Ticks on the turf: investigating the presence of ixodid ticks on and around football fields in Germany

AbstractIxodes ricinus is the most abundant tick species and an important vector of pathogens in Germany and in large parts of Europe. A few other ixodid tick species, e.g., Dermacentor reticulatus, may also be of eco-epidemiological relevance. As ticks are not only found in natural but also in suburban areas (parks, gardens), the present study investigated whether ticks occur on and near football grounds thus posing a potential risk to players and visitors. Thirty-two football grounds from all 16 German federal states were selected, mainly situated adjacent to a green area (forest, park). Ticks were collected by the conventional flagging method in spring 2018, and nymphs and adults were counted and morphologically determined. Altogether 807 nymphal and adult ticks were collected from 29 football grounds: 714 I. ricinus, 64 Ixodes inopinatus, 2 Ixodes frontalis, 24 Ixodes sp. ticks, and 3 D. reticulatus. Ixodes inopinatus was found in 13 out of 16 German states. Three ticks were even found on the turf of two football fields. It can be concluded that ticks occur quite frequently and sometimes in high abundance near football grounds situated close or adjacent to a forest or a park.

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Atlas of ticks (Acari: Argasidae, Ixodidae) in Germany

Experimental and Applied Acarology ◽

10.1007/s10493-021-00619-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Franz Rubel ◽

Katharina Brugger ◽

Lidia Chitimia-Dobler ◽

Hans Dautel ◽

Elisabeth Meyer-Kayser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Federal States ◽

Ixodes Frontalis ◽

Argas Reflexus ◽

The One ◽

Argasid Tick ◽

First Time

AbstractAn updated and increased compilation of georeferenced tick locations in Germany is presented here. This data collection extends the dataset published some years ago by another 1448 new tick locations, 900 locations of which were digitized from literature and 548 locations are published here for the first time. This means that a total of 3492 georeferenced tick locations is now available for Germany. The tick fauna of Germany includes two species of Argasidae in the genera Argas and Carios and 19 species of Ixodidae in the genera Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, and Ixodes, altogether 21 tick species. In addition, three species of Ixodidae in the genera Hyalomma (each spring imported by migratory birds) and Rhipicephalus (occasionally imported by dogs returning from abroad with their owners) are included in the tick atlas. Of these, the georeferenced locations of 23 tick species are depicted in maps. The occurrence of the one remaining tick species, the recently described Ixodes inopinatus, is given at the level of the federal states. The most common and widespread tick species is Ixodes ricinus, with records in all 16 federal states. With the exception of Hamburg, Dermacentor reticulatus was also found in all federal states. The occurrence of the ixodid ticks Ixodes canisuga, Ixodes frontalis, Ixodes hexagonus and I. inopinatus were documented in at least 11 federal states each. The two mentioned argasid tick species were also documented in numerous federal states, the pigeon tick Argas reflexus in 11 and the bat tick Carios vespertilionis in seven federal states. The atlas of ticks in Germany and the underlying digital dataset in the supplement can be used to improve global tick maps or to study the effects of climate change and habitat alteration on the distribution of tick species.

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Small mammals as hosts of immature ixodid ticks

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v72i3.204 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 72 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

I.G. Horak ◽

L.J. Fourie ◽

L.E.O. Braack

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Tick Species ◽

Ixodid Tick ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Free State ◽

Immature Stages ◽

Rhabdomys Pumilio ◽

Haemaphysalis Leachi ◽

Lepus Capensis ◽

Multimammate Mice

Two hundred and twenty-five small mammals belonging to 16 species were examined for ticks in Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces, South Africa, and 18 ixodid tick species, of which two could only be identified to genus level, were recovered. Scrub hares, Lepus saxatilis, and Cape hares, Lepus capensis, harboured the largest number of tick species. In Free State Province Namaqua rock mice, Aethomys namaquensis, and four-striped grass mice, Rhabdomys pumilio, were good hosts of the immature stages of Haemaphysalis leachi and Rhipicephalus gertrudae, while in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces red veld rats, Aethomys chrysophilus, Namaqua rock mice and Natal multimammate mice, Mastomys natalensis were good hosts of H. leachi and Rhipicephalus simus. Haemaphysalis leachi was the only tick recovered from animals in all three provinces.

