ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the epidemic status and molecular characteristics of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (referred to as Xinjiang). Methods:From April to June 2020, 312 samples of Ixodes were collected in 6 areas of Yili, Alashankou, Hutubi, Qinghe, Fuhai and Wujiaqu, Xinjiang. Nested PCR and fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to detect Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks. The positive samples by both methods were genotyped and identified by nested PCR products. Results:The positive rates of nested PCR and fluorescence quantitative PCR were 8.97% (28/312) and 11.86% (37/312), respectively. Among them, the fluorescence quantitative PCR positive rate of Qinghe was the highest of 35.29% (12/34), and the positive rate of Fuhai was the lowest of 2.00% (1/50). The positive samples by both methods was 26. Genotyping results showed that 12 samples were highly homologous to Borrelia garinii, 10 copies to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, and 4 copies to Borrelia afzelii. Conclusions:The positive rate of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks in Xinjiang is higher, which has confirmed that there are 3 pathogenic Borrelia burgdorferi genotypes in Xinjiang. The dominant genotype is Borrelia garinii, followed by Borrelia burgdorgferi sensu stricto genotype and Borrelia afzelii genotype.