scholarly journals Model of Risk of Exposure to Lyme Borreliosis and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus-Infected Ticks in the Border Area of the Czech Republic (South Bohemia) and Germany (Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate)

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Václav Hönig ◽  
Pavel Švec ◽  
Lukáš Marek ◽  
Tomáš Mrkvička ◽  
Zubriková Dana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Lyme Borreliosis ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Tick Density ◽  
Tick Infection ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Pathogen Prevalence ◽  
South Bohemia

In Europe, Lyme borreliosis (LB) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) are the two vector-borne diseases with the largest impact on human health. Based on data on the density of host-seeking Ixodes ricinus ticks and pathogen prevalence and using a variety of environmental data, we have created an acarological risk model for a region where both diseases are endemic (Czech Republic—South Bohemia and Germany—Lower Bavaria, Upper Palatinate). The data on tick density were acquired by flagging 50 sampling sites three times in a single season. Prevalence of the causative agents of LB and TBE was determined. Data on environmental variables (e.g., altitude, vegetation cover, NDVI, land surface temperature) were obtained from various sources and processed using geographical information systems. Generalized linear models were used to estimate tick density, probability of tick infection, and density of infected ticks for the whole area. A significantly higher incidence of human TBE cases was recorded in South Bohemia compared to Bavarian regions, which correlated with a lower tick density in Bavaria. However, the differences in pathogen prevalence rates were not significant. The model outputs were made available to the public in the form of risk maps, indicating the distribution of tick-borne disease risk in space.

scholarly journals Environmental determinants ofIxodes ricinusticks and the incidence ofBorrelia burgdorferisensu lato, the agent of Lyme borreliosis, in Scotland

Parasitology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. JAMES ◽  
A. S. BOWMAN ◽  
K. J. FORBES ◽  
F. LEWIS ◽  
J. E. MCLEOD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Borreliosis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Tick Abundance ◽  
Pathogen Prevalence ◽  
Risk Of Exposure ◽  
Large Scale Survey

SUMMARYLyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common arthropod-borne disease of humans in the Northern hemisphere. In Europe, the causative agent,Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato complex, is principally vectored byIxodes ricinusticks. The aim of this study was to identify environmental factors influencing questingI. ricinusnymph abundance andB. burgdorferis.l. infection in questing nymphs using a large-scale survey across Scotland. Ticks, host dung and vegetation were surveyed at 25 woodland sites, and climatic variables from a Geographical Information System (GIS) were extracted for each site. A total of 2397 10 m2transect surveys were conducted and 13 250I. ricinusnymphs counted. Questing nymphs were assayed forB. burgdorferis.l. and the average infection prevalence was 5·6% (range 0·8–13·9%). More questing nymphs and higher incidence ofB. burgdorferis.l. infection were found in areas with higher deer abundance and in mixed/deciduous compared to coniferous forests, as well as weaker correlations with season, altitude, rainfall and ground vegetation. No correlation was found between nymph abundance and infection prevalence within the ranges encountered. An understanding of the environmental conditions associated with tick abundance and pathogen prevalence may be used to reduce risk of exposure and to predict future pathogen prevalence and distributions under environmental changes.

scholarly journals Cross-Border Surveillance Differences: Tick-Borne Encephalitis and Lyme Borreliosis in the Czech Republic and Poland, 1999-2008

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł Stefanoff ◽  
Hana Orlíková ◽  
Vladimír Príkazský ◽  
Čestmír Beneš ◽  
Magdalena Rosińska
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Lyme Borreliosis ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Border Surveillance

scholarly journals Cohort profile: the Chinese Pregnant Women Cohort Study and Offspring Follow-up (CPWCSaOF)

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e044933
Author(s):  
Tianchen Lyu ◽  
Yunli Chen ◽  
Yongle Zhan ◽  
Yingjie Shi ◽  
Hexin Yue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Obstetric Outcomes ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Link Type

PurposeA multicentre prospective cohort study, known as the Chinese Pregnant Women Cohort Study (CPWCS), was established in 2017 to collect exposure data during pregnancy (except environmental exposure) and analyse the relationship between lifestyle during pregnancy and obstetric outcomes. Data about mothers and their children’s life and health as well as children’s laboratory testing will be collected during the offspring follow-up of CPWCS, which will enable us to further investigate the longitudinal relationship between exposure in different periods (during pregnancy and childhood) and children’s development.Participants9193 pregnant women in 24 hospitals in China who were in their first trimester (5–13 weeks gestational age) from 25 July 2017 to 26 November 2018 were included in CPWCS by convenience sampling. Five hospitals in China which participated in CPWCS with good cooperation will be selected as the sample source for the Chinese Pregnant Women Cohort Study (Offspring Follow-up) (CPWCS-OF).Findings to dateSome factors affecting pregnancy outcomes and health problems during pregnancy have been discovered through data analysis. The details are discussed in the ‘Findings to date’ section.Future plansInfants and children and their mothers who meet the criteria will be enrolled in the study and will be followed up every 2 years. The longitudinal relationship between exposure (questionnaire data, physical examination and biospecimens, medical records, and objective environmental data collected through geographical information system and remote sensing technology) in different periods (during pregnancy and childhood) and children’s health (such as sleeping problem, oral health, bowel health and allergy-related health problems) will be analysed.Trail registration numberCPWCS was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on 18 January 2018: NCT03403543. CPWCS-OF was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on 24 June 2020: NCT04444791.

scholarly journals Epidemiology of Tick-Borne Encephalitis in the Czech Republic 1970–2008

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 994-999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bohumir Kriz ◽  
Marek Maly ◽  
Cestmir Benes ◽  
Milan Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis

scholarly journals Impact of the experimental removal of lizards on Lyme disease risk

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1720) ◽  
pp. 2970-2978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Swei ◽  
Richard S. Ostfeld ◽  
Robert S. Lane ◽  
Cheryl J. Briggs
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Alternate Host ◽  
Experimental Removal ◽  
Tick Infection

The distribution of vector meals in the host community is an important element of understanding and predicting vector-borne disease risk. Lizards (such as the western fence lizard; Sceloporus occidentalis ) play a unique role in Lyme disease ecology in the far-western United States. Lizards rather than mammals serve as the blood meal hosts for a large fraction of larval and nymphal western black-legged ticks ( Ixodes pacificus —the vector for Lyme disease in that region) but are not competent reservoirs for the pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi . Prior studies have suggested that the net effect of lizards is to reduce risk of human exposure to Lyme disease, a hypothesis that we tested experimentally. Following experimental removal of lizards, we documented incomplete host switching by larval ticks (5.19%) from lizards to other hosts. Larval tick burdens increased on woodrats, a competent reservoir, but not on deer mice, a less competent pathogen reservoir. However, most larvae failed to find an alternate host. This resulted in significantly lower densities of nymphal ticks the following year. Unexpectedly, the removal of reservoir-incompetent lizards did not cause an increase in nymphal tick infection prevalence. The net result of lizard removal was a decrease in the density of infected nymphal ticks, and therefore a decreased risk to humans of Lyme disease. Our results indicate that an incompetent reservoir for a pathogen may, in fact, increase disease risk through the maintenance of higher vector density and therefore, higher density of infected vectors.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document