Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia divergens in Ixodes ricinus ticks from Lithuania and Norway

We detected Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia divergens in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from different locations in Lithuania and Norway by using the Taq Man based real-time PCR method. The msp2 gene of A. phagocytophilum and the 18S rRNA gene of B. divergens have been chosen as amplification targets. The overall infection rate of A. phagocytophilum in Norwegian ticks was 4.5% (10/224) and in Lithuanian ticks 3% (4/140). The prevalence varied in locations between 0% and 9% in Lithuania and in Norway. Three out of 140 (2%) ticks were infected with B. divergens in Lithuania and two out of 224 (0.9%) in Norway. The prevalence of B. divergens infection varied from 0% to 3% and from 0% to 4% in different sites in Lithuania and Norway, respectively.