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Special Issue "Advanced Research on the Tick-Borne Rickettsiae"

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A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Ticks".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2023 | Viewed by 883

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Dr. Borawski Karol

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Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University in Białystok, Zurawia 14, 15-540 Białystok, Poland
Interests: internal disease; infectious disease; marine and tropical medicine

Prof. Dr. Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska

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Dear Colleagues,

Ticks are vectors of many diseases such as Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and spotted fever caused by Rickettsiae.

Tick-borne diseases are a significant epidemiological problem in many countries worldwide. Recent years have brought the development of molecular and serological diagnostics, meaning new Rickettsiae species have been discovered and sequenced.

For this Special Issue, we seek manuscripts focused on tick-borne diseases caused by Rickettsiae spp. Studies on the application of molecular techniques and the latest serological methods are recommended. We also seek manuscripts describing clinical experiences that may help to develop the process of diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Borawski Karol
Prof. Dr. Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Research

18 pages, 999 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Ticks and Small Mammals from Grassland and Forest Habitats in Central Germany

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Pathogens 2023, 12(7), 933; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12070933 - 12 Jul 2023

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Abstract

Rickettsiae of the spotted fever group (SFG) are zoonotic tick-borne pathogens. Small mammals are important hosts for the immature life stages of two of the most common tick species in Europe, Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus. These hosts and vectors can be found in diverse habitats with different vegetation types like grasslands and forests. To investigate the influence of environmental and individual factors on Rickettsia prevalence, this study aimed to analyse the prevalence of SFG rickettsiae in ticks and small mammals in different small-scale habitats in central Germany for the first time. Small mammals of ten species and ticks of two species were collected from grasslands and forests in the Hainich-Dün region, central Germany. After species identification, DNA samples from 1098 ticks and ear snips of 1167 small mammals were screened for Rickettsia DNA by qPCR targeting the gltA gene. Positive samples were retested by conventional PCR targeting the ompB gene and sequencing. Rickettsia DNA was detected in eight out of ten small mammal species. Small mammal hosts from forests (14.0%) were significantly more often infected than those from grasslands (4.4%) (p < 0.001). The highest prevalence was found in the mostly forest-inhabiting genus Apodemus (14.8%) and the lowest in Microtus (6.6%), which inhabits grasslands. The prevalence was higher in D. reticulatus (46.3%) than in the I. ricinus complex (8.6%). Adult ticks were more often infected than nymphs (p = 0.0199). All sequenced rickettsiae in I. ricinus complex ticks were R. helvetica, and the ones in D. reticulatus were R. raoultii. Unlike adults, questing nymphs have had only one blood meal, which explains the higher prevalence in I. ricinus adults. Interestingly, habitat type did influence infection probability in small mammals, but did not in ticks. A possible explanation may be the high prevalence in Apodemus flavicollis and A. sylvaticus which were more abundant in the forest. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on the Tick-Borne Rickettsiae)

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