scholarly journals A multi-year assessment of blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) population establishment and Lyme disease risk areas in Ottawa, Canada, 2017-2019

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246484
Author(s):  
Holly Burrows ◽  
Benoit Talbot ◽  
Roman McKay ◽  
Andreea Slatculescu ◽  
James Logan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Ottawa River ◽  
Urban Core ◽  
The Face ◽  
Population Establishment ◽  
The City

Canadians face an emerging threat of Lyme disease due to the northward expansion of the tick vector, Ixodes scapularis. We evaluated the degree of I. scapularis population establishment and Borrelia burgdorferi occurrence in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from 2017–2019 using active surveillance at 28 sites. We used a field indicator tool developed by Clow et al. to determine the risk of I. scapularis establishment for each tick cohort at each site using the results of drag sampling. Based on results obtained with the field indicator tool, we assigned each site an ecological classification describing the pattern of tick colonization over two successive cohorts (cohort 1 was comprised of ticks collected in fall 2017 and spring 2018, and cohort 2 was collected in fall 2018 and spring 2019). Total annual site-specific I. scapularis density ranged from 0 to 16.3 ticks per person-hour. Sites with the highest density were located within the Greenbelt zone, in the suburban/rural areas in the western portion of the city of Ottawa, and along the Ottawa River; the lowest densities occurred at sites in the suburban/urban core. B. burgdorferi infection rates exhibited a similar spatial distribution pattern. Of the 23 sites for which data for two tick cohorts were available, 11 sites were classified as “high-stable”, 4 were classified as “emerging”, 2 were classified as “low-stable”, and 6 were classified as “non-zero”. B. burgdorferi-infected ticks were found at all high-stable sites, and at one emerging site. These findings suggest that high-stable sites pose a risk of Lyme disease exposure to the community as they have reproducing tick populations with consistent levels of B. burgdorferi infection. Continued surveillance for I. scapularis, B. burgdorferi, and range expansion of other tick species and emerging tick-borne pathogens is important to identify areas posing a high risk for human exposure to tick-borne pathogens in the face of ongoing climate change and urban expansion.

scholarly journals Comparing the Climatic and Landscape Risk Factors for Lyme Disease Cases in the Upper Midwest and Northeast United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1548
Author(s):  
Yuting Dong ◽  
Zheng Huang ◽  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Yingying X.G. Wang ◽  
Yang La
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Upper Midwest ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Landscape Factors ◽  
Lyme Disease Risk

Lyme disease, recognized as one of the most important vector-borne diseases worldwide, has been increasing in incidence and spatial extend in United States. In the Northeast and Upper Midwest, Lyme disease is transmitted by Ixodes scapularis. Currently, many studies have been conducted to identify factors influencing Lyme disease risk in the Northeast, however, relatively few studies focused on the Upper Midwest. In this study, we explored and compared the climatic and landscape factors that shape the spatial patterns of human Lyme cases in these two regions, using the generalized linear mixed models. Our results showed that climatic variables generally had opposite correlations with Lyme disease risk, while landscape factors usually had similar effects in these two regions. High precipitation and low temperature were correlated with high Lyme disease risk in the Upper Midwest, while with low Lyme disease risk in the Northeast. In both regions, size and fragmentation related factors of residential area showed positive correlations with Lyme disease risk. Deciduous forests and evergreen forests had opposite effects on Lyme disease risk, but the effects were consistent between two regions. In general, this study provides new insight into understanding the differences of risk factors of human Lyme disease risk in these two regions.

Reduced Abundance of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) and Lyme Disease Risk by Deer Exclusion

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1043-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Daniels ◽  
Durland Fish ◽  
Ira Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Lyme Disease Risk

scholarly journals Effect of Rising Temperature on Lyme Disease: Ixodes scapularis Population Dynamics and Borrelia burgdorferi Transmission and Prevalence

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy Wallace ◽  
Vardayani Ratti ◽  
Anita Kodali ◽  
Jonathan M. Winter ◽  
Matthew P. Ayres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Risk Measures ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Increased Risk

Warmer temperatures are expected to increase the incidence of Lyme disease through enhanced tick maturation rates and a longer season of transmission. In addition, there could be an increased risk of disease export because of infected mobile hosts, usually birds. A temperature-driven seasonal model of Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) transmission among four host types is constructed as a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The model is developed and parametrized based on a collection of lab and field studies. The model is shown to produce biologically reasonable results for both the tick vector (Ixodes scapularis) and the hosts when compared to a different set of studies. The model is used to predict the response of Lyme disease risk to a mean annual temperature increase, based on current temperature cycles in Hanover, NH. Many of the risk measures suggested by the literature are shown to change with increased mean annual temperature. The most straightforward measure of disease risk is the abundance of infected questing ticks, averaged over a year. Compared to this measure, which is difficult and resource-intensive to track in the field, all other risk measures considered underestimate the rise of risk with rise in mean annual temperature. The measure coming closest was “degree days above zero.” Disease prevalence in ticks and hosts showed less increase with rising temperature. Single field measurements at the height of transmission season did not show much change at all with rising temperature.

Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) Infection Prevalence and Host Associations of Ticks Found on Peromyscus spp. in Maryland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia E Poje ◽  
Jose F Azevedo ◽  
Nisha Nair ◽  
Kurayi Mahachi ◽  
Lexi E Frank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Private Land ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Wild Mice ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and most commonly transmitted by Ixodes scapularis Say (Ixodida: Ixodidae), is the most common tick-borne disease in Maryland. Because B. burgdorferi s.s. is maintained in enzootic cycles among wild mice (Peromyscus spp) and Ixodes spp ticks, differing patterns of parasitism of ticks on mice could impact the infection prevalence with B. burgdorferi. We determined the infection prevalence of Peromyscus spp as well as questing and partially engorged nymphal ticks collected at six sites on private land in five counties in Maryland from May to August 2020. Questing nymph infection prevalence (NIP) was 14%. We trapped 1258 mice and collected 554 ticks and 413 ear tissue samples. The prevalence of infested Peromyscus spp varied based on host age and sex, with older and male mice more likely to be infested. We detected a significant difference amongst the proportion of attached Ixodes and the location of trapping. Similarly, the prevalence of B. burgdorferi infected Peromyscus spp mice varied between locations (average mouse infection prevalence was 40%), with the highest prevalence in locations where Ixodes were the most commonly found ticks. The B. burgdorferi infection prevalence in partially engorged I. scapularis nymphs retrieved from Peromyscus spp was ~36% which lends further support to the host infection prevalence. Local differences in distribution of infected vectors and reservoirs are important factors to consider when planning interventions to reduce Lyme disease risk.

scholarly journals Facilitating the Human Scale: A Response to Urban Intensification

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Samuel Gould
Keyword(s):  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
New Wave ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Half Century ◽  
Human Scale ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
The Face ◽  
Urban Intensification ◽  
The City

<p>Over the last half century, globalization has catalysed a new wave of urban expansion. Implications of this growth will further intensify the complexities of the urban metropolis, where transecting transit networks, communication infrastructures, production and consumption undergird a multifaceted set of economic and social processes. A recent paradigm shift over the last half-century has seen change in terms of the city being viewed in formal terms to being considered for its dynamic ways. This shift has not only seen the traditional hierarchical urban condition questioned, but reflects the amorphous trends in urban growth. The main intention of the research is to develop a model framework for re-appropriating established industrial infrastructural components to facilitate the human scale in the face of an intensifying urban realm.  The work of James Corner, Rem Koolhaas, Bernard Tschumi, Charles Waldheim, Alex Wall and Richard Weller are critically engaged to inform this thesis’ theoretical framework. This research explores the viability of these theoretical imperatives in addressing issues typically associated with urban intensification, specifically the spatial, cultural and sociological implications of urban encroachment into the industrial precinct.  Overall the research suggests the act of leveraging phenomenological qualities inherent to industry landscapes can play a fundamental role in appropriating the human scale within this contextually indifferent typology.</p>

scholarly journals A study of developing a spatial entity greenway in the case of Irbid City – Jordan

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 104-112
Author(s):  
Ansam Bzour ◽  
Istvan Valanszki
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Outer Part ◽  
City Development ◽  
Agricultural Lands ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Urban Territories ◽  
To Come ◽  
Expansion Model ◽  
The City

Greenways are urban elements that are designed to show the linear consistency and connectivity between open green spaces and cause a development in the urban texture. As a city starts to grow, the absolute metropolitan development should be followed by an ongoing protection of the rural and urban territories. The nexus between the city development and the fortification of the open agricultural and rural lands is deemed a good strategy in order to result in a homogenous urban fabric of the city. The study aims to present a greenway model of development to work as a prototype applied on an existing route in Irbid City-Jordan by using the methods of testing and analyzing the route during the site visit and by using GIS base maps in order to come up with an absolute combination between monitoring the city growth, maintaining the quality of the agricultural lands and serving the public and local needs in order to result in a more balanced and controlled growth of the city. Irbid city is located in the northern part of Jordan with a radial urban expansion model of growth extending from the historical center and spreading toward the outskirts of the city. Regarding the significant increase in the number of population in Irbid City-Jordan since the 1970s until nowadays and the continuous need for habitats, there was a huge number of housing projects in the inner part of the city that expanded toward the outer part including the rural areas, resulting in a huge lack of agricultural lands and open recreational spaces where people can benefit from. Those spaces form an outlet of the city connected with the inner part by a route. Establishing a greenway along the route raises the integration between people and their lands and encourages farmers to develop and harvest. According to this study, the greenway development, which forms a breath out to the highly built-up area in the city, has become a great tool to result in tremendous beneficial outcomes to the city development.

