Single and Co-Infections by Tick-Borne Pathogens in Synanthropic European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Northwestern Italy
Prandi, Ilaria (Università di Torino (Itàlia))
Serrano Ferron, Emmanuel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
Maas, Miriam (Centre for Infectious Disease Control. National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM))
Fonville, Manoj (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment)
Wattimena, Anne (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment)
Quaranta, Giuseppe (Università di Torino (Itàlia))
Capucchio, Maria Teresa (Università di Torino (Itàlia))
Sprong, Hein (Centre for Infectious Disease Control. National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM))
Tomassone, Laura (Università di Torino (Itàlia))

Date:	2026
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 B. bavariensis. A flea-borne Rickettsia closely related to the zoonotic Rickettsia asembonensis was identified for the first time in European hedgehogs. All pathogens were more prevalent in skin than in spleen. In skin, A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s. l. showed a positive interaction, whereas both were negatively associated with Rickettsia spp. These findings highlight hedgehogs as potential urban reservoirs of zoonotic TBPs, posing a potential risk for humans and domestic animals. The marked skin tropism of these pathogens supports the use of skin for TBP surveillance and underlines its role as a key interface for vector-borne transmission.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Erinaceus europaeus ; Tick-borne pathogens ; Anaplasma phagocytophilum ; Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato ; Rickettsia spp. ; Tissue tropism ; Pathogen co-infection
Published in:	Veterinary sciences, Vol. 13, Num. 2 (February 2026) , p. 150, ISSN 2306-7381

DOI: 10.3390/vetsci13020150

16 p, 1.5 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Research group Wildlife Ecology & Health
Articles > Research articles
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