Table 3 Presence of tick-borne pathogens in mustelid tissues. DNA lysates from mustelid liver (L), spleen (S) and ear (E) biopsies were tested by qPCR for tick-borne pathogens. Number of positive animals and infection rates of each pathogen are shown
Species | Meles meles | Mustela putorius | Martes martes | Martes foina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Common name | European badger | European polecat | Pine marten | Stone marten |
Animals (n) | 114 | 556 | 51 | 68 |
Liver, spleen, ear (n) | 113 (L), 11 (S), 4 (E) | 556 (L), 4 (S) | 50 (L), 50 (S), 26 (E) | 67 (L), 26 (S)a, 21 (E) |
B. burgdorferi (s.l.) (n: %) | 1: 0.9% (L) | 1: 0.2% (L) | 2: 3.9% (S) | 2: 2.9% (E) |
B. miyamotoi (n: %) | 0: 0.0% | 0: 0.0% | 0: 0.0% | 0: 0.0% |
N. mikurensis (n: %) | 0: 0.0% | 1: 0.2% (L) | 2: 3.9% (S, E) | 1: 1.5% (L) |
A. phagocytophilum (n: %) | 2: 1.8% (L, S) | 27: 4.9% (L)b | 11: 22% (L, S, E) | 1: 1.5% (L, S, E) |