ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Parasitology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1636700
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Wildlife Parasitology and Host-Pathogen DynamicsView all articles
Erythema migrans-like lesions associated with Borrelia afzelii infection in a European badger, Meles meles
Provisionally accepted
Andrei Daniel Mihalca
Georgiana Deak*
Cristina Daniela Cazan
Noureddine MechoukAndrada NegoescuMarian TaulescuCălin Mircea Gherman- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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Erythema migrans (EM), a characteristic skin lesion, is a well-known clinical outcome of Lyme borreliosis in humans, caused by various Borrelia burgdorferi 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 (Meles meles) from Romania. The badger exhibited multiple erythematous lesions on its ventral body surface, heavily infested with Ixodes ricinus ticks. Histological examination of skin biopsies was conducted to assess inflammatory reactions. Molecular analysis was performed to detect Borrelia DNA in the lesions. Histological examination revealed a mild, chronic inflammatory reaction consistent with EM-like lesions as seen in humans. Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of B. afzelii DNA in the skin lesions. 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.
Keywords: European badger, Erythema migrans, lyme borreliosis, Ticks, Wildlife disease
Received: 28 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mihalca, Deak, Cazan, Mechouk, Negoescu, Taulescu and Gherman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Georgiana Deak, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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