{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,19]],"date-time":"2025-09-19T11:44:44Z","timestamp":1758282284045,"version":"3.44.0"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]],"date-time":"2025-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758153600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Erythema migrans<\/jats:italic> (EM), a characteristic skin lesion, is a well-known clinical outcome of Lyme borreliosis in humans, caused by various <jats:italic>Borrelia burgdorferi<\/jats:italic> sensu lato (s.l.) species. However, its occurrence in animals, mainly wildlife, has been largely unexplored. This report presents a possible case of EM in a European badger (<jats:italic>Meles meles<\/jats:italic>) from Romania.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Materials and methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>The badger exhibited multiple erythematous lesions on its ventral body surface, and these lesions were heavily infested with <jats:italic>Ixodes ricinus<\/jats:italic> ticks. Histological examination of skin biopsies was conducted to assess inflammatory reactions. Molecular analysis was performed to detect <jats:italic>Borrelia<\/jats:italic> DNA in the lesions.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Histological examination revealed a mild, chronic inflammatory reaction consistent with EM-like lesions as observed in humans. Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of <jats:italic>Borrelia afzelii<\/jats:italic> DNA in the skin lesions.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>These findings underscore the importance of wildlife surveillance in understanding the ecoepidemiology and pathogenesis of Lyme borreliosis. Badgers, as potential reservoir hosts, may play a role in the disease cycle.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2025.1636700","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]],"date-time":"2025-09-18T04:12:25Z","timestamp":1758168745000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Erythema migrans-like lesions associated with Borrelia afzelii infection in a European badger, Meles meles"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Andrei Daniel","family":"Mihalca","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Georgiana","family":"Deak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cristina Daniela","family":"Cazan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Noureddine","family":"Mechouk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrada","family":"Negoescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marian","family":"Taulescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"C\u0103lin Mircea","family":"Gherman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"523","DOI":"10.1016\/j.idc.2022.03.005","article-title":"Early Lyme disease (erythema migrans) and its mimics (southern tick-associated rash illness and tick-associated rash 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