Forecasting next season’s Ixodes ricinus nymphal density: the example of southern Germany 2018

Brugger, Katharina; Walter, Melanie; Chiţimia-Dobler, Lidia; Dobler, Gerhard; Rubel, Franz

doi:10.1007/s10493-018-0267-6

Cited by 37 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Numerous empirical studies have shown that Ixodes ticks and tick-borne diseases are emerging public health problems at the northern limit of their geographic distribution [8,[57][58][59]. In contrast, fewer studies have investigated whether global warming has influenced Ixodes tick abundance in areas where Lyme disease is endemic [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. The present study did not find direct links between climate change and the observed doubling in tick abundance.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 83%

“…Another 8-year study in central New Jersey, USA, found no significant directional change in the abundance of I. scapularis nymphs [12]. Other long-term studies have found large inter-annual fluctuations in density, but none of them found that Ixodes tick density was increasing [10,13,14]. Increased tick abundance could have important consequences for the incidence of tick-borne diseases and public health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…range expansion of Ixodes ticks into northern latitudes has resulted in a dramatic increase in the incidence of Lyme borrelosis and other tick-borne diseases in Canada and Scandinavia [4][5][6][7][8][9]. In contrast, whether climate change is affecting the abundance of Ixodes ticks in areas where they are endemic is not clear [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate and tree seed production predict the abundance of the European Lyme disease vector over a 15-year period

2020

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Background: To predict the risk of tick-borne disease, it is critical to understand the ecological factors that determine the abundance of ticks. In Europe, the sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus) transmits a number of important diseases including Lyme borreliosis. The aim of this long-term study was to determine the abiotic and biotic factors driving the annual abundance of I. ricinus at a location in Switzerland where Lyme borreliosis is endemic. Methods: Over a 15-year period (2004 to 2018), we monitored the abundance of I. ricinus ticks on a monthly basis at three different elevations on Chaumont Mountain in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. We collected climate variables in the field and from nearby weather stations. We obtained data on beech tree seed production from the literature, as the abundance of Ixodes nymphs can increase dramatically two years after a masting event. We used AIC-based model selection to determine which ecological variables drive annual variation in tick density. Results: We found that elevation site, year, seed production by beech trees two years prior, and mean annual relative humidity together explained 73.2% of the variation in our annual estimates of nymph density. According to the parameter estimates of our models, (i) the annual density of nymphs almost doubled over the 15-year study period, (ii) changing the beech tree seed production index from very poor mast (1) to full mast (5) increased the abundance of nymphs by 86.2% two years later, and (iii) increasing the field-collected mean annual relative humidity from 50.0 to 75.0% decreased the abundance of nymphs by 46.4% in the same year. Climate variables collected in the field were better predictors of tick abundance than those from nearby weather stations indicating the importance of the microhabitat. Conclusions: From a public health perspective, the increase in nymph abundance is likely to have increased the risk of tick-borne disease in this region of Switzerland. Public health officials in Europe should be aware that seed production by deciduous trees is a critical driver of the abundance of I. ricinus, and hence the risk of tick-borne disease.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Climate and tree seed production predict the abundance of the European Lyme disease vector over a 15-year period

2020

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“…The majority of nymphal ticks belonging to the I. ricinus species complex were collected from April to June (61.8%). In the extraordinary tick year 2018 (Brugger et al 2018), almost 20% more nymphal ticks and 12× more adults were collected at the site Klosterneuburg than in the same period of the previous year.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, an estimation of the questing tick density by using a standardized sampling method is essential. Time series of questing tick densities were recently used to compile tick density maps for Germany (Boehnke et al 2015;Brugger et al 2016), to investigate seasonal cycles of the tick density (Brugger et al 2017), and to develop models to forecast the next season's tick densities (Brugger et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term monitoring of the seasonal density of questing ixodid ticks in Vienna (Austria): setup and first results

Vogelgesang

Walter

Kahl³

et al. 2020

Exp Appl Acarol

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The first long-term monitoring to document both activity and density of questing ixodid ticks in Vienna, Austria, is introduced. It was started in 2017 and is planned to run over decades. Such long-term monitorings are needed to quantify possible effects of climate change or to develop tick density forecast models. The monthly questing tick density at three sites has been observed by using a standardized sampling method by dragging an area of 100 m 2 at each occasion. Popular recreational areas were chosen as study sites. These are the Prater public park, the wooded Kahlenberg, and a wildlife garden in Klosterneuburg. First results show a 3-year time series of nymphs and adults of the Ixodes ricinus species complex and Haemaphysalis concinna for the period 2017-2019. Whereas questing nymphs of the I. ricinus species complex were collected from February to November, H. concinna nymphs were only dragged from May to October. The peak of nymphal activity of the I. ricinus species complex was in May, that of H. concinna in August. In addition, a brief overview is given about ticks and tick-borne pathogens occurring in urban and suburban areas of Vienna.

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Interrelation of the spatial and genetic structure of tick‐borne encephalitis virus, its reservoir host (Myodes glareolus), and its vector (Ixodes ricinus) in a natural focus area

Kauer,

Dobler,

Schmuck

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Tick‐borne encephalitis (TBE) virus is considered the medically most important arthropod‐borne virus in Europe. Although TBE is endemic throughout central Europe, ticks and rodents determine its maintenance in small, difficult‐to‐assess, natural foci. We investigated the interrelation between the population genetics of the main TBE virus (TBEV) vector tick (Ixodes ricinus), the most important reservoir host (Myodes glareolus, syn. Clethrionomys glareolus), and TBEV. Rodents and ticks were sampled on 15 sites within an exploratory study area, which has been screened regularly for TBEV occurrence in ticks for more than 10 years. On all 15 sites, ticks and bank voles were sampled, screened for TBEV presence via serology and RT‐PCR, and genetically examined. Moreover, TBEV isolates derived from these analyses were sequenced. In long‐term TBEV foci bank vole populations show extraordinary genetic constitutions, leading to a particular population structure, whereas ticks revealed a panmictic genetic structure overall sampling sites. Landscape genetics and habitat connectivity modeling (analysis of isolation by resistance) showed no landscape‐related barriers explaining the genetic structure of the bank vole populations. The results suggest that bank voles do not simply serve as TBEV reservoirs, but their genetic composition appears to have a significant influence on establishing and maintaining long‐term natural TBEV foci, whereas the genetic structure of TBEV's main vector I. ricinus does not play an important role in the sustainability of long‐term TBEV foci. A thorough investigation of how and to which extent TBEV and M. glareolus genetics are associated is needed to further unravel the underlying mechanisms.

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Forecasting next season’s Ixodes ricinus nymphal density: the example of southern Germany 2018

Cited by 37 publications

References 25 publications

Climate and tree seed production predict the abundance of the European Lyme disease vector over a 15-year period

Climate and tree seed production predict the abundance of the European Lyme disease vector over a 15-year period

Long-term monitoring of the seasonal density of questing ixodid ticks in Vienna (Austria): setup and first results

Interrelation of the spatial and genetic structure of tick‐borne encephalitis virus, its reservoir host (Myodes glareolus), and its vector (Ixodes ricinus) in a natural focus area

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