are associated with RMSF in Central and South America. STARI (Southern tick-associated rash illness) is transmitted via bites from the lone star tick (Ambylomma americanum), found in the southeastern and eastern U.S. Tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected soft ticks. TBRF has been reported in 15 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming and is associated with sleeping in rustic cabins and vacation homes. Tularemia is transmitted to humans by the dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), the wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni), and the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Tularemia occurs throughout the U.S. 364D rickettsiosis (Rickettsia phillipi, proposed) is transmitted to humans by the Pacific Coast tick (Dermacentor occidentalis ticks). This is a new disease that has been found in California. (credits to the CDC for these links) https://www.caseintegrativehealth.com/

In considering an infectious etiology to any chronic mental illness there are at least four categories to consider. First are those infections already recognized to induce psychiatric symptoms. These include pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, malaria, Legionnaire's disease, syphilis, typhoid, diphtheria, HIV, rheumatic fever and herpes. (Ref: Chuang) While the psychiatric effects of these infections are known to the medical field, they are rarely screened for if the initial presentation is made to a mental health professional. Moreover, the significance of some of these infections may date back to prenatal development. Research done at the John Hopkins Children's Center and published in the Archives of General Psychiatry in 2001 found that mothers with evidence of Herpes Simplex Type 2 infection at the time of pregnancy had children almost six times more likely to later develop schizophrenia. And in the US, Europe and Japan, birth clusters of individuals who develop schizophrenia later in life closely mirror the seasonal distribution of Ixodes ticks at the time of conception (Lyme disease). https://www.morgellonssurvey.org/the-role-of-infections-in-mental-illness/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/morgellons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/morgellons/support

Bravecto is one of the newest kids on the block when it comes to the control of fleas and ticks. While it works very well, some people question this drug’s safety and others struggle with the tablet’s price. So can you split Bravecto tablets, and when should you be worried about an overdose or Bravecto side effects?Bravecto is isoxazaline parasite control product that is a tablet which: Kills fleas for 12 weeks, kills most ticks for 12 weeks (Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus and D. variabilis), but only kills the lone star tick for 8 weeksThe Bravecto data sheet clearly states: "The chewable tablets should not be broken or divided". This is because the active ingredient can not be guaranteed to be evenly mixed throughout tablet and so half a tablet may contain less or more than half the total tablet dose.It is uncertain how significant the difference could be but it could mean that a dog is either under-dosed or overdosed. This will depend on the size of your dog compared to the supposed dose givenThat being said, the dose rate for dogs within 1 dosing band corresponds to a dose of 25 – 56 mg fluralaner/kg body weight which is clearly quite a large dose rate to work with. You may be happy with this and so choose to split the tablet, but it is not something that I can specifically recommend.Overdose testing has been carried out for Bravecto and:  "No adverse reactions were observed following oral administration to puppies aged 8 – 9 weeks and weighing 2.0 – 3.6 kg treated with overdoses of up to 5 times the maximum recommended dose"As with any drug there are potential side-effects which include: diarrhea, vomiting, drooling and inappetence, and in rare cases muscle tremors, wobbliness and even seizures in dogs taking these drugs. It might be that your dog is at a higher risk of side-effects - for example, I would be cautious about recommending its use in epileptic animals or those suffering from other types of seizuresHead over to the full show notesDownload my FREE guide - 5 Steps to Keeping Your Pet as Healthy as Possible

A review for the emergency physician of this common tick-borne illness. Hosts: Audrey Bree Tse, MD Brian Gilberti, MD https://media.blubrry.com/coreem/content.blubrry.com/coreem/Lyme_Disease.mp3 Download Leave a Comment Tags: Infectious Diseases Show Notes Episode Produced by Audrey Bree Tse, MD Background Most common tick-born illness in North America Endemic in Northeast, Upper Midwest, northwest California 80% to 90% in summer months Pathophysiology Ixodes tick (deer tick) has a 3-stage life cycle (larvae, nymph, adult) & takes 1 blood meal per stage Deer tick feeds on an infected wild animal (infected with spirochete Borrelia burgodrferi) then bites humans On humans, they typically move until they encounter resistance (e.g. hairline, waistband, elastic, skin fold).  It takes 24-48 hrs for B. Burgdorferi to move from the tick to the host Pathogenesis: organism induced local inflammation, cytokine release, autoimmunity No person to person transmission Clinical Presentation Stage 1: Early Symptom onset few days to a month after tick bite Erythema migrans rash: bulls eye rash seen in more than 90% of patients with Lyme disease (Irregular expanding annular lesion(s)) Regional adenopathy, intermittent fevers, headache, myalgias, arthralgia, fatigue, malaise Stage 2: disseminated/ secondary Days to weeks after tick bite Intermittent fluctuating sx that eventually resolve Triad of aseptic meningitis, cranial neuritis, and radiculoneuritis: bell palsy most common Cardiac symptoms: tachycardia, bradycardia, AV block, myopericarditis

A review for the emergency physician of this common tick-borne illness. Hosts: Audrey Bree Tse, MD Brian Gilberti, MD https://media.blubrry.com/coreem/content.blubrry.com/coreem/Lyme_Disease.mp3 Download Leave a Comment Tags: Infectious Diseases Show Notes Episode Produced by Audrey Bree Tse, MD Background Most common tick-born illness in North America Endemic in Northeast, Upper Midwest, northwest California 80% to 90% in summer months Pathophysiology Ixodes tick (deer tick) has a 3-stage life cycle (larvae, nymph, adult) & takes 1 blood meal per stage Deer tick feeds on an infected wild animal (infected with spirochete Borrelia burgodrferi) then bites humans On humans, they typically move until they encounter resistance (e.g. hairline, waistband, elastic, skin fold).  It takes 24-48 hrs for B. Burgdorferi to move from the tick to the host Pathogenesis: organism induced local inflammation, cytokine release, autoimmunity No person to person transmission Clinical Presentation Stage 1: Early Symptom onset few days to a month after tick bite Erythema migrans rash: bulls eye rash seen in more than 90% of patients with Lyme disease (Irregular expanding annular lesion(s)) Regional adenopathy, intermittent fevers, headache, myalgias, arthralgia, fatigue, malaise Stage 2: disseminated/ secondary Days to weeks after tick bite Intermittent fluctuating sx that eventually resolve Triad of aseptic meningitis, cranial neuritis, and radiculoneuritis: bell palsy most common Cardiac symptoms: tachycardia, bradycardia, AV block, myopericarditis Stage 3: tertiary/ late

