Infections and mixed infections with the selected species of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in eastern Poland: a significant increase in the course of 5 years

In the years 2008–2009 and 2013–2014, 1620 and 1500 questing Ixodes ricinus ticks, respectively, were examined on the territory of the Lublin province (eastern Poland). The presence of three pathogenic species causing Lyme disease was investigated: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii and B. garinii. The proportion of I. ricinus ticks infected with B. burgdorferi sensu lato showed a highly significant increase between 2008–2009 and 2013–2014, from 6.0 to 15.3 %. A significant increase was noted with regard to all types of infections with individual species: single (4.7–7.8 %), dual (1.2–6.6 %), and triple (0.1–0.9 %). When expressed as the percent of all infections, the frequency of mixed infections increased from 21.4 to 49.2 %. Statistical analysis performed with two methods (by calculating of odds ratios and by Fisher’s exact test) showed that the frequencies of mixed infections in most cases proved to be significantly greater than expected. The strongest associations were found between B. burgdorferi s. s. and B. afzelii, and between B. burgdorferi s. s. and B. garinii. They appeared to be highly significant (P < 0.0001) when assessed by two methods for 2013–2014, and for the sum of findings for both time periods. The proportions of the individual species detected in the mixed infections in 2008–2009 and 2013–2014 revealed highly significant increases for B. burgdorferi s. s. and B. garinii (from 33.9 to 71.1 % and from 18.2 to 82.9 %, respectively), and an insignificant decrease for B. afzelii (from 51.4 to 41.6 %). The proportions of the species B. burgdorferi s. s., B. afzelii and B. garinii (with combined single and mixed infections) for 2008–2009 and 2013–2014 were: 51.2/44.0 %, 30.6/24.9 % and 18.2/31.1 %, respectively. In conclusion, our results seem to indicate the detrimental trend of the increasing infection rate of I. ricinus ticks with B. burgdorferi s. l. in eastern Poland, and dramatic enhancement of mixed infections with individual species, which may result in mixed infections of humans and exacerbation of the clinical course of Lyme disease cases on the studied area.