First report on tick-borne pathogens and exoskeleton anomalies in Ixodes persulcatus Schulze (Acari: Ixodidae) collected in Kokkola Coastal Region, Finland

Thirty ticks collected in Kokkola coastal region (64 degrees N, 23 degrees E) in 2004 were identified as Ixodes persulcatus Schulze and studied for the presence of tick-bome pathogens and exoskeletal anomalies. One of the ticks was positive for tick-bome encephalitis virus. Ticks positive for several species of Borrelia were also detected, including B. afzelii (n = 12), B. garinii (n = 7), B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (n = 2), some other species of B. burgdoferi sensu lato group (n = 3), Ehrlichia muris (n =5) and Babesia microti (n = 1). The total proportion of infected ticks was 63% (19 of 30), of which 12 were multiply infected. Forty percent of the ticks had exoskeletal anomalies, and these ticks had more multiple infections (6/12) than morphologically normal ones (6/18). In conclusion, this small sample size suggests that several important tick-bome pathogens apparently circulate in the newly detected focus of I. persulcatus in the Kokkola region. The results warrant further epidemiological studies on the incidence and prevalence of tick-bome diseases and on mapping the distribution of different Ixodes species in Finland.