| Description |
Toxoplasma gondii is an invasive intracellular pathogen belonging to the Coccidia suborder. Its occurrence is cosmopolitan, the disease is one of the most common diseases. In the Czech Republic, over 20% of people are positive for specific antibodies. Not much information exists about the findings of T. gondii in ticks (Sroka et al., 2009). The aim of our student work was to monitor the activity and positivity of ticks on Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. In localities in Brno and on the surrounding vegetation by PCR method and at the same time to find out whether Toxoplasma gondii DNA is also present in ticks. Ticks (Ixodes ricinus) were caught at selected localities (Brno-Pisárky; Brno-dam Rakovec; Brno-Líšeň; Uhersky Brod) at regular weekly intervals (once a week for one hour) while monitoring the surrounding climatic conditions throughout the 2017, 2018, 2019 seasons. The highest incidence of ticks varies annually depending on the surrounding conditions of the site. Critical months for the given localities - April, May, on the dam in June. Results:Brno-Rakovec Dam 2018 Monitoring once a week, total: 1242, the highest number of ticks per collection - June: 104, the highest number of ticks per month - April: 256, June: 260, weak dependence on temperature, independence on humidity Brno-Líšeň 2017 - 2018 1x per week, total: 197, the highest number of ticks per collection - April 2018: 23, the highest number of ticks per month - April 2018: 66, temperature dependence, no moisture dependence, rtPCR Toxoplasma gondii 18.75%, PCR 5%, positivity for Bbsl 13.2% of 197 ticks in 68 samples) Brno-Pisárky 2019 1x per week, total: 522, highest number of ticks per collection- May: 69, highest number of ticks per month-May: 232, temperature dependence, moisture independence, PCR positivity 6.6% (292 ticks in 105 samples) for the presence of Bbsl Uhersky Brod - Havrice 2019 1x per week, total: 1368, the highest number of ticks per collection- May: 108, the highest number of ticks per month-May: 404, temperature dependence, does not depend on humidity PCR positivity 5.95% (168 ticks in 65 samples), from cultivations the positivity is 19.0%. From this we can conclude that the number of pathogens in ticks is not yet an exhausted topic. The number of Toxoplasma gondii findings in ticks is starting to increase. The number of ticks is rising, eg in three years there has been a twofold increase in ticks in the Pisárky locality. And thus to the risk of transmission of pathogenic microorganisms causing disease (most often Lyme borreliosis).
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