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The seasonal activity of adult ixodid ticks on Angora goats in the south western Orange Free State

Journal of the South African Veterinary Association ◽

10.4102/jsava.v62i3.1604 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 104-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

L. J. Fourie ◽

I. G. Horak

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Late Summer ◽

Ixodid Tick ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Free State ◽

Seasonal Activity ◽

The South ◽

Ixodes Rubicundus ◽

Angora Goats

Adult ixodid ticks were collected at 2-weekly intervals for a period of 23 consecutive months from 15 to 20 Angora goats on a farm in the south western Orange Free State. A total of 6 ixodid tick species were recovered. Rhipicephalus punctatus was the most abundant and prevalent tick, It was present from spring to late summer. Ixodes rubicundus was the next most abundant tick and was present mainly from March or April to July with peak numbers present in April or May. The onset of this tick's activity appeared to be stimulated by low atmospheric temperatures.

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Ixodid ticks on dogs in southern Mozambique

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v71i4.231 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 71 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

L. Neves ◽

Sonia Afonso ◽

I.G. Horak

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Rhipicephalus Sanguineus ◽

Ixodid Tick ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Domestic Dogs ◽

Rural Settlements ◽

Genus Level ◽

Rural Environments ◽

Haemaphysalis Leachi ◽

The City

The objective of this study was to determine the species and distribution of ticks infesting domestic dogs in southern Mozambique. To this end 89 collections were taken from dogs and the geographic coordinates of the localities at which they were made noted. Fifty-eight of these collections were from animals in the city of Maputo and 16 from animals at rural settlements close to Maputo. A further 15 collections were made from dogs in rural environments north of Maputo. Ten ixodid tick species, of which one was only identified to genus level, were recovered. Rhipicephalus sanguineus was the most numerous of the ten species, and its prevalence and intensity of infestation were significantly higher on city dogs than on rural dogs (P< 0.01), whereas the converse was true for Haemaphysalis leachi (P< 0.01). Including the city of Maputo, the exact localities at which nine tick species were collected, were recorded.

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In vitro splenocyte proliferation responses of BALB/c mice to salivary gland extracts of three ixodid tick species (Acari: Ixodidae)

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-007-0141-1 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 62 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Mária Kazimírová ◽

Terézia Rolníková ◽

Emília Dvorožňáková ◽

Milan Buc

Keyword(s):

Salivary Gland ◽

Cell Cultures ◽

Tick Species ◽

Ixodid Tick ◽

Rhipicephalus Appendiculatus ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

In Vitro Proliferation ◽

Murine Splenocytes ◽

Ifn Γ

AbstractIn vitro proliferation and cytokine production were investigated in BALB/c mice splenic cell cultures that were stimulated with concanavalin A (ConA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and simultaneously exposed to salivary gland extracts (SGE) of unfed and partially fed adult ixodid ticks (Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Amblyomma variegatum). Generally, tick SGE enhanced proliferation of unstimulated splenocytes and SGE of unfed ticks suppressed mitogen induced proliferation. Partially fed R. appendiculatus and A. variegatum suppressed ConA responses, while partially fed I. ricinus stimulated both ConA and LPS induced proliferation. A. variegatum and R. appendiculatus females slightly enhanced LPS responses 2 days after attachment but suppressed them at the end of the slow feeding phase. In 72 h ConA induced cell cultures, interferon gamma (IFN-γ) production was suppressed by SGE of all ticks, interleukin (IL)-10 production was enhanced by unfed I. ricinus and partially fed A. variegatum males and IL-5 production was enhanced by feeding R. appendiculatus females and A. variegatum males. The study revealed variability in the responsiveness of murine splenocytes to SGE of different ixodid tick species, whereby patterns of host immunomodulation within one tick species differed between sexes and changed during feeding.

