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Article
Open AccessTemporal patterns of gene expression in response to inoculation with a virulent Anaplasma phagocytophilum strain in sheep
The aim of this study was to characterize the gene expression of host immune- and cellular responses to a Norwegian virulent strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the cause of tick-borne fever in sheep. Ten sheep ...
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Article
Open AccessWinter activity of Ixodes ricinus in Sweden
In Europe, Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) is the most widespread and abundant tick species, acting as a vector for several microorganisms of medical and veterinary importance. In Northern and Central Europe, th...
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Article
Open AccessPotential drivers of human tick-borne encephalitis in the Örebro region of Sweden, 2010–2021
Incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has increased during the last years in Scandinavia, but the underlying mechanism is not understood. TBE human case data reported between 2010 and 2021 were aggregated...
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Article
Open AccessCharacterization of the bacterial microbiome of Swedish ticks through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of whole ticks and of individual tick organs
The composition of the microbial flora associated with ixodid ticks has been studied in several species, revealing the importance of geographical origin, developmental stage(s) and feeding status of the tick, ...
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Article
Open AccessSurveillance of tick-borne encephalitis in emerging risk areas in southern Sweden: a retrospective case finding study
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an emerging infection causing CNS infection of various severity. Good knowledge of the incidence in the population and defined risk areas is important in risk communication and...
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Article
Open AccessCytokine responses of immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients with Neoehrlichia mikurensis infection
The tick-borne bacterium Neoehrlichia mikurensis causes the infectious disease neoehrlichiosis in humans. Vascular endothelium is one of the target cells of the infection. Neoehrlichiosis patients with compromise...
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Article
Open AccessTick-transmitted co-infections among erythema migrans patients in a general practice setting in Norway: a clinical and laboratory follow-up study
Erythema migrans (EM) is the most common manifestation of Lyme borreliosis. Here, we examined EM patients in Norwegian general practice to find the proportion exposed to tick-transmitted microorganisms other t...
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Article
Open AccessLyme neuroborreliosis in Swedish children—PCR as a complementary diagnostic method for detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in cerebrospinal fluid
The aim of this study was to evaluate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a diagnostic method for the detection of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in CSF of Swedish children with LNB. This study was performed retrospect...
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Article
Open AccessThree Babesia species in Ixodes ricinus ticks from migratory birds in Sweden
Migratory birds can cross geographical and environmental barriers and are thereby able to facilitate transmission of tick-borne pathogens both as carriers of infected ticks and as reservoirs of pathogenic micr...
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Article
Open AccessValidating a common tick survey method: cloth-dragging and line transects
Cloth-dragging is the most widely-used method for collecting and counting ticks, but there are few studies of its reliability. By using cloth-dragging, we applied a replicated line transects survey method, in ...
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Article
Open AccessMigratory birds as disseminators of ticks and the tick-borne pathogens Borrelia bacteria and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus: a seasonal study at Ottenby Bird Observatory in South-eastern Sweden
Birds can act as reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens and can also disperse pathogen-containing ticks to both nearby and remote localities. The aims of this study were to estimate tick infestation patterns on mi...
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Article
Open AccessSerological diagnostics of Lyme borreliosis: comparison of assays in twelve clinical laboratories in Northern Europe
Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by spirochetes belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, is the most common tick-borne infection in Europe. Laboratory diagnosis of LB is mainly based on the patients...
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Article
Open AccessMolecular detection of Babesia capreoli and Babesia venatorum in wild Swedish roe deer, Capreolus capreolus
The epidemiology of the zoonotic tick-transmitted parasite Babesia spp. and its occurrence in wild reservoir hosts in Sweden is unclear. In European deer, several parasite species, including Babesia capreoli and ...
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Article
Open AccessThe NeBoP score - a clinical prediction test for evaluation of children with Lyme Neuroborreliosis in Europe
The diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) in Europe is based on clinical symptoms and laboratory data, such as pleocytosis and anti-Borrelia antibodies in serum and CSF according to guidelines. However, the de...
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Article
Open AccessSpotted fever Rickettsia species in Hyalomma and Ixodes ticks infesting migratory birds in the European Mediterranean area
A few billion birds migrate annually between their breeding grounds in Europe and their wintering grounds in Africa. Many bird species are tick-infested, and as a result of their innate migratory behavior, the...
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Article
Open AccessIxodes ricinus ticks removed from humans in Northern Europe: seasonal pattern of infestation, attachment sites and duration of feeding
The common tick Ixodes ricinus is the main vector in Europe of the tick-borne encephalitis virus and of several species of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, which are the etiological agents of Lyme bor...
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Article
Open AccessBorrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks from Norway: evaluation of a PCR test targeting the chromosomal flaB gene
A consensus TaqMan real-time PCR test targeting the chromosomal flaB gene of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was constructed. The test was compared with a recently published generic Light Upon eXtension (LUX) 16S...
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Article
Toxicity of fungicides to natural bacterial communities in wetland water and sediment measured using leucine incorporation and potential denitrification
We assessed potential toxicity of fungicides to natural bacterial communities from a constructed wetland, located in southern Sweden, and compared the sensitivity of two endpoints indicating bacterial activity...
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Article
Clear-cutting affects the ammonia-oxidising community differently in limed and non-limed coniferous forest soils
The effects of clear-cutting on the ammonia-oxidising bacterial community were studied in the soil of limed and non-limed spruce forest plots located in the central part of southern Sweden. The communities wer...
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Article
Characterization of the molybdate transport system ModABC of Staphylococcus carnosus
Transposon mutagenesis of Staphylococcus carnosus led to the identification of three genes, modABC, which encode an ABC transporter that is involved in molybdate transport. It was shown by [14C]palmitate labelin...