Single and Co-Infections by Tick-Borne Pathogens in Synanthropic European Hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europaeus</i>) in Northwestern Italy.

ABSTRACT: Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are increasingly recorded in urban areas, where synanthropic wildlife may sustain pathogen transmission cycles. The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), frequently infested with ectoparasites, may serve as an urban reservoir of zoonotic TBPs. We investigated TBPs in host tissues and associated ectoparasites (Ixodes spp. and Archaeopsylla erinacei) from 129 hedgehogs in northwestern Italy. Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Rickettsia spp. were detected in skin, spleen and ectoparasites (Ixodes spp. and Archaeopsylla erinacei). One spleen sample was positive for B. miyamotoi. Molecular identification revealed A. phagocytophilum ecotype 1, B. afzelii and

SUBMITTER: Prandi I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12944922 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature