Table 2. Identification of Dermacentor, Rickettsia, and Borrelia species by molecular methods.
| Species | Identification method | Targeting sequence | Confirmation | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dermacentor spp. | PCR | ITS2 (646 bp) | Sequencing | 13/13 (100%) positive;* 99.8% identical to D. reticulatus ITS2 sequence (S83080) |
| R. helvetica | Real-time PCR | ompB (162 bp) | Sequencing | 11/100 (11%) positive;† 100% identical to R. helvetica strain C9P9 (AF123725) |
| R. slovaca | Real-time PCR | ompA (228 bp) | Sequencing | 3/100 (3%) positive;† 100% identical to R. slovaca strains‡ |
| B. burgdorferi | Real-time PCR | flaB (p41) | Not done (PCR negative) | 0/100 positive; not detected in Dermacentor spp. ticks§ |
*Only infected ticks (13 ticks) were identified by molecular methods (PCR and sequencing). †100 ticks were analyzed; 10 were positive for R. helvetica only, 2 for R. slovaca; 1 was co-infected with R. helvetica and R. slovaca. ‡ GenBank accession nos. EU622810, DQ649052, DQ649051, DQ649050, DQ649049, DQ649048, DQ649047, DQ649046, DQ649045, DQ649030, DQ649029, Q649027, DQ649054, DQ649053, and U43808. §DNA of B. burgdorferi DSM 4680 and B. afzelii DSM 10508 were used as positive controls.