Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, the causative agent of tick-borne “neoehrlichiosis” has recently been reported in humans, mammals and ticks in Europe. The aim of this study was to map the distribution of this bacterium in questing ticks in the Czech Republic. A total of 13,325 Ixodes ricinus including 445 larvae, 5270 nymphs and 7610 adults were collected from vegetation by flagging in 140 Czech towns and villages from every region of the Czech Republic. The ticks were pooled into 2665 groups of 5 individuals respecting life stage or sex and tested for the presence of Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis by conventional PCR targeting of the groEL gene. The bacterium was detected in 533/2665 pools and 125/140 areas screened, showing an overall estimated prevalence of 4.4 % in ticks of all life stages. Phylogenetic analysis revealed only small genetic diversity among the strains found. Two pools of questing larvae tested positive, suggesting transovarial transmission. According to this study, Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis is another tick-borne pathogen widespread in I. ricinus ticks in the Czech Republic.

暂定Neoehrlichia mikurensis，蜱传“neoehrlichiosis”的病原体近日有报道称，在欧洲人类，哺乳动物和蜱。这项研究的目的是在捷克共和国寻找tick中绘制这种细菌的分布图。通过在捷克共和国每个地区的140个捷克城镇和村庄里打旗，从植被中收集了总共13325株臭x，包括445个幼虫，5270个若虫和7610个成虫。蜱汇集成2665组5个个体的尊重生命阶段或性别和存在测试钙。常规PCR靶向groEL的新细菌基因。在533/2665个池中筛选出该细菌，并筛选了125/140个区域，在所有生命周期的滴答声中总体估计患病率为4.4％。系统发育分析表明，发现的菌株之间只有很小的遗传多样性。搜寻幼虫的两个库检测为阳性，表明经卵巢传播。根据这项研究，Ca。miehurensis是一种由tick传播的病原体，广泛分布于捷克共和国的蓖麻（I. ricinus）tick中。