Dermacentor ticks and their human pathogens in various ecosystems of eastern France

Dermacentor is Europe’s second most important tick genus. It comprises two species: Dermacentor reticulatus, which has a more northerly range, and Dermacentor marginatus, which is typically found in Mediterranean regions. In France, especially in the east, the presence of Dermacentor remains underst...

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Main Authors: C. Barthel, J. Stynen, M. Grau, M-L. Poulle, P. Bauda, N. Boulanger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X25000846
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author C. Barthel
J. Stynen
M. Grau
M-L. Poulle
P. Bauda
N. Boulanger
author_facet C. Barthel
J. Stynen
M. Grau
M-L. Poulle
P. Bauda
N. Boulanger
author_sort C. Barthel
collection DOAJ
description Dermacentor is Europe’s second most important tick genus. It comprises two species: Dermacentor reticulatus, which has a more northerly range, and Dermacentor marginatus, which is typically found in Mediterranean regions. In France, especially in the east, the presence of Dermacentor remains understudied. Leveraging projects on Ixodes ricinus, we identified high-risk ecosystems for Dermacentor ticks. Both species were present, but D. reticulatus was dominant (96.3 %), always coexisting with Ixodes, at densities reaching 30.3 questing adults/100 m2 in Bas-Rhin. This species was found to thrive in wet meadows, alluvial forests, and lakes, where wild boars (Sus scrofa) are common. Among domestic animals, dogs and horses were the preferred hosts. Regarding human pathogens, we focused on the circulation of rickettsiae responsible for tick-borne lymphadenopathy. Acarological risk varied by region, with Rickettsia raoultii being the most prevalent bacterial species in all the departments, whereas Rickettsia slovaca was rarer and present only in 2 Bas-Rhin nature reserves. At the peak of tick activity, up to 18.7 % of Dermacentor adult ticks carried R. raoultii. In the studied region, D. reticulatus is the only known vector of these potentially pathogenic microorganisms.
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spelling doaj-art-25cd8b1d26b849ec933a7aac129c232a2025-08-20T02:45:50ZengElsevierTicks and Tick-Borne Diseases1877-96032025-07-0116410252010.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102520Dermacentor ticks and their human pathogens in various ecosystems of eastern FranceC. Barthel0J. Stynen1M. Grau2M-L. Poulle3P. Bauda4N. Boulanger5UR3073: PHAVI: Pathogen-Host-Arthropod Vector Interactions: ticks and tick-borne diseases group, Université de Strasbourg, FranceUR3073: PHAVI: Pathogen-Host-Arthropod Vector Interactions: ticks and tick-borne diseases group, Université de Strasbourg, FranceCentre d’épidémiologie et de santé publique des armées (CESPA), Marseille, FranceUR ESCAPE, Université de Reims, France; Zone Atelier Argonne, Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de Reims, UMR CNRS 7312, Case postale 44, UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, FranceLIEC, CNRS, Université de Lorraine, 57 000 Metz, FranceUR3073: PHAVI: Pathogen-Host-Arthropod Vector Interactions: ticks and tick-borne diseases group, Université de Strasbourg, France; Centre National de Référence Borrelia, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, France; Corresponding author: Boulanger N.Dermacentor is Europe’s second most important tick genus. It comprises two species: Dermacentor reticulatus, which has a more northerly range, and Dermacentor marginatus, which is typically found in Mediterranean regions. In France, especially in the east, the presence of Dermacentor remains understudied. Leveraging projects on Ixodes ricinus, we identified high-risk ecosystems for Dermacentor ticks. Both species were present, but D. reticulatus was dominant (96.3 %), always coexisting with Ixodes, at densities reaching 30.3 questing adults/100 m2 in Bas-Rhin. This species was found to thrive in wet meadows, alluvial forests, and lakes, where wild boars (Sus scrofa) are common. Among domestic animals, dogs and horses were the preferred hosts. Regarding human pathogens, we focused on the circulation of rickettsiae responsible for tick-borne lymphadenopathy. Acarological risk varied by region, with Rickettsia raoultii being the most prevalent bacterial species in all the departments, whereas Rickettsia slovaca was rarer and present only in 2 Bas-Rhin nature reserves. At the peak of tick activity, up to 18.7 % of Dermacentor adult ticks carried R. raoultii. In the studied region, D. reticulatus is the only known vector of these potentially pathogenic microorganisms.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X25000846Dermacentor reticulatusDermacentor marginatusRickettsia raoultiiRickettsia slovacaWetlandsEcosystem
spellingShingle C. Barthel
J. Stynen
M. Grau
M-L. Poulle
P. Bauda
N. Boulanger
Dermacentor ticks and their human pathogens in various ecosystems of eastern France
Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
Dermacentor reticulatus
Dermacentor marginatus
Rickettsia raoultii
Rickettsia slovaca
Wetlands
Ecosystem
title Dermacentor ticks and their human pathogens in various ecosystems of eastern France
title_full Dermacentor ticks and their human pathogens in various ecosystems of eastern France
title_fullStr Dermacentor ticks and their human pathogens in various ecosystems of eastern France
title_full_unstemmed Dermacentor ticks and their human pathogens in various ecosystems of eastern France
title_short Dermacentor ticks and their human pathogens in various ecosystems of eastern France
title_sort dermacentor ticks and their human pathogens in various ecosystems of eastern france
topic Dermacentor reticulatus
Dermacentor marginatus
Rickettsia raoultii
Rickettsia slovaca
Wetlands
Ecosystem
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X25000846
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