Identification ofBorrelia bissettiiinIxodes scapularisticks from New Brunswick, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-161
Author(s):  
Julie Lewis ◽  
Vett K. Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Tick Borne Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Stricto ◽  
Lyme Disease Risk

Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease that is emerging in Canada. The disease is caused by spirochetes of the Lyme borreliosis group, which is expanding as new species are discovered. In Canada, Lyme disease risk has so far been assessed primarily by detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. Of Ixodes scapularis ticks collected between 2014 and 2016 in New Brunswick, Canada, 7 were shown to be infected with Borrelia bissettii by nested PCR and sequencing of 5 B. bissettii genes. Since different Borrelia species are associated with different clinical manifestations and are not detected with the same diagnostic tests, the identification of a previously undocumented or underreported pathogenic Borrelia species has important implications for public and veterinary medicine.

scholarly journals High burdens of Ixodes scapularis larval ticks on white-tailed deer may limit Lyme disease risk in a low biodiversity setting

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-I Huang ◽  
Samantha C. Kay ◽  
Stephen Davis ◽  
Danielle M. Tufts ◽  
Kimberley Gaffett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Lyme Disease Risk

scholarly journals Facilitating the Human Scale: A Response to Urban Intensification

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Samuel Gould
Keyword(s):  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
New Wave ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Half Century ◽  
Human Scale ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
The Face ◽  
Urban Intensification ◽  
The City

<p>Over the last half century, globalization has catalysed a new wave of urban expansion. Implications of this growth will further intensify the complexities of the urban metropolis, where transecting transit networks, communication infrastructures, production and consumption undergird a multifaceted set of economic and social processes. A recent paradigm shift over the last half-century has seen change in terms of the city being viewed in formal terms to being considered for its dynamic ways. This shift has not only seen the traditional hierarchical urban condition questioned, but reflects the amorphous trends in urban growth. The main intention of the research is to develop a model framework for re-appropriating established industrial infrastructural components to facilitate the human scale in the face of an intensifying urban realm.  The work of James Corner, Rem Koolhaas, Bernard Tschumi, Charles Waldheim, Alex Wall and Richard Weller are critically engaged to inform this thesis’ theoretical framework. This research explores the viability of these theoretical imperatives in addressing issues typically associated with urban intensification, specifically the spatial, cultural and sociological implications of urban encroachment into the industrial precinct.  Overall the research suggests the act of leveraging phenomenological qualities inherent to industry landscapes can play a fundamental role in appropriating the human scale within this contextually indifferent typology.</p>

scholarly journals Modelling Spatiotemporal Patterns of Lyme Disease Emergence in Québec

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc-Antoine Tutt-Gurétte ◽  
Mengru Yuan ◽  
Daniel Szarosz ◽  
Britt McKinnon ◽  
Yan Kestens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Spatiotemporal Patterns ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Disease Emergence ◽  
Targeted Interventions

Lyme disease is a growing public health problem in Qu&eacute;bec. Its emergence over the last decade is caused by environmental and anthropological factors that favour the survival of Ixodes scapularis, the vector of Lyme disease transmission. The objective of this study was to estimate the speed and direction of Lyme disease emergence in Qu&eacute;bec and to identify spatiotemporal risk patterns. A surface trend analysis was conducted to estimate the speed and direction of its emergence based upon the first detected case of Lyme disease in each municipality in Qu&eacute;bec since 2004. A cluster analysis was also conducted to identify at-risk regions across space and time. These analyses were reproduced for the date of disease onset and date of notification for each case of Lyme disease. It was estimated that Lyme disease is spreading northward in Qu&eacute;bec at a speed varying between 18 and 32 km/year according to the date of notification and the date of disease onset, respectively. A high rate of disease risk was found in seven clusters identified in the south-west of Qu&eacute;bec in the sociosanitary regions of Mont&eacute;r&eacute;gie and Estrie. The results obtained in this study improve our understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of Lyme disease in Qu&eacute;bec, which can be used for proactive, targeted interventions by public and clinical health authorities.

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