Hattie Halloway & Caroline Foley DISCLAIMER: All guests are high school students, not actual experts. (n.d.). Extreme Weather. Retrieved from Global Change website: https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather (2019, May 23). Global Climate Change. Retrieved from NASA website: https://climate.nasa.gov/ Fabrice Courtin, J. R., Tamboura, I., Serdébéogo, O., Koudougou, Z., Solano, P., & Sidibé, I. (2010, April 15). Updating the Northern Tsetse Limit in Burkina Faso (1949–2009): Impact of Global Change. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/7/4/1708/htm Lindgren, E., Jaenson, T. G., Menne, B., & World Health Organization. (2006). Lyme borreliosis in Europe: influences of climate and climate change, epidemiology, ecology and adaptation measures (No. EUR/04/5046250). Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. Moore, S., Shrestha, S., Tomlinson, K. W., & Vuong, H. (2011, November 09). Predicting the effect of climate change on African trypanosomiasis: Integrating epidemiology with parasite and vector biology. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsif.2011.0654 Morin, C. W., & Comrie, A. C. (2013). Regional and seasonal response of a West Nile virus vector to climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(39), 15620-15625. Ogden, N. H., Radojevic, M., Wu, X., Duvvuri, V. R., Leighton, P. A., & Wu, J. (2014). Estimated effects of projected climate change on the basic reproductive number of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis. Environmental health perspectives, 122(6), 631-638. Paz, S. (2015). Climate change impacts on West Nile virus transmission in a global context. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1665), 20130561.

Hattie & Caroline F DISCLAIMER: All guests are high school students, not actual experts. (n.d.). Extreme Weather. Retrieved from Global Change website: https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather (2019, May 23). Global Climate Change. Retrieved from NASA website: https://climate.nasa.gov/ Fabrice Courtin, J. R., Tamboura, I., Serdébéogo, O., Koudougou, Z., Solano, P., & Sidibé, I. (2010, April 15). Updating the Northern Tsetse Limit in Burkina Faso (1949–2009): Impact of Global Change. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/7/4/1708/htm Lindgren, E., Jaenson, T. G., Menne, B., & World Health Organization. (2006). Lyme borreliosis in Europe: influences of climate and climate change, epidemiology, ecology and adaptation measures (No. EUR/04/5046250). Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. Moore, S., Shrestha, S., Tomlinson, K. W., & Vuong, H. (2011, November 09). Predicting the effect of climate change on African trypanosomiasis: Integrating epidemiology with parasite and vector biology. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsif.2011.0654 Morin, C. W., & Comrie, A. C. (2013). Regional and seasonal response of a West Nile virus vector to climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(39), 15620-15625. Ogden, N. H., Radojevic, M., Wu, X., Duvvuri, V. R., Leighton, P. A., & Wu, J. (2014). Estimated effects of projected climate change on the basic reproductive number of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis. Environmental health perspectives, 122(6), 631-638. Paz, S. (2015). Climate change impacts on West Nile virus transmission in a global context. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1665), 20130561.

Hattie Halloway & Caroline Foley DISCLAIMER: All guests are high school students, not actual experts. (n.d.). Extreme Weather. Retrieved from Global Change website: https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather (2019, May 23). Global Climate Change. Retrieved from NASA website: https://climate.nasa.gov/ Fabrice Courtin, J. R., Tamboura, I., Serdébéogo, O., Koudougou, Z., Solano, P., & Sidibé, I. (2010, April 15). Updating the Northern Tsetse Limit in Burkina Faso (1949–2009): Impact of Global Change. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/7/4/1708/htm Lindgren, E., Jaenson, T. G., Menne, B., & World Health Organization. (2006). Lyme borreliosis in Europe: influences of climate and climate change, epidemiology, ecology and adaptation measures (No. EUR/04/5046250). Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. Moore, S., Shrestha, S., Tomlinson, K. W., & Vuong, H. (2011, November 09). Predicting the effect of climate change on African trypanosomiasis: Integrating epidemiology with parasite and vector biology. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsif.2011.0654 Morin, C. W., & Comrie, A. C. (2013). Regional and seasonal response of a West Nile virus vector to climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(39), 15620-15625. Ogden, N. H., Radojevic, M., Wu, X., Duvvuri, V. R., Leighton, P. A., & Wu, J. (2014). Estimated effects of projected climate change on the basic reproductive number of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis. Environmental health perspectives, 122(6), 631-638. Paz, S. (2015). Climate change impacts on West Nile virus transmission in a global context. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1665), 20130561.

DISCLAIMER: All guests featured in this podcast are actually high school students playing pretend. Works Cited (n.d.). Extreme Weather. Retrieved from Global Change website: https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather (2019, May 23). Global Climate Change. Retrieved from NASA website: https://climate.nasa.gov/ Fabrice Courtin, J. R., Tamboura, I., Serdébéogo, O., Koudougou, Z., Solano, P., & Sidibé, I. (2010, April 15). Updating the Northern Tsetse Limit in Burkina Faso (1949–2009): Impact of Global Change. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/7/4/1708/htm Lindgren, E., Jaenson, T. G., Menne, B., & World Health Organization. (2006). Lyme borreliosis in Europe: influences of climate and climate change, epidemiology, ecology and adaptation measures (No. EUR/04/5046250). Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. Moore, S., Shrestha, S., Tomlinson, K. W., & Vuong, H. (2011, November 09). Predicting the effect of climate change on African trypanosomiasis: Integrating epidemiology with parasite and vector biology. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsif.2011.0654 Morin, C. W., & Comrie, A. C. (2013). Regional and seasonal response of a West Nile virus vector to climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(39), 15620-15625. Ogden, N. H., Radojevic, M., Wu, X., Duvvuri, V. R., Leighton, P. A., & Wu, J. (2014). Estimated effects of projected climate change on the basic reproductive number of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis. Environmental health perspectives, 122(6), 631-638. Paz, S. (2015). Climate change impacts on West Nile virus transmission in a global context. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1665), 20130561.