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Ticks of four-toed elephant shrews and Southern African hedgehogs

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v78i1.243 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 78 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ivan G. Horak ◽

Shaun Welman ◽

Stacey L. Hallam ◽

Heike Lutermann ◽

Nomakwezi Mzilikazi

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Ixodid Tick ◽

Wire Mesh ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Eastern Region ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Kwazulu Natal ◽

North Eastern ◽

Elephant Shrew ◽

Northern Cape

Several studies on ticks infesting small mammals, including elephant shrews, have been conducted in South Africa; however, these studies have included only a single four-toed elephant shrew and no hedgehogs. This study thus aimed to identify and quantify the ixodid ticks infesting four-toed elephant shrews and Southern African hedgehogs. Four-toed elephant shrews (Petrodromus tetradactylus) were trapped in dense shrub undergrowth in a nature reserve in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal. They were separately housed, first in cages and later in glass terraria fitted with wire-mesh bases to allow detached ticks to fall through for collection. Southern African hedgehogs (Atelerix frontalis) were hand caught on a farm in the eastern region of the Northern Cape Province and all visible ticks were collected by means of tweezers while the animals were anaesthetised. The ticks from each animal were preserved separately in 70% ethanol for later identification and counting. The immature stages of five ixodid tick species were collected from the elephant shrews, of which Rhipicephalus muehlensi was the most common. It has not been recorded previously on any species of elephant shrew. Three ixodid tick species were collected from the hedgehogs. Large numbers of adult Haemaphysalis colesbergensis, which has not been encountered previously on hedgehogs, were collected from these animals. Four-toed elephant shrews are good hosts of the larvae and nymphs of R. muehlensi, and Southern African hedgehogs are good hosts of adult H. colesbergensis.

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Abundance of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and Presence of Rickettsia and Anaplasma in Ticks Infesting Domestic Animals From Northern India

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jme/tjaa296 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Brij Ranjan Misra ◽

Niraj Kumar ◽

Rajni Kant ◽

Hirawati Deval ◽

Rajeev Singh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Tick Species ◽

Rhipicephalus Sanguineus ◽

Ixodid Tick ◽

Domestic Animals ◽

Boophilus Microplus ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Northern India ◽

Obligate Intracellular Bacteria ◽

Hematophagous Arthropods

Abstract Rickettsia and Anaplasma are bacteria that can be transmitted by hematophagous arthropods such as ticks infesting animals in close proximity to humans. The main objective of the present study was to investigate abundance of common tick species infesting domestic animals and presence of Rickettsia and Anaplasma in tick populations. Adult ticks were collected from domestic animals in rural areas and screened by molecular detection of bacterial DNA for these two genera of bacteria. A total of 1,778 adult ixodid tick specimens were collected from 200 cattle, 200 buffaloes, 200 goats, and 40 dogs. The collection consisted of four species of ixodid ticks, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini) (83.8%), Hyalomma kumari (Sharif) (7.1%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) (6.4%), and Dermacentor auratus (Supino) (2.7%) infesting the domestic animals. The prevalence of all the collected tick species was highest in the month of October. Anaplasma spp. was the most frequently identified bacteria (3.3%) in tested ticks. Of 17 positive tick pools for Anaplasma spp., 14 pools were from ticks infesting cattle, 2 pools of ticks collected from buffalo, and the remaining pool were ticks infesting a goat at the time of collection. Although 1.6% tick pools of R. microplus collected from cattle tested positive for Rickettsia spp., present investigation provides evidence of the most prevalent ixodid ticks infesting domestic animals and the presence of obligate intracellular bacteria, Rickettsia and Anaplasma, in these ticks collected in the Gorakhpur division of Northern India.

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Fiscal Competition and Higher Education Spending in Germany

German Economic Review ◽

10.1111/geer.12088 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 234-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Georg-Benedikt Fischer ◽

Berthold U. Wigger

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

University Graduates ◽

Fiscal Competition ◽

Public Higher Education ◽

Education Spending ◽

Tuition Fees ◽

Federal States ◽

Free Ride ◽

German States ◽

German Federal States

Abstract The present paper studies the determinants of higher education spending by the German federal states with a focus on the interplay between higher education spending of neighboring states. More specifically, the paper asks whether the German federal states free-ride on one another’s higher educational spending or whether they employ higher education spending to attract university graduates. We identify a positive relationship between the states’ higher education spending and conclude that the states compete for graduates rather than free-ride. We also consider the effect of the recent introduction of tuition fees in some, but not all German states. We do not find evidence that tuition fees led to crowding out of public higher education funds.

