miyamotoi in Finland Eeva Sajanti1, Maija Laaksonen2, Jani Sormunen2,3, Eero Vesterinen2,4, Tero Klemola2, Ritva Penttinen2, and Jukka Hytönen1

Background Materials and methods A B

Borrelia miyamotoi (Bm), a spirochete causing relapsing A total of 1000 ticks, including 500 ricinus and 500 fever-like illness, has recently been identified as a human collected widely around Finland during pathogen1. It is transmitted by the same Ixodes ticks that the year 2015, were screened by PCR for the presence of transmit Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) Bm and Bbsl. The samples were analyzed using real-time causing Lyme borreliosis2. In Finland, the prevalence and PCR assays targeting Bm flagellin gene and ospA gene geographic distribution of Bm in ticks is presently of Bbsl. Positive samples in Bm flagellin gene PCR were unknown. The Bm seroprevalence in Finnish people is not further analyzed by conventional PCR assays targeting known either, and there are no identified Bm infected the glpQ and p66 genes. patients in Finland. Serum samples in the seroprevalence study are archived We aimed to study the prevalence of Bm in ticks collected samples from the Department of Medical Microbiology from different geographical areas in Finland, and to and Immunology at the University of Turku. Antibodies compare the Bm prevalence with that of Bbsl. against Bm GlpQ and Vsp1 antigen using an ELISA assay Figure: Ixodes ricinus (A) and Ixodes persulcatus (B) Furthermore, we aim to investigate the seroprevalence of will be analyzed in serum samples of individuals with a ticks in Finland. Blue dots indicate ticks that where Bm antibodies among Finns, and to identify possible Bm suspected tick bite and in various control samples. tested negative for Bbsl and Bm DNA. Red dots indicate ticks that were tested positive for Bbsl DNA. Black dots infected patients. were tested positive for Bm DNA. Results

According to our preliminary results, Bm was found in 3 Conclusions 1. Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, out of 1000 (0.3%) ticks which is roughly in accordance University of Turku, Finland with results of tick pathogen prevalence studies B. miyamotoi is endemic also in Finland and thus should 2. Department of Biology, University of Turku, Finland conducted in neighboring countries, Sweden, Estonia and 3. Archipelago Research Institute, University of Turku, be considered as a potential tick-borne pathogen causing Russia. The infection rate of Bm was 0.2% (1/500) in I. Finland -like illness among patients with a history ricinus and 0.4% (2/500) in I. persulcatus ticks. Ticks that 4. Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of of a tick bite. Helsinki, Finland were tested positive for Bm were collected from different locations in Finland. These three tick samples were positive in both the real-time PCR targeting the flagellin References gene and the conventional PCRs targeting the p66 and glpQ genes. Of the 500 analyzed I. ricinus and 500 I. 1. Platonov et al. Humans infected with relapsing fever persulcatus ticks, 79 (16.3%) and 99 (20.4%) were spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi, Russia. EID. positive for Bbsl, respectively. Co-infections with Bm and 2011;17(10):1816-1823. Bbsl were not detected. 2. Fukunaga et al. Genetic and phenotypic analysis of Serum sample analyses and the identification of potential Borrelia miyamotoi sp. nov., isolated from the ixodid tick Bm infected patients are ongoing. Ixodes persulcatus, the vector for in Japan. Int Syst Bacteriol.1995;45(4):804-810.