Julie’s Biggest Takeaways: Parasites are incredibly varied in many characteristics, including their size! Some are microscopic, while others are macroscopic and can be seen with the naked eye. Not just small macroscopic, although some worms at 35 cm can be considered quite large. Some tapeworms can reach 50 feet! Bobbi Pritt’s blog started as an exercise to share the cases she observed while a student at the London School of Tropical Medicine. She wanted to share these cases with students back at the Mayo Clinic, but found the audience grew to include clinical parasitologists, microbiologists, and parasite-interested people worldwide. Part of its success relies on its succinctness: a short, digestible case study with the minimum information needed to make a diagnosis. Pritt’s research focuses on developing molecular tests to detect microorganism RNA or DNA. Molecular tests can be used as a complementary diagnostic test or as the primary test, which can give healthcare workers definitive information to make therapeutic decisions much more quickly than a test that requires culturing the microorganism. A new bacterium that causes Lyme disease, Borellia mayonii, was found because the molecular tests that detect Borellia burgdorferi are flexible enough to detect multiple species and can differentiate between the different types of organisms. It was an astute technologist working at the bench who recognized the readout was slightly different than We did a tick drag, taking a white cloth and dragging it through vegetation. The Ixodes ticks that transmit Lyme disease will think the sheet is a host and will grab onto the sheet, allowing easy collection of a large number of ticks to test for bacterial presence. One of the outstanding questions in parasitology is the relationship of Blastocystis (formerly known as Blastocystis hominis but may actually be several species) to human health. Blastocystis lives in the intestinal tract and may cause irritable bowel-like syndrome. Definitive evidence on whether Blastocystis causes intestinal disease has yet to be presented, and there is a lot of opportunity for research in this area. Links for this Episode: Take the MTM Listener survey (~3 min.) Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites (Bobbi Pritt’s blog) ParasiteGal: Bobbi Pritt on Twitter Pritt B.S. et al. Identification of a Novel Pathogenic Borrelia species causing Lyme borreliosis with unusually high spirochaetaemia: a descriptive study. Lancet Infectious Disease. 2016. MTM Episode: Biofilms and Metagenomic Diagnostics in Clinical Infections with Robin Patel HOM Tidbit: Patrick Manson. On the Guinea Worm. British Medical Journal. Bobbi on This Week in Parasitism (TWiP)

To view the show notes and listen to this episode, please visit www.MountainNaturePodcast.com/ep077

What is S and M with ticks? It is an easy mnemonic method to quickly and easily identify any genus of hard-bodied tick in North America. Is the tick on you, your pet, your livestock an Ixodes or an Amblyomma? Why does that matter? Learn more on this fun podcast. Special thanks to parasitologist, Dr. Lindsay Starkey from Auburn University.

Lyme disease was first described in the US in 1975-- it's a vector borne illness caused the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted to humans primarily by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis and other species. Is the Lone Star Tick, Amblyomma americanum, also a vector of the Lyme bacteria? My guest today says it is not. Ellen Stromdahl, BCE joined me on the show to discuss this topic and an article recently published in the Journal of Medical Entomology-- Amblyomma americanum Ticks Are Not Vectors of the Lyme Disease Agent, Borrelia burgdorferi: A Review of the Evidence. Ellen is an entomologist at the U.S. Army Public Health Center and the lead author of the study.

Learn about the study that demonstrated that Simparica blocked the transmission of Lyme and Anaplasmosis in treated dogs. Listeners will learn about a published, peer-reviewed study designed to test tick protection by Simparica. In this study, Simparica- and placebo-treated dogs were infested with Ixodes scapularis (aka deer) ticks on day 21 and day 28 after treatment. These ticks were infected with Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum which was subsequently transmitted to control dogs, as evidenced by positive laboratory tests. Simparica-treated dogs, on the other hand, tested negative at all time points and with every test methodology. This demonstrates that Simparica kills tick quickly, and blocked transmission of these pathogens in these dogs. This quick and easy download is designed to help you stay up to date on the latest advances in veterinary medicine. Listen to this podcast at your convenience — at home, on your commute, during your lunch break…anytime!

A study, originally published in January in the journal, PLoS One, looked at the differences in geographical distribution of Lyme disease. Researchers suggests that under environmentally-realistic conditions, southern environments exert greater mortality pressure on ticks than is experienced by northern ticks, because of the increased desiccation stress under the warmer southern conditions. They hypothesize that host-seeking nymphs in southern populations of Ixodes scapularis remain below the leaf litter surface, while northern nymphs seek hosts on leaves and twigs above the litter surface. This behavioral difference potentially results in decreased tick contact with humans in the south, and fewer cases of Lyme disease. Howard Ginsberg, PhD, Professor with the Department of Plant Sciences and Entomology at University of Rhode Island joined me to talk about the USGS-led study.

A recent study published in the Entomological Society of America's Journal of Medical Entomology demonstrates the duration of attachment of a single nymphal blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) needed for the tick to be likely to transmit the bacterial species Borrelia mayonii, identified in 2016, is 48 hours or more, according to the study. By 72 hours, however, likelihood of transmission has risen significantly. This timeframe aligns with existing research on Borrelia burgdorferi, previously the sole bacteria species known to cause Lyme disease in the United States. Director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory in Mayo Clinic's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Bobbi Pritt, MD joined me in Feb. 2016 to discuss the discovery of Borrelia mayonii.

Thu, 8 Oct 2015 12:00:00 +0100 https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/18805/ https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/18805/1/Teusser_Lars-Malte.pdf Teuße

