The role of particular tick developmental stages in the circulation of tick-borne pathogens affecting humans in Central Europe. 1. The general pattern.

Tick-borne pathogens are common in the natural environment, but their occurrence has a focal character. They occur in the natural environment in the form of the enzootic sources of infection. The general components include the animal reservoir, amplifiers and the efficient vector. However, the particular role of components can differ depending on the pathogen, the host range and possible transmission routes. Animal reservoir of pathogen are vertebrate animals, being the hosts of pathogens. In Europe these are small or medium-sized mammals and sometimes birds that feed on the ground. The competence of an animal reservoir is determined by the ability to communicate the infection; long-term persistence of the pathogen in the host; long-duration of infectivity of the animal for ticks; a sufficient number of animals in the endemic region. Amplifiers for ticks are artiodactyls. They are hosts for nymphs and adult ticks, thereby making it possible for ticks to propagate and maintain the proper size of their population. Efficient vector for pathogen are ticks. The first characteristic feature of efficient vectors is feeding duration exceeding 24 hours; the high density of the tick population. The conditions necessary to consider ticks as efficient vectors are met in Central Europe by the Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus and D. marginatus ticks. There are the general differences in biology between Ixodes persulcatus complex ticks and Dermacentor ticks, affecting their different role and ability in pathogens spreading - the range of hosts; the ability to inhabiting of various environments and resistance to unfavourable conditions; the duration of larvae and nymphs activity. The combination of tick's biology, pathogen ability to transmission, and mammal hosts' competence, determines the particular role of larvae, nymphs and adults in pathogen circulation in the natural environment, as well as transmission to new hosts.