Repository logo
  • Log In
    New user? Click here to register.Have you forgotten your password?
University College Dublin
    Colleges & Schools
    Statistics
    All of DSpace
  • Log In
    New user? Click here to register.Have you forgotten your password?
  1. Home
  2. UCD Theses
  3. College of Health and Agricultural Sciences
  4. Veterinary Medicine Theses
  5. Distribution and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu latu genospecies, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia divergens in Irish questing nymphal ticks
 
  • Details
Options

Distribution and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu latu genospecies, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia divergens in Irish questing nymphal ticks

Author(s)
Zaid, Taher M.T.  
Uri
http://hdl.handle.net/10197/11651
Date Issued
2020
Date Available
2020-11-04T04:57:33Z
Abstract
Ixodes ricinus is an important vector of various pathogens of medical and veterinary importance in western Europe, including bacteria, protozoa and viruses. In Ireland, there has never been a national survey of ticks or tick-borne diseases. I. ricinus is the only exophilic tick present on the island, and it is the primary vector of borreliosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and Louping ill. This study aimed to optimise molecular assays and employ them to investigate the distribution and prevalence of different Borrelia species, Babesia divergens and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in I. ricinus nymphs collected from woodland sites and farms throughout Ireland between 2017 and 2019. Chapter 1 summarised the most important tick species worldwide and in Ireland, their life cycle and the most important tick-borne diseases. It also describes the most recent molecular assays used to investigate tick-borne pathogens and microbiomes and discusses strategies used to control ticks and tick-borne diseases. Chapter 2 investigated the distribution and prevalence of different B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies in Irish I. ricinus nymphs using TaqMan and nested PCRs. In agreement with previous reports from Ireland we found a higher prevalence of Borrelia spp in woodland sites compared to farms which may be due to higher numbers of potential reservoir hosts in the former. Chapter 3 investigated the distribution and prevalence of Babesia divergens and Anaplasma phagocytophilum using optimised molecular assays. The results also showed a higher prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in woodland ticks compared to those collected from farm sites. In contrast the prevalence of B. divergens was higher in ticks collected farms confirming that cattle are the primary hosts for B. divergens. It is suggested for future research to investigate the presence of other pathogens not included in this study and to examine the role of different potential reservoir hosts to get a better understanding of tick-borne pathogens and their enzootic cycles in Ireland.
Type of Material
Master Thesis
Publisher
University College Dublin. School of Veterinary Medicine
Qualification Name
M.Sc.
Copyright (Published Version)
2020 the Author
Subjects

Ixodes ricinus

Borrelia burgdorferi

Anaplasma phagocytoph...

Babesia divergens

Language
English
Status of Item
Peer reviewed
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ie/
File(s)
No Thumbnail Available
Name

105061351.pdf

Size

1.55 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

3ee306115331dacd2e330166d62f9ad6

Owning collection
Veterinary Medicine Theses
Mapped collections
Biology & Environmental Science Research Collection

Item descriptive metadata is released under a CC-0 (public domain) license: https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/cc0/.
All other content is subject to copyright.

Built with DSpace-CRIS software - Extension maintained and optimized by 4Science

  • Cookie settings
  • Privacy policy
  • End User Agreement