Kleinsäuger sind essentiell für die Entwicklung und die Verbreitung von subadulten Schildzecken. Den Kleinsäugern kommt so eine wichtige Rolle als potentielle Reservoirwirte für Zecken-übertragene Pathogene zu. Die Ziele dieser Studie waren unterschiedliche Zecken-übertragene Pathogene in wildlebenden Kleinsäugern nachzuweisen und die Reservoirfunktion der jeweiligen Kleinsäugerarten, im Zusammenhang mit unterschiedlich strukturierten Habitaten, zu evaluieren. Zwischen 2012 und 2013 wurden Kleinsäuger an drei unterschiedlich strukturierten Standorten gefangen: (1) an einem Stadtpark in Regensburg, (2) an einem silvatischen Standort in Tussenhausen im Unterallgäu und (3) an einem renaturierten Standort, der in der Nähe von Leipzig in Sachsen liegt. Zusätzlich wurden Zecken im Jahr 2013 am Waldstandort geflaggt. DNA wurde aus Blut-, Milz- und Gonaden-Proben der Mäuse und aus Mäuseneonaten extrahiert. Auf den Mäusen befindliche Zecken wurden abgesammelt. Aus diesen und den wirtssuchenden Zecken wurde ebenfalls DNA extrahiert. Zusätzlich wurden bereits vorhandene DNA-Proben aus wirtssuchenden Zecken aus den Jahren 2009-2013 bzw. 2011-2012 vom urbanen bzw. vom silvatischen Standort untersucht. Die Proben wurden mittels konventioneller oder Real-Time PCR auf Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis (CNM) und Babesia microti untersucht. Insgesamt wurden 631 Kleinsäuger zehn verschiedener Arten gefangen (4 Apodemus agrarius, 7 Microtus arvalis, 1 M. agrestis, 396 Myodes glareolus, 2 Mustela nivalis, 5 Sorex coronatus, 1 Sorex araneus, 1 Talpa europaea, 36 Ap. sylvaticus, 178 Ap. flavicollis). Davon wurden insgesamt 36 Mäuse im Stadtpark, 243 am silvatischen und 352 am renaturierten Standort, wo die größte Artenvielfalt vorherrschte (n=8), gefangen. Insgesamt wurden 3.391 Zecken drei verschiedener Arten (8 Ixodes trianguliceps, 3.250 Ixodes ricinus, 133 Dermacentor reticulatus) abgesammelt. CNM wurde in insgesamt 28,6 % der Kleinsäuger nachgewiesen. Dabei waren 31,6 % My. glareolus, 28,1 % Ap. flavicollis, 57,1 % M. arvalis und 2,7% Ap. sylvaticus positiv. Die Prävalenzen unterschieden sich signifikant beim Vergleich der jeweiligen Standorte, wobei die Infektionsrate am renaturierten Standort am höchsten war (χ²: 13,4; p: 0,0004). Insgesamt waren 3,8 % der gesogenen und 2,2 % der wirtssuchenden Zecken positiv. In den untersuchten Kleinsäugerföten bzw. -Neonaten, die von positiven Muttertieren stammten, war die Prävalenz für CNM 31,8 %. Insgesamt 60,0 % der positiven Muttertiere hatten wenigstens einen positiven Foetus oder Neonaten. Anaplasma phagocytophilum wurde zu einem geringen Prozentsatz in Nagern festgestellt (0,0-5,6 %), wobei es keinen signifikanten Unterschied zwischen den Standorten, Jahren und Kleinsäugerarten gab. Jedoch waren gesogene Nymphen (I. ricinus) signifikant häufiger befallen als gesogene Larven (χ²: 25,1; p:

Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap) is a gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterium that is able to infect different animal species and humans worldwide. Based on DNA sequencing, Ap has newly been reallocated from the genus Ehrlichia to the genus Anaplasma in the family Anaplasmataceae (DUMLER et al. 2001). In humans and animals, the clinical signs of Ap infection vary from mild symptoms to severe clinical outcomes, including death. However, the disease generally presents as undifferentiated fever accompanied by leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and increased serum transaminase activities (DUMLER et al. 2005; DUMLER et al. 2007; RIKIHISA 2011). Hard-bodied ticks of the genus Ixodes (family Ixodidae) are the main vectors for Ap dissemination. Compared to other pathogens such as Neorickettsia and Wolbachia spp., which can be transmitted from adult ticks to their offspring, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia spp. are the only Rickettsiales that are not transmitted transovarially (RIKIHISA 2011). Thus, ticks need to acquire Ap through blood feeding from infected hosts to complete the life cycle of Ap. During attachment of the tick, the bacterium is released by salivary secretion and is transmitted to the host. It is known that Ap multiplies within membrane-bound vacuoles (or called ‘morulae’) in the cytoplasm of peripheral granulocytes. The binding and infection of bacteria depends on the tetrasaccharide sialyl Lewisx (sLex or CD15s) of P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1) on the surface of host cells, a factor expressed on peripheral granulocytes and HL-60 cells (GOODMAN et al. 1999; HERRON et al. 2000; RENEER et al. 2006; RENEER et al. 2008). Only little information is known about the transmission pathway of Ap after tick bite in the very early stage of infection. It is described that Ap is able to evade and replicate within microvascular endothelial cells in vitro (MUNDERLOH et al. 2004), while endothelial cells lining the inner lumen of blood vessels allow them to easily interact with any circulating blood cells. Since granulocytes do not return back to the blood stream after extravasation, it is reasonable to postulate that Ap evades and replicates within microvascular endothelial cells in the initial transmission, and subsequently transmits into peripheral granulocytes for ongoing dissemination. Therefore, the objective of the study was to establish a flow culture model that mimics the physiological environment in the blood vessel to study the possible transmission pathway of Ap between endothelial cells and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). For this purpose, a novel ex vivo flow culture system was established. For experimental setup, human microvascular endothelial cell line (HMEC-1) and primary human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC) were used. Under static conditions, Ap evades endothelial cells within 24 h, supporting the hypotheses that endothelial cells might be the first infection site of the pathogen in the host. Thereby a high level of interleukin-8, a chemokine that is known to recruit PMNs, secreted by Ap-infected endothelial cells was detected. Using the investigated flow culture model, it was shown for the first time, that Ap is able to translocate from endothelial cells to PMNs under dynamic flow conditions. Furthermore, under defined shear stress, an increased binding of PMNs to Ap-infected endothelial cells monolayer was observed, resulting from the elevated expression of adhesion molecules associated with PMNs recruitment on endothelial cells. The flow culture model investigated in this study can be used to study the interaction between Ap-infected endothelial cells and PMNs under physiological flow conditions, and is therefore helpful to study the infection mechanism in the early stage of Ap dissemination in the host.

In this VetGirl podcast, we discuss transmission, pathophysiology and testing for Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). While Bb can be transmitted by urine, milk, and blood, the most common transmission is likely via tick infestation by hard-shell deer ticks (e.g., Ixodes scapularis or other related Ixodes species). Ixodes ticks have a 2-year life cycle and hatch in the spring (into larvae). A female tick lays approximately 2000 eggs. Larvae become infected with Bb when feeding on white-footed mice, which are persistently infected, but often remain unaffected or asymptomatic. The larvae molt into nymphs that feed on new hosts. While nymphs are less effective vectors than adult ticks, they can still infect their hosts within the four-day feeding period. Likewise, nymphs can become infected when feeding on an infected animal. In the fall, nymphs molt to adults, with 50% of adult ticks in the Northeast estimated to be carrying Bb. Once the tick attaches and feeds, the spirochetes (which live in the midgut of the tick) begin to migrate to the salivary gland and enter the host. Risk of infection is believed to be minimal during the first 12 hours of feeding. Typically, transmission of Bb occurs during prolonged feeding periods (typically > 48 hours).

