We received a few inquiries about tropical ticks that were found in Germany and are said to transmit diseases.

For example, users asked this article whether these ticks actually exist in Germany or not:

Screenshot by mimikama.org
Screenshot by mimikama.org

They transmit diseases: Tropical ticks found in Germany

The fact check

Yes. These insects were found in Germany.

The University of Hohenheim announced in a press release that several finds in Germany are worrying experts. The picture can also be seen in the press release:

A team from the University of Hohenheim and the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology confirmed 7 finds of the genus Hyalomma / a tick carried tick-borne spotted fever pathogens

The hot, dry summer doesn't bother them at all, quite the opposite: the tropical tick species of the genus Hyalomma feel right at home in this weather - and could possibly spread in Germany in the future. Tick ​​researchers at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart and their colleagues at the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology in Munich have detected seven specimens this year. The number sounds manageable, but it sets off alarm bells for researchers. They fear that the bloodsuckers could establish themselves here. And another point worries them: One specimen carried a dangerous bacterium, Rickettsia aeschlimannii, a known pathogen of tick-borne spotted fever.

Three on a single horse, one on a sheep and three more on three individual horses: There are a total of seven ticks that are currently occupying the tick experts at the University of Hohenheim and at the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology (IMB) in Munich. The explosive thing about the finds: They are tropical tick species of the genus Hyalomma .

“We were able to identify five of the seven ticks without any doubt; four belong to the species Hyalomma marginatum and one belongs to the species Hyalomma rufipes . The horse owner lost the remaining two while collecting them,”

explains Dr. Lidia Chitimia-Dobler, tick expert at the IMB.

“ We did not expect Hyalomma So far there have only been two individual discoveries between 2015 and 2017.”

The comparatively large animals with conspicuously striped legs appeared this year in the Hanover area, in Osnabrück and in the Wetterau, presumably introduced by birds.

“These species of ticks could find their way into Germany,”

fears Prof. Dr. Ute Mackenstedt, parasitologist at the University of Hohenheim.

“We will be keeping a closer eye on her this year and are preparing to possibly encounter her more often in the coming months.”

Global warming could result in the establishment of tropical tick species.

However, this development is not surprising for the expert.

“Because of global warming, we can generally expect more and more heat-loving ticks. Ixodes inopinatus from the Mediterranean region, for example, has now spread to Denmark.”

The big question now with the two Hyalomma species is whether they are still individual introduced specimens or whether the species have become established here.

“In the case of another species, the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus , originally native to Africa, specimens have been found on dogs that had never left their yard,”

reports Prof. Dr. Mackenstedt.

“So they couldn’t be an unintentional holiday souvenir – an indication that the species may already be evolving here.”

Drought favors the
Hyalomma species
This will have to be monitored for the Hyalomma Dr. Chitimia-Dobler explains:

“We know how long the animals need to develop. This allows us to estimate whether they will be able to establish themselves in Germany if the climate continues to warm and the periods become increasingly dry and hot.”

She attributes the appearance of Hyalomma ticks in Germany in 2018 to the hot, dry summer.

“These ticks prefer lower humidity than the tick species that occur here. This year the weather here is very suitable for the living conditions of these ticks.”

Dangerous pathogen found in a
Hyalomma tick
In Germany, ticks are known to many people as carriers of dangerous diseases such as Lyme disease or TBE (tick-borne encephalitis). These pathogens have not yet been detected
Hyalomma marginatum and Hyalomma rufipes But these bloodsuckers also pose risks. Both species are particularly considered to be important vectors of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Arabian hemorrhagic fever and a form of tick-borne spotted fever. They are also important carriers of tropical diseases in livestock. PD Dr. Gerhard Dobler, doctor and microbiologist at the IMB, has no good news about this:

“In one of the specimens we found, we were able to detect the pathogen of a tropical form of tick-borne spotted fever. But at least dangerous viruses that cause hemorrhagic fever have not yet been discovered.”

BACKGROUND:
Profile of Hyalomma marginatum and Hyalomma rufipes
Hyalomma marginatum and Hyalomma rufipes are originally native to the dry and semi-arid regions of Africa, Asia and southern Europe. They have not yet been found in Central and Northern Europe. With their striped legs they are a striking appearance, much larger than the normal woodbuck, and they carry a completely different spectrum of pathogens than this.

In the Eurasian region, both species are considered important vectors of the virus that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and of the Alkhumra virus, the causative agent of Arabian hemorrhagic fever. The bacterium Rickettsia aeschlimannii , which causes a form of tick-borne spotted fever, can also be transmitted by these ticks.

The adult ticks suck blood, especially from large animals. The animals can actively move towards their host and cover a distance of up to 100 meters. Humans are also potential hosts for animals. Larvae and nymphs, on the other hand, are found primarily on birds and small mammals. They use the same animal to suck blood and stay on their host for up to 28 days and can therefore be introduced to Germany with migratory birds.

BACKGROUND:
Health sciences - main topic at the University of Hohenheim
Health sciences represent one of the three research focuses at the University of Hohenheim. The University of Hohenheim pursues the One Health concept - a holistic approach that equally includes human and animal health, nutrition, the environment and health management.

The Research Center for Health Sciences (FZG) links expertise across institutes in subject areas such as biology, immunology, healthcare, medicine, agriculture, nutritional sciences, economics and social sciences. The main topics such as growth and development, research into disease prevention, lifestyle, nutrition, aging and their social and economic effects are of high scientific and social relevance.


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Notes:
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