Papers by Joanna Stańczak
Annals of parasitology, 2016
The European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, is known to host large loads of Ixodes ricinus, the m... more The European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, is known to host large loads of Ixodes ricinus, the main vector of tick-borne encephalitis virus, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp. and others, which may cause diseases in humans and domesticated animals. To date, however, only limited information has been available on the role of the hedgehog as a host or reservoir for these pathogens in Europe. We investigated blood samples and ixodid ticks from European hedgehogs for the presence of Rickettsia spp. A total of 70 blood samples, 716 Ixodes ricinus, and 5 I. hexagonus were collected from 70 hedgehogs life-trapped from May to September 2012–2014, in forest settlements within the Landscape Park „Zielonka”, western Poland. These were tested by a conventional PCR assay with primers targeting the citrate synthase gene (gltA) fragment of 165 bp. Female ticks were tested individually, larvae and nymphs in pools (2–5 ticks). None of blood samples and I. hexagonu...
Przeglad epidemiologiczny, 2017
INTRODUCTION Every year, approximately 125 million travelers visit areas where malaria prevails, ... more INTRODUCTION Every year, approximately 125 million travelers visit areas where malaria prevails, located in over 100 countries. Over 10,000 of them suffer from malaria annually. Visitors to these areas may protect themselves against infection by using chemoprophylaxis, insect repellents, appropriate clothing, sleeping in airconditioned and well-screened quarters or using mosquito nets impregnated with insecticides. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this study was to gather and analyze the data about knowledge and usage of pharmacological and non-pharmacological malaria prevention methods among the patients of the University Centre for Maritime and Tropical Medicine (UCMMiT), Gdynia, Poland, in 2012-2013. MATERIAL AND METHODS A survey was conducted among 245 patients hospitalized in the Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, UCMMiT in Gdynia, Poland in 2012 - 2013. The only criterion for inclusion was a sojourn and consent for participation in the study. The questionnaire included ...
Annals of parasitology, 2013
Annals of parasitology, 2016
Toxoplasmosis is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by the parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondi... more Toxoplasmosis is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by the parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. Infections caused by T. gondii are prevalent in humans and animals throughout the world. So far, oral transmission by consumption of raw meat, food, and, rarely, water contaminated with infective oocysts is regarded as the only route of primary infection. However, some other modes of T. gondii transmission have recently been considered, including the possibility of transmission by blood-feeding arthropods, in particular, ticks. The aim of our retrospective study was to investigate the prevalence of T. gondii in animal samples and in ticks collected from hosts, as well as in ticks collected from vegetation, and to estimate their potential role in transmission of the parasite. Altogether, 1008 DNA templates were tested, including 15 blood and 42 tissue samples from a roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and 402 Ixodes ricinus ticks feeding on these animals collected in Wielkopolska province ...
International Maritime Health, 2015
Background: Dengue viruses are the most widespread arboviruses (transmitted mainly by Aedes aegyp... more Background: Dengue viruses are the most widespread arboviruses (transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes), which have shown an unexpected geographic expansion. There are four dengue virus serotypes: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. Subsequent infections increase the risk of developing severe dengue fever. Materials and methods: Samples from travellers returning from the endemic area of dengue fever were examined with the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method. Primers amplified 743 bp fragment of the NS5 and 3'UTR genomic region of mosquito-borne flaviviruses of JEV group were used. Results: The sequences from the 10 examined patients were compared to available DENV sequences in GenBank database and the basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) results confirmed that the infective virus was DENV-1 (6 patients), DENV-2 (2 patients) and DENV-3 (2 patients). Conclusions: For the first time in Poland, dengue virus serotypes were determined in travellers returning from dengue-endemic areas.
Experimental & applied acarology, Jan 27, 2015
Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. are emerging tick-borne pathogens which can threaten h... more Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. are emerging tick-borne pathogens which can threaten human health. A duplex real-time PCR and qPCRs with primers and probes targeting 97 and 116 bp fragments of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes, respectively, were used for qualitative and quantitative detection of both pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks. Altogether 1875 ticks (1084 adults and 791 nymphs) were collected from rural and urban habitats in northern Poland. Of them, at least 0.9 % were found to be infected with A. phagocytophilum while 2.5 % with Babesia spp. A comparison of the infection rates by the tick stage, the type of area, the collection site, habitats of different tick density and by the month of collection was done. The prevalence of pathogens was significantly lower in nymphs than in adult ticks (p = 0.02) and in rural areas than in urban areas (p = 0.007). Four different 16S rRNA gene variants of A. phagocytophilum were determine, however none of them showed 100 % identity ...