In this VetGirl podcast, we discuss transmission, pathophysiology and testing for Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). While Bb can be transmitted by urine, milk, and blood, the most common transmission is likely via tick infestation by hard-shell deer ticks (e.g., Ixodes scapularis or other related Ixodes species). Ixodes ticks have a 2-year life cycle and hatch in the spring (into larvae). A female tick lays approximately 2000 eggs. Larvae become infected with Bb when feeding on white-footed mice, which are persistently infected, but often remain unaffected or asymptomatic. The larvae molt into nymphs that feed on new hosts. While nymphs are less effective vectors than adult ticks, they can still infect their hosts within the four-day feeding period. Likewise, nymphs can become infected when feeding on an infected animal. In the fall, nymphs molt to adults, with 50% of adult ticks in the Northeast estimated to be carrying Bb. Once the tick attaches and feeds, the spirochetes (which live in the midgut of the tick) begin to migrate to the salivary gland and enter the host. Risk of infection is believed to be minimal during the first 12 hours of feeding. Typically, transmission of Bb occurs during prolonged feeding periods (typically > 48 hours).

Sat, 20 Jul 2013 12:00:00 +0100 https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/16006/ https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/16006/1/Overzier_Evelyn.pdf Overzier, Evelyn

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit bestand darin, die saisonale Aktivität der Schildzecke I. ricinus L. an ausgewählten Standorten in Süddeutschland zu untersuchen und daraus Rückschlüsse auf die Populationsdynamik zu ziehen. Hierzu wurden von Februar 2011 bis Dezember 2011 in monatlichen Abständen an 13 Standorten in drei Bundesländern Zecken gesammelt. Insgesamt wurden 14.394 Zecken (7862 Larven, 5568 Nymphen, 455 weibliche Zecken und 509 männliche Zecken) gesammelt, von denen 14.383 Zecken der Art I. ricinus angehörten, während 11 Zecken der Art D. reticulatus zuzuordnen waren. Zusätzlich wurden an jedem Standort diverse Klimadaten gemessen. Die so erhobenen Daten wurden mittels Poisson-Regression statistisch untersucht. Zecken konnten in den Monaten Februar bis November gesammelt werden und waren bis zu einer Temperatur von 1,1 °C aktiv. An 7 der 13 Standorte zeigte sich ein unimodaler Aktivitätsverlauf mit lediglich einem Aktivitätsmaximum in den Monaten April und Mai. An den restlichen 6 Standorten konnte ein bimodaler Verlauf mit einem zweiten kleineren Aktivitätsmaximum im Herbst beobachtet werden. Die Ergebnisse stützen somit die Hypothese, dass sich der Aktivitätszeitraum von I. ricinus in Mitteleuropa aufgrund von günstiger werdenden klimatischen Bedingungen verlängert. In der Poisson-Regression zeigte sich eine signifikante positive Abhängigkeit der verschiedenen Entwicklungsstadien von Sonnenscheindauer und Luftfeuchtigkeit. Ebenfalls einen signifikanten Einfluss zeigte die Niederschlagsmenge, wobei dieser Wert einen negativen Zusammenhang mit der Zeckendichte aufwies. Insgesamt wiesen die Standorte aber einen relativ einheitlichen Klimaverlauf auf, welcher die teilweise großen Unterschiede bezüglich der Gesamtzeckenzahl und der Verteilung der Entwicklungsstadien zwischen den einzelnen Standorten nicht in voller Zufriedenheit erklären kann. Es müssen deswegen auch die anderen im Habitat herrschenden Bedingungen wie Vegetation und Wirtstiervorkommen in die Betrachtung mit einbezogen werden, da all diese Faktoren ein komplexes System darstellen, in dem jeder Faktor die anderen maßgeblich beeinflusst. An Standorten mit einem geringen Zeckenvorkommen war fast auch immer entweder eine geringe bis nicht vorhandene Laubstreuschicht mit stark sonnenexponierten Flächen und damit fehlende Rückzugsorte insbesondere für subadulte Zecken vorzufinden, oder aber es herrschten ungünstige Lebensbedingungen für ihre Wirtstiere.

Many factors are involved in determining the latitudinal and altitudinal spread of the important tick vector Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) in Europe, as well as in changes in the distribution within its prior endemic zones. This paper builds on published literature and unpublished expert opinion from the VBORNET network with the aim of reviewing the evidence for these changes in Europe and discusses the many climatic, ecological, landscape and anthropogenic drivers. These can be divided into those directly related to climatic change, contributing to an expansion in the tick's geographic range at extremes of altitude in central Europe, and at extremes of latitude in Scandinavia; those related to changes in the distribution of tick hosts, particularly roe deer and other cervids; other ecological changes such as habitat connectivity and changes in land management; and finally, anthropogenically induced changes. These factors are strongly interlinked and often not well quantified. Although a change in climate plays an important role in certain geographic regions, for much of Europe it is non-climatic factors that are becoming increasingly important. How we manage habitats on a landscape scale, and the changes in the distribution and abundance of tick hosts are important considerations during our assessment and management of the public health risks associated with ticks and tick-borne disease issues in 21st century Europe. Better understanding and mapping of the spread of I. ricinus (and changes in its abundance) is, however, essential to assess the risk of the spread of infections transmitted by this vector species. Enhanced tick surveillance with harmonized approaches for comparison of data enabling the follow-up of trends at EU level will improve the messages on risk related to tick-borne diseases to policy makers, other stake holders and to the general public.

