Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens in Temperate and Cold Regions of Europe-A Review on the Prevalence in Domestic Animals.
Authors: Springer Andrea, Glass Antje, Topp Anna-Katharina, Strube Christina
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Tick-borne pathogens pose a dual threat across European temperate and cold regions, affecting both equine and human populations, yet understanding their prevalence in domestic animal reservoirs remains inconsistent. Springer and colleagues synthesised 148 prevalence studies to quantify exposure to six key zoonotic pathogens (tick-borne encephalitis virus, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., Neoehrlichia mikurensis, and Babesia spp.) in ruminants, horses, dogs and cats, using meta-analytic approaches to establish pooled seroprevalence estimates. Overall seroprevalence ranged from 2.7% for TBEV to 16.2% for A. phagocytophilum, though dogs demonstrated significantly lower B. burgdorferi exposure than horses and cattle, suggesting potential species-dependent variation in tick exposure or immune response. The considerable heterogeneity across studies—attributed to differing diagnostic methodologies, geographic regions and sampling periods—highlights a critical gap: we lack standardised surveillance protocols to reliably track whether climate change, land-use shifts and evolving agricultural practices are altering pathogen prevalence in domestic animal populations. For equine practitioners, this underscores the importance of robust tick control strategies and heightened clinical suspicion for Borrelia and Anaplasma in endemic regions, whilst acknowledging that current prevalence data may underestimate true exposure due to methodological inconsistencies across the published literature.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Horses show higher Borrelia burgdorferi seroprevalence compared to dogs and cattle, suggesting they may be more frequently exposed to infected ticks in European regions—consider this when assessing tick-borne disease risk in equine populations
- •Domestic animals, including horses, can serve as sentinel indicators of tick-borne pathogen presence in your area; serological monitoring may help identify emerging disease risks before they affect human health
- •Raw milk and milk products from ruminants pose zoonotic TBEV transmission risk in temperate/cold European regions; this highlights the importance of understanding tick ecology on farms where horses also graze
Key Findings
- •Meta-analysis of 148 prevalence studies found overall seroprevalence of 2.7% for TBEV, 12.9% for Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., 16.2% for A. phagocytophilum, and 7.4% for Babesia divergens in asymptomatic domestic animals across temperate/cold European regions
- •Significantly lower B. burgdorferi s.l. seroprevalence detected in dogs compared to horses and cattle
- •Domestic animals, particularly ruminants, serve as potential reservoirs and sentinel hosts for zoonotic tick-borne pathogens, with risk of human transmission via raw milk products in the case of TBEV
- •High heterogeneity in seroprevalence estimates across studies indicates need for standardized, highly sensitive and specific diagnostic methods and expanded surveillance in underinvestigated regions