A research team from the Medical University of Bialystok (Mulugeta Wondim, Justyna Dunaj-Małyszko, Jakub Okrzeja, Piotr Majewski, Piotr Czupryna, Sławomir Pancewicz, Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska) published the article “Detection of Babesia and Theileria species in ticks from North-Eastern Poland” in the Journal of Travel Medicine.
The study detected and identified different strains of Babesia and Theileria pathogens transmitted by ticks that can cause a range of different diseases. A total of 625 ticks collected from the north-eastern part of Poland were tested. The total rate of pathogen-infected ticks was 9.76%, of which 7.2% with Babesia microti. It was the most frequently detected strain of Babesia in both Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus ticks. Three species of Theileria have also been found: Theileria equi, Theileria mutans and Theileria velifera. It was also found that in ticks collected from recreational areas (urban forests), which are often visited by dog owners, the Babesia canis variety was most often dominant. The detection of these tick-borne pathogens is extremely important in assessing the risk they pose to human and animal health.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 754432 and the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, from financial resources for science in 2018–2023 granted for the implementation of an international co-financed project.
Link to the article: Detection of Babesia and Theileria species in ticks from North-Eastern Poland