Als ein vom Menschen stark beeinflusstes und freizeitlich genutztes Ökosystem sind städtische Grünflächen in Hinblick auf zeckenübertragene Krankheiten von besonderem wissenschaftlichem Interesse. Zu diesem Zweck wurden Zecken monatlich über zwei Jahre in insgesamt neun verschiedenen Parks in fünf bayerischen Städten mit der Flaggmethode gesammelt und die Zeckendichte(Adulte und Nymphen/100m²) ermittelt. Neun Standorte wurden 2009 mittels spezifischer konventioneller und real-time PCRs auf die Anwesenheit von DNA von Babesia spp., A. phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp.und Bartonella spp. untersucht sowie fünf ausgewählte Standorte zusätzlich auf Babesia spp. und A. phagocytophilum in 2010. Speziesdifferenzierungen wurden mittels Sequenzanalyse und Abgleich der amplifizierten PCR-Produkte mit der GenBank vorgenommen. Es wurden insgesamt 13.403 I. ricinus sowie jeweils eine I. frontalis und I. hexagonus gefangen. Die Zeckendichte variierte zwischen 15 - 53 Zecken/100m² in 2009 bzw 15 - 35 Zecken/100m² in 2010 abhängig vom untersuchten Standort. Eine Stichprobe von 6.593 Zecken (5.569 für A. phagocytophilum) wurde untersucht mit folgenden Ergebnissen: Babesia spp.(2009: 0,4% mit einem Larvenpool (Lp) à 2 Larven; 2010: 0,5-0,7% mit einem Lp à 5 Larven); A. phagocytophilum (2009: 9,5%; 2010: 6,6%); Rickettsia spp. (2009: 6,4-7,7% mit 76 Larven in 16 Lps). Sequenzanalysen ergaben die Anwesenheit von Babesia sp. EU1 (n= 25), B. divergens (n= 1), B. divergens/capreoli (n= 1), B. gibsoni-like (n= 1), R. helvetica (n= 272), R. monacensis strain IrR/Munich (n= 12) und R. monacensis (n= 1). Die Anwesenheit von Bartonella spp konnte nicht nachgewiesen werden. Coinfektionen wurden in 0,7% aller untersuchten Zecken in 2009 festgestellt. Eine weiterführende Analyse positiver A. phagocytophilum-Proben bezüglich des 16S rRNA-Gens ergab sechs verschiedene Sequenzvarianten, von welchen schon zwei mit Erkrankungsfällen im Menschen assoziiert wurden. Prävalenzschwankungen zwischen Jahren und Standorten sowie ein außergewöhnliches Speziesauftreten von Babesia spp. zeigen, dass das Vorkommen von zeckenübertragenen Pathogenen von einer Vielzahl biotischen und abiotischen Faktoren abhängig sein kann und das Habitat „Stadtpark“ dabei eine besondere Stellung einnimmt.

Background: The aims of this study were to evaluate the host-tick-pathogen interface of Babesia spp. and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in restored areas in both questing and host-attached Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus and their small mammalian hosts. Methods: Questing ticks were collected from 5 sites within the city of Leipzig, Germany, in 2009. Small mammals were trapped at 3 of the 5 sites during 2010 and 2011. DNA extracts of questing and host-attached I. ricinus and D. reticulatus and of several tissue types of small mammals (the majority bank voles and yellow-necked mice), were investigated by PCR followed by sequencing for the occurrence of DNA of Babesia spp. and by real-time PCR for A. phagocytophilum. A selected number of samples positive for A. phagocytophilum were further investigated for variants of the partial 16S rRNA gene. Co-infection with Rickettsia spp. in the questing ticks was additionally investigated. Results: 4.1% of questing I. ricinus ticks, but no D. reticulatus, were positive for Babesia sp. and 8.7% of I. ricinus for A. phagocytophilum. Sequencing revealed B. microti, B. capreoli and Babesia spp. EU1 in Leipzig and sequence analysis of the partial 16S RNA gene of A. phagocytophilum revealed variants either rarely reported in human cases or associated with cervid hosts. The statistical analysis revealed significantly less ticks infected with A. phagocytophilum in a city park in Leipzig as compared to the other sampling sites. A. phagocytophilum-DNA was detected in 2 bank voles, DNA of B. microti in 1 striped field-mouse and of Babesia sp. EU1 in the skin tissue of a mole. Co-infections were detected. Conclusion: Our results show the involvement of small mammals in the natural endemic cycles of tick-borne pathogens. A more thorough understanding of the interactions of ticks, pathogens and hosts is the essential basis for effective preventive control measures.

Background: Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis (CNM) has been described in the hard tick Ixodes ricinus and rodents as well as in some severe cases of human disease. The aims of this study were to identify DNA of CNM in small mammals, the ticks parasitizing them and questing ticks in areas with sympatric existence of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus in Germany. Methods: Blood, transudate and organ samples (spleen, kidney, liver, skin) of 91 small mammals and host-attached ticks from altogether 50 small mammals as well as questing I. ricinus ticks (n=782) were screened with a real-time PCR for DNA of CNM. Results: 52.7% of the small mammals were positive for CNM- DNA. The majority of the infected animals were yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus). Small mammals with tick infestation were more often infected with CNM than small mammals without ticks. Compared with the prevalence of similar to 25% in the questing I. ricinus ticks, twice the prevalence in the rodents provides evidence for their role as reservoir hosts for CNM. Conclusion: The high prevalence of this pathogen in the investigated areas in both rodents and ticks points towards the need for more specific investigation on its role as a human pathogen.

Background: Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (EGA) is caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum, a tick-transmitted, obligate intracellular bacterium. In Europe, it is transmitted by Ixodes ricinus. A large number of genetic variants of A. phagocytophilum circulate in nature and have been found in ticks and different animals. Attempts have been made to assign certain genetic variants to certain host species or pathologies, but have not been successful so far. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causing agent A. phagocytophilum of 14 cases of EGA in naturally infected horses with molecular methods on the basis of 4 partial genes (16S rRNA, groEL, msp2, and msp4). Results: All DNA extracts of EDTA-blood samples of the horses gave bands of the correct nucleotide size in all four genotyping PCRs. Sequence analysis revealed 4 different variants in the partial 16S rRNA, groEL gene and msp2 genes, and 3 in the msp4 gene. One 16S rRNA gene variant involved in 11 of the 14 cases was identical to the "prototype" variant causing disease in humans in the amplified part [GenBank: U02521]. Phylogenetic analysis revealed as expected for the groEL gene that sequences from horses clustered separately from roe deer. Sequences of the partial msp2 gene from this study formed a separate cluster from ruminant variants in Europe and from all US variants. Conclusions: The results show that more than one variant of A. phagocytophilum seems to be involved in EGA in Germany. The comparative genetic analysis of the variants involved points towards different natural cycles in the epidemiology of A. phagocytophilum, possibly involving different reservoir hosts or host adaptation, rather than a strict species separation.

