Detection of Invasive Borrelia burgdorferi Strains in North‐Eastern Piedmont, Italy. (15th September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pintore, M. D.; Ceballos, L.; Iulini, B.; Tomassone, L.; Pautasso, A.; Corbellini, D.; Rizzo, F.; Mandola, M. L.; Bardelli, M.; Peletto, S.; Acutis, P. L.; Mannelli, A.; Casalone, C.
• Is Part Of: Zoonoses and public health. Volume 62:Number 5(2015)
• Page Start: 365
• Page End: 374
• Publication Date: 2014-09-15
• Subjects: Zoonoses -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; 636.0896959
• DOI: 10.1111/zph.12156
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1863-1959

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="zph12156-abs-0001"> <title>Summary</title> <p>Following reports of human cases of Lyme borreliosis from the Ossola Valley, a mountainous area of Piemonte, north‐western Italy, the abundance and altitudinal distribution of ticks, and infection of these vectors with <italic>Borrelia burgdorferi</italic> sensu lato were evaluated. A total of 1662 host‐seeking <italic>Ixodes ricinus</italic> were collected by dragging from April to September 2011 at locations between 400 and 1450 m above sea level. Additional 104 <italic>I. ricinus</italic> were collected from 35 hunted wild animals (4 chamois, 8 roe deer, 23 red deer). Tick density, expressed as the number of ticks per 100 m<sup>2</sup>, resulted highly variable among different areas, ranging from 0 to 105 larvae and from 0 to 22 nymphs. A sample of 352 ticks (327 from dragging and 25 from wild animals) was screened by a PCR assay targeting a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of <italic>B. burgdorferi</italic> s.l. Positive samples were confirmed with a PCR assay specific for the 5S‐23S rRNA intergenic spacer region and sequenced. Four genospecies were found: <italic>B. afzelii</italic> (prevalence 4.0%)<italic>, B. lusitaniae</italic> (4.0%), <italic>B. garinii</italic> (1.5%) and <italic>B. valaisiana</italic> (0.3%). Phylogenetic analysis based on the <italic>ospC</italic> gene showed that most of the <italic>Borrelia</italic> strains from pathogenic genospecies had the potential for human infection and for invasion of secondary body sites.</p> </abstract>