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Standardized Ixodid Tick Survey in Mainland Florida

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects10080235 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 235 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Glass ◽

Ganser ◽

Wisely ◽

Kessler

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Ixodes Scapularis ◽

Survey Methods ◽

Ixodid Tick ◽

Dermacentor Variabilis ◽

Amblyomma Americanum ◽

The State ◽

Environmental Data ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Tick Survey

A statewide survey of questing ixodid ticks in mainland Florida was developed consistent with U.S. CDC standards to maximize the amount of epidemiologic and environmental data gathered. Survey sites were stratified by climatic zones and proportional to recognized land cover categories. A total of 560 transects on 41 sites within the state were sampled repeatedly by flagging between 2015 and 2018. Four tick species were collected; Amblyomma americanum, Amblyomma maculatum, Ixodes scapularis and Dermacentor variabilis. All species were more commonly found in northern and central regions of the state than in southern and western regions. Adult I. scapularis were active from autumn through spring and complementary to adult A. americanum and D. variabilis. Standardized survey methods help reduce sampling biases and better characterize risk from the species surveyed. However, differences in the attractiveness of collection methods for different tick species makes cross-species comparisons a continuing challenge.

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Impact of a freeway on the dispersal of ticks and Ixodes ricinus-borne pathogens: forested resting areas may become Lyme disease hotspots

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica ◽

10.1556/004.2017.024 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 242-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sándor Hornok ◽

Maria Mulvihill ◽

Krisztina Szőke ◽

Enikő Gönczi ◽

Kinga M. Sulyok ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lyme Disease ◽

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Tick Species ◽

Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Different Types ◽

Pathogen Prevalence ◽

The Difference ◽

Two Sides

Man-made barriers are well known for their effects on ecosystems. Habitat fragmentation, for instance, is a recognised consequence of modern-day infrastructure. The aim of the present study was to investigate the diversity and abundance of tick species, as well as the risks of acquiring tick-borne infections in habitats adjacent to a freeway. Therefore, ixodid ticks were collected from the vegetation at two-week intervals (in the main tick season, from March to June) in eight habitats of different types (forest, grove, grassland) along both sides of a freeway. Ixodes ricinus females were molecularly screened for three species of tick-borne bacteria. In the study period, 887 ixodid ticks were collected. These included 704 I. ricinus (79.4%), 51 Dermacentor reticulatus (5.7%), 78 D. marginatus (8.8%), 35 Haemaphysalis inermis (3.9%) and 19 H. concinna (2.1%). There was no significant difference in the abundance of tick species between similar habitats separated by the freeway, except for the absence of Dermacentor spp. on one side. In I. ricinus females, the overall prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum was low, and (in part due to this low rate) did not show significant difference between the two sides of the freeway. Rickettsia helvetica had significantly different overall prevalence between two distant habitats along the same side of the freeway (12.3% vs. 31.4%), but not between habitats on the opposite sides. Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. showed significantly different overall prevalence between habitats both on the same and on the opposite sides of the freeway (8.6–35.9%), and the difference was higher if relevant habitats were also separated by the freeway. Importantly, the prevalence rate of the Lyme disease agent was highest in a forested resting area of the freeway, and was significantly inversely proportional to the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum (taking into account all evaluated habitats), apparently related to deer population density. Prevalence rates of these bacteria also differed significantly on single sampling occasions between: (1) closely situated habitats of different types; (2) distant and either similar or different habitat types; and (3) habitats on the opposite sides of the freeway. In conclusion, the findings of the present study show that a fenced freeway may contribute to differences in tick species diversity and tick-borne pathogen prevalence along its two sides, and this effect is most likely a consequence of its barrier role preventing deer movements.

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