Dermacentor reticulatus: a vector on the rise

Dermacentor reticulatus is a hard tick species with extraordinary biological features. It has a high reproduction rate, a rapid developmental cycle, and is also able to overcome years of unfavourable conditions. Dermacentor reticulatus can survive under water for several months and is cold-hardy even compared to other tick species. It has a wide host range: over 60 different wild and domesticated hosts are known for the three active developmental stages. Its high adaptiveness gives an edge to this tick species as shown by new data on the emergence and establishment of D. reticulatus populations throughout Europe. The tick has been the research focus of a growing number of scientists, physicians and veterinarians. Within the Web of Science database, more than a fifth of the over 700 items published on this species between 1897 and 2015 appeared in the last three years (2013–2015). Here we attempt to synthesize current knowledge on the systematics, ecology, geographical distribution and recent spread of the species and to highlight the great spectrum of possible veterinary and public health threats it poses. Canine babesiosis caused by Babesia canis is a severe leading canine vector-borne disease in many endemic areas. Although less frequently than Ixodes ricinus, D. reticulatus adults bite humans and transmit several Rickettsia spp., Omsk haemorrhagic fever virus or Tick-borne encephalitis virus. We have not solely collected and reviewed the latest and fundamental scientific papers available in primary databases but also widened our scope to books, theses, conference papers and specialists colleagues’ experience where needed. Besides the dominant literature available in English, we also tried to access scientific literature in German, Russian and eastern European languages as well. We hope to inspire future research projects that are necessary to understand the basic life-cycle and ecology of this vector in order to understand and prevent disease threats. We conclude that although great strides have been made in our knowledge of the eco-epidemiology of this species, several gaps still need to be filled with basic research, targeting possible reservoir and vector roles and the key factors resulting in the observed geographical spread of D. reticulatus. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1599-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Habitat preferences of the common tick Ixodes ricinus L. in Lublin region

A study was conducted on habitat preferences of the common tick Ixodes ricinus. Material and methods. Eleven habitats were distinguished within the administrative borders of the city of Lublin as well as in the Gułowskie Forests and the Kozłowieckie Forests (Lublin voivodeship). They included meadows and pastures, thickets, poletimber woods, dry pine forests, mesic pine forests, mixed forests, mixed woods, deciduous woods, city parks, suburban wooded areas, and wasteland within the administrative borders of the city. In all of these habitats, a total of 61 one−hour flaggings were carried out. The mean number of the sampled specimens was regarded as the relative abundance of ticks in a given habitat. Results. In the natural environments, the highest tick density was observed in mesic pine forests, mixed forests, and thickets. A relatively low abundance was found in deciduous woods, and the lowest abundance – in poletimber woods and dry pine forests (Table 1). It was demonstrated that the abundance of the parasites is determined by the capacity to maintain appropriate humidity of the environment throughout the period of their occurrence, and not by the type of vegetation. This may have been the reason behind similar abundance of ticks in meadows and deciduous woods (Tables 1 and 2). In Lublin, rare ticks were collected only on the outskirts of the urban zone and – exceptionally – in the wasteland. In typically urban parks, no parasites were found

Occurrence of the common tick Ixodes ricinus L. in enviroments of various degree and character of anthropogenic impact

Material and methods. The study of the occurence and relative numbers of the common tick Ixodes ricinus in environments of various degree and character of anthropogenic impact was conducted in 3 forest complexes situated in the Lubelskie voivodeship: the Gułowskie Forests (district of Łuków), the Kozłowieckie Forests (district of Lubartów) and the Dąbrowa Forest (within the municipal boundaries of Lublin). The adopted method was flagging in the period of peak activity of ticks in the springs of 2005−2006. 7 environments were distinguished, in which a total of 48 censuses were conducted. Relative density of ticks was assessed based on the number of specimens caught by one person in 60 minutes. Results. In total, 2081 specimens were caught; on average 43.4 in a single sample. For comparisons of the size of the population of the parasites in the distinguished environments, the so−called „risk factor” (Z) was formulated. It was calculated by assigning the value of 1.00 to the average number of ticks caught during one census. Ticks were found in all the investigated environments. Their highest average numbers (Z=1.91) were found in forest tracks, the lowest ones — along the shoreline of water reservoirs. A high density (Z=1.00) was recorded in an environment of homogenous vegetation structure, defined as the ”forest interior”

Wystepowanie pasozytow jelitowych u dzieci w makroregionie lubelskim w latach 1976-2000

From 1976 to 2000, were examined 2828 children for the presence of gastrointestinal parasites. Investigations were made by means of a standard coprological methods, Graham's method and immunoenzymatic method (Prospect Giardia) for the presence of coproantigen of Giardia. The following parasites were detected in 1299 children: Giardia lamblia 1,3%, Ascaris lumbricoides 3,0%, Trichuris trichiura 7,8%, Enterobius vermicularis 40.5%. The parasites were found most frequently in children from a home for mentally handicapped. The number of infected among children inhabiting country was higher than among those from the towns. There was no significant difference between boys and girls