{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T21:22:40Z","timestamp":1790716960806,"version":"4.1.0"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0009184","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,4]],"date-time":"2021-05-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1620086400000}}],"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,22]],"date-time":"2021-04-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1619049600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is the most common vector-borne bacterial disease in humans in West Africa. It is frequently clinically confused with malaria. Our study aims to determine, on a micro-geographic scale, the conditions for the maintenance and spread of TBRF in the Niakhar district of Senegal.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methodology\/Principal findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>We conducted clinical, entomological and animal reservoir investigations. Field surveys were carried out in order to investigate the presence of <jats:italic>Ornithodoros sonrai<\/jats:italic> vector ticks and to detect <jats:italic>Borrelia<\/jats:italic> spp. by qPCR using the 16S rRNA and <jats:italic>glpQ<\/jats:italic> genes, respectively. Micromammal trapping series were carried out inside homes and <jats:italic>Borrelia<\/jats:italic> infection was detected using brain tissue qPCR. Capillary blood samples from febrile patients were also tested for <jats:italic>Borrelia<\/jats:italic> using qPCR. More than 97% (40\/41) of the villages surveyed were infested with <jats:italic>O<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>sonrai<\/jats:italic> ticks. The prevalence of <jats:italic>Borrelia<\/jats:italic> spp. infections in ticks was 13% (116\/910), and over 73% (85\/116) were positively confirmed as being <jats:italic>Borrelia crocidurae<\/jats:italic>. Borreliosis cases accounted for 12% (94\/800) of episodes of fever and all age groups were infected, with children and young people between the ages of 8\u201314 and 22\u201328 being the most infected by the disease (16% and 18.4%). TBRF cases occurred in all seasons, with a peak in August. In two species of small rodents that were found to be infected (<jats:italic>Arvicanthis niloticus<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Mus musculus<\/jats:italic>), the proportion of <jats:italic>Borrelia<\/jats:italic> infection was 17.5% (10\/57), and the highest prevalence of infection (40.9%, 9\/22) was observed in <jats:italic>A<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>niloticus<\/jats:italic>.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion\/Significance<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Our study indicates that TBRF is an endemic disease in the Niakhar district, where children and young people are the most infected. <jats:italic>Arvicanthis niloticus<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>O<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>sonrai<\/jats:italic> ticks are massively present and appear to be the main epidemiological reservoirs causing its extensive spread to humans.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0009184","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,22]],"date-time":"2021-04-22T20:24:12Z","timestamp":1619123052000},"page":"e0009184","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":26,"title":["Tick-borne relapsing fever Borreliosis, a major public health problem overlooked in Senegal"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"El Hadji Ibrahima","family":"Ndiaye","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fatou Samba","family":"Diouf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mady","family":"Ndiaye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6507-1764","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hubert","family":"Bassene","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Didier","family":"Raoult","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cheikh","family":"Sokhna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Philippe","family":"Parola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Georges","family":"Diatta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,22]]},"reference":[{"issue":"11","key":"pntd.0009184.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e78473","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0078473","article-title":"The Epidemiology and Geographic Distribution of Relapsing Fever Borreliosis in West and North Africa, with a Review of the Ornithodoros erraticus Complex (Acari: Ixodida)","volume":"8","author":"JF Trape","year":"2013","journal-title":"PLoS ONE"},{"key":"pntd.0009184.ref002","volume-title":"IRD","author":"G. 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