Case report
First report of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in two threatened carnivores: the Marbled polecat, Vormela peregusna and the European mink, Mustela lutreola (Mammalia: Mustelidae)
1 Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca, 400372, Romania
2 Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Biology, Strada Clinicilor 5-7, Cluj-Napoca, 400006, Romania
3 Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development, Strada Babadag 165, Tulcea, 820112, Romania
BMC Veterinary Research 2012, 8:137 doi:10.1186/1746-6148-8-137
Published: 18 August 2012Abstract
Background
Lyme disease is a widespread cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by species belonging to the genus Borrelia. It is transmitted from animal reservoir hosts to humans through hard - ticks of genus Ixodes which are vectors of the disease.
Case presentation
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection was identified in a marbled polecat, Vormela peregusna, and two European minks, Mustela lutreola, from Romania, by PCR. RFLP revealed the presence of a single genospecies, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.
Conclusions
This is the first report of the Lyme disease spirochetes in the two mentioned hosts.