Experimental & applied acarology, 2014
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) is an arthropod-borne virus, an e... more Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) is an arthropod-borne virus, an etiologic agent of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), a human infection involving the central nervous system. The disease is endemic in a large region in Eurasia, where it is transmitted mainly by Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes persulcatus ticks. It is known that also Dermacentor reticulatus is involved in circulation of TBEV. However, the current knowledge of D. reticulatus importance in TBE epidemiology is still insufficient. A total of 471 adult D. reticulatus ticks were collected by flagging vegetation in the Białowieża Primeval Forest, Biebrza National Park, Masurian Landscape Park (North-Eastern Poland) and in the city of Warsaw in the years 2007-2010. All collected ticks were examined individually for the presence of RNA of TBEV using nested RT-PCR assay. Positive results were noted in all investigated localities with the infection rate ranging from 0.99 to 12.5 % with a total mean of 2.12 ...
Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 2014
TBEV (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) is an etiologic agent of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), the most ... more TBEV (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) is an etiologic agent of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), the most important arboviral human infection involving the central nervous system. The disease is endemic in a zone extending from central and eastern Europe to Siberia and Japan, and corresponds to the distribution of the ixodid ticks, which act both as the vectors and reservoir of TBEV. Humans acquire infection mainly by the bite of an infected tick. A continuous increase of TBE cases throughout Europe has been observed over a period of 30 years. The objective of this study was a preliminary determination of the infection level of ticks collected in northeastern Poland, the endemic area of TBE. Questing I. ricinus ticks (adults, nymphs and larvae) were collected by flagging the lower vegetation in 55 locations in Poland in 2006-2009. A total of 2,075 ticks (676 females, 555 males, 799 nymphs and 45 larvae) were collected and examined for the presence of RNA TBEV by nested RT-PCR. The average number of ticks in one pool was 6.98. The minimum infection rate of ticks with TBEV was estimated in the total area as 0.96%. TBEV RNA was detected in all of the investigated developmental stages of ticks. The prevalence of viral infection in ticks is a useful indicator of TBE virus circulation, and may be used for risk assessment of the degree of natural focus activity and of the risk to contact TBE in a particular natural habitat.
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2012
3. Mermin J, Hoar B, Angulo FJ. Iguanas and Salmonella Marina infection in children: a refl ectio... more 3. Mermin J, Hoar B, Angulo FJ. Iguanas and Salmonella Marina infection in children: a refl ection of the increasing incidence of reptile-associated salmonellosis in the United States. Pediatrics. 1997;99:399-402.
BioMed Research International, 2015
Malaria is, along with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, one of the three most dangerous infectious dise... more Malaria is, along with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, one of the three most dangerous infectious diseases in the world. In the absence of native cases since 1963, malaria has remained in Poland an exclusively imported disease, mainly occurring in people travelling to tropical and subtropical areas for professional reasons. The aim of this study was the epidemiological and clinical analysis of 82 patients admitted to the University Center for Maritime and Tropical Medicine (UCMTM), Gdynia, Poland, with a diagnosis of malaria between 2002 and 2014. The “typical” patient with malaria was male, middle-aged, returned from Africa within the preceding 4 weeks, had not used appropriate chemoprophylaxis, and had not applied nonpharmacological methods of prophylaxis, except for window insect screens.P. falciparumwas the most frequent species. The most common symptoms included fever, shivers and intensive sweating, thrombocytopenia, elevated creatinine, LDH, D-dimers and CRP, hepatomegaly, and spl...
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
Microbial Ecology
Hematophagous Spinturnix myoti mites and their host, the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis),... more Hematophagous Spinturnix myoti mites and their host, the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis), were tested for the presence of Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In total, Bartonella spp. DNA was amplified in 28% of 134 mite pools and in 25% of 59 bats tested by PCR targeting a fragment of citrate synthase gltA gen. Adult mites were at least threefold more frequently infected compared to immature stages. The overall infection prevalence among mite pools from cavedwelling bats was higher than for those collected from attic shelters. Three distinct genotypes were detected. The most prevalent genotype in mites and bats matched closely with Candidatus Bartonella hemsundetiensis identified in bats from Finland and was relatively distant from bat-borne Bartonella strains described in the UK and France. Importantly, most sequences were close to those reported in forest workers from Poland. The presence of identical genotype among S. myoti samples and M. myotis bats suggests that bartonellae can be shared between mites and their bat hosts. In this case, wing mites could serve as vectors, whereas their hosts as reservoirs. One blood sample was positive by PCR for the msp2 gene of A. phagocytophilum. Two mite pools yielded Rickettsia spp. DNA. Both sequences were distinct from any known species but can be classified as spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. Our findings expanded our knowledge on the role of spinturnicid mites in the ecology and epidemiology of bacterial infections associated with vespertilionid bats, especially regarding the genus Bartonella.