Background: Only limited information is available about the occurrence of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in public parks, which are areas strongly influenced by human beings. For this reason, Ixodes ricinus were collected in public parks of different Bavarian cities in a 2-year survey (2009 and 2010) and screened for DNA of Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp. and Bartonella spp. by PCR. Species identification was performed by sequence analysis and alignment with existing sequences in GenBank. Additionally, coinfections with Anaplasma phagocytophilum were investigated. Results: The following prevalences were detected: Babesia spp.: 0.4% (n = 17, including one pool of two larvae) in 2009 and 0.5 to 0.7% (n = 11, including one pool of five larvae) in 2010; Rickettsia spp.: 6.4 to 7.7% (n = 285, including 16 pools of 76 larvae) in 2009. DNA of Bartonella spp. in I. ricinus in Bavarian public parks could not be identified. Sequence analysis revealed the following species: Babesia sp. EU1 (n = 25), B. divergens (n = 1), B. divergens/capreoli (n = 1), B. gibsoni-like (n = 1), R. helvetica (n = 272), R. monacensis IrR/Munich (n = 12) and unspecified R. monacensis (n = 1). The majority of coinfections were R. helvetica with A. phagocytophilum (n = 27), but coinfections between Babesia spp. and A. phagocytophilum, or Babesia spp. and R. helvetica were also detected. Conclusions: I. ricinus ticks in urban areas of Germany harbor several tick-borne pathogens and coinfections were also observed. Public parks are of particularly great interest regarding the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens, because of differences in both the prevalence of pathogens in ticks as well as a varying species arrangement when compared to woodland areas. The record of DNA of a Babesia gibsoni-like pathogen detected in I. ricinus suggests that I. ricinus may harbor and transmit more Babesia spp. than previously known. Because of their high recreational value for human beings, urban green areas are likely to remain in the research focus on public health issues.

Background: Tick cell lines are now available from fifteen ixodid and argasid species of medical and veterinary importance. However, some tick cell lines can be difficult to cryopreserve, and improved protocols for short- and long-term low temperature storage will greatly enhance their use as tools in tick and tick-borne pathogen research. In the present study, different protocols were evaluated for cold storage and cryopreservation of tick cell lines derived from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes scapularis. For short-term cold storage, cells were kept under refrigeration at 6 C for 15, 30 and 45 days. For cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen, use of a sucrose-phosphate-glutamate freezing buffer (SPG) as cryoprotectant was compared with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) supplemented with sucrose. Cell viability was determined by the trypan blue exclusion test and cell morphology was evaluated in Giemsa-stained cytocentrifuge smears. Results: Cold storage at 6 degrees C for up to 30 days was successful in preserving R. (B.) microplus, R. (B.) decoloratus, I. ricinus and I. scapularis cell lines; lines from the latter three species could be easily re-cultivated after 45 days under refrigeration. While cell lines from all four tick species cryopreserved with 6% DMSO were successfully resuscitated, the R. (B.) decoloratus cells did not survive freezing in SPG and of the other three species, only the R. (B.) microplus cells resumed growth during the observation period. Conclusions: This constitutes the first report on successful short-term refrigeration of cells derived from R. (B.) decoloratus, R. (B.) microplus, and I. ricinus, and use of SPG as an alternative to DMSO for cryopreservation, thus making an important contribution to more reliable and convenient tick cell culture maintenance.

Die vorliegende Arbeit hatte die Untersuchung der saisonalen Aktivität von I. ricinus in Kombination mit der Prävalenz des FSME-Virus in Zecken an ausgewählten Stand¬orten in Bayern zum Ziel. Hierzu wurden von April 2006 bis Dezember 2007 in den Kreisen München, Dachau, Rosenheim, Amberg und Passau in monatlichen Ab¬stän¬den Zecken gesammelt. Unterschiede zwischen den Standorten ergaben sich hin¬sichtlich der Zeckendichte sowie der Anteile der verschiedenen Entwicklungs¬sta¬dien. Dabei war an Standorten mit FSME-Vorkommen eine zeitgleiche Aktivität von Larven und Nymphen erkennbar, wohin¬gegen niedrige Zeckenzahlen mit gerin¬gen Larvenanteilen an Standorten, an denen kein FSME-Virus nachge¬wie¬sen wurde, dies¬bezüglich keine sichere Aussage ermöglichten. Die Ergebnisse stützen so¬mit Aspekte der Hypothese, dass FSME-Naturherde nur an Standorten entstehen, an denen eine Virusübertragung via Cofeeding durch synchrone Aktivitätsmuster der juvenilen Entwicklungs¬stadien von I. ricinus ermöglicht wird (Randolph et al., 2000). Nach Extraktion der RNA von 1965 Nymphen und 1465 Adulten der Art I. ricinus wurde eine real-time RT-PCR zum Nachweis des FSME-Virus eingesetzt. Die Prä¬va¬len¬zen an den einzelnen Stand¬orten variierten von 0 % [95 %-KI: 0,0 % ; 0,6 %] bis 1,3 % [95 %-KI: 0,7 % ; 2,3 %]. Dabei zeigte sich eine Überein¬stim¬mung des FSME-Vor¬kommens in I. ricinus mit der jeweiligen, auf Fallzahlen basierenden, Klassi¬fizierung in Risiko¬gebiete durch das Robert Koch-Institut. Die Sequenzierung des nahezu kompletten viralen E Gens ergab insgesamt fünf Genotypen, welche sich nach phylogenetischer Analyse in zwei Clustern in den Europäischen Subtyp eingliederten. Auf Amino¬säure¬ebene zeigten sich im Vergleich zu der Sequenz des Stammes Neudoerfl fünf poly¬mor¬phe Positionen, wobei drei der am Standort Amberg festgestellten Mutationen unter den veröffentlichten Sequenzen neuartig oder bisher nur einmalig beschrieben waren. Aufgrund der Lage dieser Mutationen in einer für die Virulenz entschei¬denden Region ist ein Einfluss auf den klinischen Verlauf von Infektionen mit FSME-Viren dieses Stammes möglich. Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Ermittlung der FSME-Infektionsrate in Zecken eine verlässliche Alternative zu der auf humanen Fallzahlen basierenden Ein¬schät¬zung bildet. Zudem können auch die phänotypischen Eigenschaften des vorkommenden Virus für die Risikobeurteilung wichtig sein.

