Surveillance of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks from Humans in the Province of Verona, Italy (2018–2022): A Prospective Study
In Italy, the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens is still poorly characterized. This prospective study was conducted at the IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital in Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona), northeastern Italy, from 2018 to 2022. Ticks from asymptomatic individuals visiting the hospital a...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Lucia Moro Graziana Da Rold Anna Beltrame Fabio Formenti Cristina Mazzi Andrea Ragusa Salvatore Scarso Ilenia Drigo Monica Degani Chiara Piubelli Carlo Vittorio Citterio Francesca Perandin |
| author_facet | Lucia Moro Graziana Da Rold Anna Beltrame Fabio Formenti Cristina Mazzi Andrea Ragusa Salvatore Scarso Ilenia Drigo Monica Degani Chiara Piubelli Carlo Vittorio Citterio Francesca Perandin |
| author_sort | Lucia Moro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Italy, the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens is still poorly characterized. This prospective study was conducted at the IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital in Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona), northeastern Italy, from 2018 to 2022. Ticks from asymptomatic individuals visiting the hospital after a recent tick bite were characterized using microscopy and tested for pathogens using molecular tests. A total of 317 ticks collected from 280 subjects were analyzed, with most identified as <i>Ixodes</i> species (95.6%), followed by <i>Rhipicephalus</i> spp. (0.6%) and <i>Dermacentor</i> spp. (0.3%). Molecular analysis was performed on 257 single ticks and 23 pooled samples. Overall, 15.4% tested positive for at least one pathogen. The most frequently detected pathogen was <i>Borrelia</i> spp. (n = 22, 7.8%), including <i>B. afzeli</i> (n = 8), <i>B. miyamotoi</i> (n = 6), <i>B. valaisiana</i> (n = 2), <i>B. garinii</i> (n = 2), <i>Borrelia</i> spp. (n = 2), <i>B. burgdorferi sensu stricto</i> (n = 1), and <i>B. spielmanii</i> (n = 1). <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. was detected in 20 samples (7.1%), comprising <i>R. helvetica</i> (n = 11), <i>R. monacensis</i> (n = 7), and <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. (n = 2). Other pathogens included <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i> (n = 5, 1.8%), <i>Babesia venatorum</i> (n = 2, 0.7%), and tick-borne encephalitis virus (n = 1, 0.4%). This study calls for enhanced surveillance in the province of Verona to clarify these pathogens’ clinical impact. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-541870a733a446dbbd937fdde773add4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
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| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-541870a733a446dbbd937fdde773add42025-08-20T03:14:46ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-04-0113596510.3390/microorganisms13050965Surveillance of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks from Humans in the Province of Verona, Italy (2018–2022): A Prospective StudyLucia Moro0Graziana Da Rold1Anna Beltrame2Fabio Formenti3Cristina Mazzi4Andrea Ragusa5Salvatore Scarso6Ilenia Drigo7Monica Degani8Chiara Piubelli9Carlo Vittorio Citterio10Francesca Perandin11Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, VR, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), SCT2-Belluno, 32100 Belluno, VR, ItalyDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, VR, ItalyDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, VR, ItalyClinical Research Unit, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, VR, ItalyDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, VR, ItalyDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, VR, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), SCT2-Belluno, 32100 Belluno, VR, ItalyDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, VR, ItalyDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, VR, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), SCT2-Belluno, 32100 Belluno, VR, ItalyDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, VR, ItalyIn Italy, the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens is still poorly characterized. This prospective study was conducted at the IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital in Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona), northeastern Italy, from 2018 to 2022. Ticks from asymptomatic individuals visiting the hospital after a recent tick bite were characterized using microscopy and tested for pathogens using molecular tests. A total of 317 ticks collected from 280 subjects were analyzed, with most identified as <i>Ixodes</i> species (95.6%), followed by <i>Rhipicephalus</i> spp. (0.6%) and <i>Dermacentor</i> spp. (0.3%). Molecular analysis was performed on 257 single ticks and 23 pooled samples. Overall, 15.4% tested positive for at least one pathogen. The most frequently detected pathogen was <i>Borrelia</i> spp. (n = 22, 7.8%), including <i>B. afzeli</i> (n = 8), <i>B. miyamotoi</i> (n = 6), <i>B. valaisiana</i> (n = 2), <i>B. garinii</i> (n = 2), <i>Borrelia</i> spp. (n = 2), <i>B. burgdorferi sensu stricto</i> (n = 1), and <i>B. spielmanii</i> (n = 1). <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. was detected in 20 samples (7.1%), comprising <i>R. helvetica</i> (n = 11), <i>R. monacensis</i> (n = 7), and <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. (n = 2). Other pathogens included <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i> (n = 5, 1.8%), <i>Babesia venatorum</i> (n = 2, 0.7%), and tick-borne encephalitis virus (n = 1, 0.4%). This study calls for enhanced surveillance in the province of Verona to clarify these pathogens’ clinical impact.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/965zoonosishuman infection<i>Borrelia</i><i>Rickettsia</i><i>Anaplasma</i>Babesia |
| spellingShingle | Lucia Moro Graziana Da Rold Anna Beltrame Fabio Formenti Cristina Mazzi Andrea Ragusa Salvatore Scarso Ilenia Drigo Monica Degani Chiara Piubelli Carlo Vittorio Citterio Francesca Perandin Surveillance of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks from Humans in the Province of Verona, Italy (2018–2022): A Prospective Study Microorganisms zoonosis human infection <i>Borrelia</i> <i>Rickettsia</i> <i>Anaplasma</i> Babesia |
| title | Surveillance of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks from Humans in the Province of Verona, Italy (2018–2022): A Prospective Study |
| title_full | Surveillance of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks from Humans in the Province of Verona, Italy (2018–2022): A Prospective Study |
| title_fullStr | Surveillance of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks from Humans in the Province of Verona, Italy (2018–2022): A Prospective Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Surveillance of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks from Humans in the Province of Verona, Italy (2018–2022): A Prospective Study |
| title_short | Surveillance of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks from Humans in the Province of Verona, Italy (2018–2022): A Prospective Study |
| title_sort | surveillance of tick borne pathogens in ticks from humans in the province of verona italy 2018 2022 a prospective study |
| topic | zoonosis human infection <i>Borrelia</i> <i>Rickettsia</i> <i>Anaplasma</i> Babesia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/965 |
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