Role of Birds in Dispersal of Etiologic Agents of Tick-borne Zoonoses, Spain, 2009

Ana M. Palomar, Paula Santibáñez, David Mazuelas, Lidia Roncero, Sonia Santibáñez, Aránzazu Portillo, and José A. Oteo

Author affiliations: Hospital San Pedro–Centro de Investigación Biomédica de La Rioja, Logroño, Spain (A.M. Palomar, P. Santibáñez, S. Santibáñez, A. Portillo, J.A. Oteo); and Environment Resources Inc., Logroño (D. Mazuelas, L. Roncero)

Abstract

We amplified gene sequences from Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia garinii, B. valaisiana, B. turdi, Rickettsia monacensis, R. helvetica, R. sibirica sibirica, and Rickettsia spp. (including Candidatus Rickettsia vini) in ticks removed from birds in Spain. The findings support the role of passerine birds as possible dispersers of these tick-borne pathogens.

Hard ticks are a major vector of infectious diseases in industrialized countries. Several tick-borne bacterial diseases, such as Lyme disease, Mediterranean spotted fever, and tick-borne lymphadenopathy (also called Dermacentor-borne necrosis erythema and lymphadenopathy), are endemic to Spain. Furthermore, a few cases of human anaplasmosis and Rickettsia monacensis infection in humans have been diagnosed in Spain (1–3).
Birds are the preferred host for some tick species. As carriers of infected ticks, birds could be responsible for the spread of tick-borne bacteria that cause human anaplasmosis, Lyme disease, rickettsioses, and other diseases (4). Multiple studies support the conclusion or propose the hypothesis that birds play a role as reservoirs of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Rickettsia spp (4–6). Because the Iberian Peninsula plays a major role in the migratory routes of birds, we aimed to determine the presence and prevalence of A. phagocytophilum, B. burgdorferi sensu lato, and Rickettsia spp. in ticks removed from birds captured in northern Spain.