In recent years, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. have been detected in Ixodes ricinus in Germany and a focal distribution has been suggested for A. phagocytophilum. In the present study the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum and spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae was investigated in I. ricinus. DNA-extracts were taken from 2,862 unfed I. ricinus ticks (adults and nymphs) from eight sites in Munich, sampled over a five-month period. Single samples from three comparative sites outside of Munich were also included. A real-time PCR targeting the msp2 gene of A. phagocytophilum was used for screening and a nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene for sequencing of 30% of positives. Screening for Rickettsia spp. was performed with a PCR targeting the citrate synthase gene (gltA), followed by PCRs detecting the ompA gene for all gltA positives, and the ompB and 16S rRNA genes for clarifying results of some samples. The overall prevalence was 2.90% (95% CI 2.27 to 3.48%) for A. phagocytophilum and 5.28% (95% CI 4.31 to 6.17%) for SFG rickettsiae. Only 0.31% of the ticks investigated were coinfected. Statistical analysis revealed that prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in ticks from city parks in Munich was significantly higher than in ticks from natural forest, whereas the prevalence of Rickettsia spp. was the opposite. For both, the prevalence in adults was significantly higher than in nymphs. Although wide ranges of prevalence were observed monthly, the variations were not significant along the observational period. Sequence analysis of 16S rRNA PCR products (n=31) revealed 100% homology to Ehrlichia sp. “Frankonia 2”, only one differed in one nucleotide position. All differed in one nucleotide position from the HGA agent detected in human patients. All rickettsial PCR products were also sequenced. All gltA sequences of R. helvetica (n=138) were 100% identical to each other and differed in one nucleotide position from the prototype sequence. Two different R. monacensis strains (n=13) were detected, which differed in up to 4 nucleotide positions in gltA, ompA and ompB. Further rickettsial strains (n=3) most probably belonging to rickettsial endosymbionts were also found. These results show, by molecular methods, a wide distribution of A. phagocytophilum and SFG rickettsiae in I. ricinus ticks in Southern Germany. SFG rickettsiae which are thought to be involved in human disease (R. helvetica and R. monacensis) had a significantly higher prevalence in natural forest areas. Prevalence of A. phagocytophilum was significantly higher in city parks; the genetic strain has not yet been associated with human infection.

625 adult unfed I. ricinus ticks from three recreational areas located near Munich and Passau, 275 adult engorged I. ricinus ticks from dogs of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and 25 adult engorged I. ricinus ticks from cattle of an area in Switzerland, which is endemic for bovine granulocytic ehrlichiosis, were collected over a specific period (3/2003-3/2004). The ticks were examined for an infection with B. burgdorferi sensu lato spp., A. phagocytophilum and piroplasms by the use of Real-Time PCR and nested PCR. In addition RFLP analysis and sequencing were chosen for the differentiation of the species and OspA types of B. burgdorferi sensu lato. The examination of unfed ticks resulted in a prevalence of 35,4% for B. burgdorferi sensu lato, 4,5% for A. phagocytophilum and 1,3% for piroplasms. There was no significant difference for the infection rates of B. burgdorferi sensu lato between the different sampling areas, whereas A. phagocytophilum showed a significantly higher prevalence in one sampling side in Munich and a significantly lower prevalence in Passau. Apart from infections with only one pathogen, coinfections with B. burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum could be detected in 1,1% of the unfed ticks, with a local cluster in one area in Munich and 0,3% of the unfed ticks showed a coinfection with B. burgdorferi sensu lato and piroplasms. Prevalence rates of 8,4%, 4,7% and 5,1% were identified for B. burgdorferi sensu lato, A. phagocytophilum and piroplasms respectively in engorged ticks from dogs, 0,7% of these ticks were coinfected with B. burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum. The examination of engorged ticks from cattle revealed in a prevalence rate of 8,0% for B. burgdorferi sensu lato and 60,0% for A. phagocytophilum. The high infection rate of A. phagocytophilum probably resulted from an infection of the cattle with this pathogen. The difference in the prevalence rate of B. burgdorferi sensu lato in unfed and engorged ticks might be caused by their distinct geographical origin, the degree of blood uptake and different factors in the blood of the different host species which are able to protect the host from being infected with Borrelia. The differentiation of B. burgdorferi sensu lato into the species and OspA types showed that the clinically relevant species B. afzelii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto and B. garinii, in which B. garinii was represented by the OspA types 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 could be detected. Additionally, B. valaisiana, a species which is suspected of being pathogenic to humans and the recently described new Borrelia genospecies, B. spielmanii (previously A14S), were detected. Alltogether a broad heterogeneity for Borrelia species and subspecies (classified by OspA types) could be observed in unfed ticks, above all in one sampling side in Munich. Ticks engorgd from dogs and cattle showed a less heterogeneous pattern of distribution.

During the year 2002 319 cattle from 31 farms (6 districts) of southern Bavaria were investigated for the presence of ticks during the grazing period and 287 serum samples were tested for the presence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia divergens. Ticks were detected in all 31 farms and the mean prevalence was 69 %. 3218 out of 3453 collected ticks were Ixodes ricinus. 139 nymphs, 19 larvae and 77 damaged adult specimens could only be determined to the Genus level (Ixodes). The seasonal pattern revealed the highest frequencies of ticks in May/June and September. The intensity of the infestation of the 221 positive animals was generally low. 76,5 % of parasitized individuals had 1-6 ticks/cattle and day of investigation. By contrast, individuals on pastures with appropriate tick-habitats showed up to 250 ticks/cattle and day of investigation. The percentage of infested animals in each herd varied within the period between 0 100 %. The investigation of 287 serum samples for the presence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi by immunfluorescence techniques (IFAT), revealed antibody-titers ≥ 1:64 for 45,6 % of the animals. 27 of 31 farms showed prevalences of Borrelia burgdorferi ranging from 20 to 100 %. There were no significant differences of positive cattle between the various areas. However, a significant correlation could be detected between the number of ticks per cattle and the antibody concentration of anti-Borrelia IgG. By contrast, there was no significant correlation between the age of the animals and the serum antibody-titers. For comparative reasons, 64 IFAT-positive serum samples were tested by Westernblot techniques for the presence of antibodies cross-reacting with Borrelia garinii antigens. These analyses revealed that 69 % of the samples reacted positively, 28 % were unclear and 3 % were negative. The investigation of the 287 cattle sera for Babesia divergens by means of IFAT revealed one positive animal with an antibody-titer of 1:16. Finally, in an additional enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) 105 serum samples from 18 farms and 13 pooled sera including 45 cattle from the other 13 farms were tested for the presence of antibodies against Fasciola hepatica. In 96,8 % of the farms antibodies against Fasciola hepatica could be detected.