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
Emerging microbes & infections, Jan 15, 2018
Rodents are known to play a significant role as reservoir hosts for TBEV. During three sequential... more Rodents are known to play a significant role as reservoir hosts for TBEV. During three sequential expeditions at 4-year intervals to three ecologically similar study sites in NE Poland, we trapped bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and then tested their blood for the presence of specific antiviral antibodies to TBEV. The strongest effects on seroprevalence were the extrinsic factors, site of capture of voles and year of sampling. Seroprevalence increased markedly with increasing host age, and our analysis revealed significant interactions among these three factors. Seroprevalence did not differ between the sexes. Therefore, based on the seroprevalence results, the dynamics of TBEV infection differ significantly in time, between local sub-populations of bank voles and with increasing host age. To fully understand the circulation of the virus among these reservoir hosts and in the environment, long-term monitoring is required and should employ a multi-site approach, such as the one adopted...
Annals of parasitology, 2016
In Central European conditions, two species of Anaplasmataceae have epidemiological significance ... more In Central European conditions, two species of Anaplasmataceae have epidemiological significance – Candidatus Neoehrlichia micurensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Tick Ixodes ricinus is considered as their main vector, wild mammals as the animal reservoir. There is presented the transstadial transmission in ticks, due to the lack of transovarial mode the circulation goes mainly between immature ticks and hosts; pathogen circulates primarily in the cycle: infected rodent → the tick larva → the nymph → the mammal reservoir → the larva of the tick. The tick stages able to effectively infect human are nymphs and adult females, males do not participate in the follow transmission. The summary of available data of different A. phagocytophilum strains associations with different hosts revealed at least few distinct enzootic cycle, concern the same ticks species and different mammal hosts. It is possible to reveal in Central Europe the existence of at least three different epidemiological ...
Polish Archives of Internal Medicine, 2017
RESEARCH LETTER Clinical picture of vivax malaria imported to Poland 57 analysis. A group of pati... more RESEARCH LETTER Clinical picture of vivax malaria imported to Poland 57 analysis. A group of patients with falciparum malaria (n = 51) selected for comparisons did not differ with regard to demographic data. The diagnosis was based on the positive results of a microscopic examination of the Giemsa-stained thick and thin peripheral blood smears, rapid diagnostic test (RDT), and polymerase-chain reaction assay. The microscopic examination of stained peripheral blood smears was used as the primary diagnostic tool because it remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of malaria. However, its accuracy and effectiveness may be unsatisfactory for low parasite densities or in the case of low-quality blood smear. The RDT (OptiMAL-IT, Bio-Rad, Marnes-la-Coquette, France), which can distinguish between falciparum and nonfalciparum infection, was used as an alternative when microscopy was not available in urgent cases in order to obtain results in patients suspected of acute malaria. The test is highly specific and is capable of detecting as few as 50 to 100 parasites per μl of blood. To be a useful diagnostic tool, the RDT must achieve sensitivity greater than 95%. Patients with positive or negative RDT results were then subject to the microscopic examination to confirm the result. A nested polymerase-chain reaction assay targeting the Plasmodium spp. 18S rRNA gene was used to increase the sensitivity of malaria diagnosis, especially in the case of low parasite count and mixed infections when there was a difficulty in identifying the species. Severe (complicated) malaria was defined according to the World Health Organization criteria. 6 Latency was calculated as the number of days between arrival to Poland and malaria diagnosis. Long-term travel was defined as travel exceeding 24 weeks of stay in an endemic region. A retrospective analysis of medical records was performed.
Annals of parasitology
Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus and D. marginatus ticks are the most important vector for... more Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus and D. marginatus ticks are the most important vector for Rickettsia spp. in Central Europe. Ticks sustain rickettsial transmission cycles transovarially and transstadially, it makes enable the rickettsial circulation in the tick population in the absence of vertebrate competent reservoir. Rickettsia helvetica is transmitted by I. ricinus tick; the highest rates of infection are noted in adult females, lower in males and in nymphs. All tick developmental stages apart males are able to infect mammal hosts and humans. The potential animal reservoir could be wild boar, the role of deer is unclear; small rodents maintain the tick population. Rickettsia slovaca is transmitted by D. marginatus and D. reticulatus ticks. The available data suggest the role of wild boars and Apodemus mice as animal reservoir. The ticks able to infect human are adults D. marginatus. Rickettsia raoultii is transmitted by D. marginatus and D. reticulatus. The infections o...
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Papers by Joanna Stańczak