The impact of climate change on the expansion of Ixodes persulcatus habitat and the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis in the north of European Russia.
N. K. Tokarevich,A. Tronin,O. Blinova,Roman Buzinov,Vitaliy P. Boltenkov,Elena Yurasova,Jo Nurse +6 more
TLDR
Climate change contributed much to the TBE incidence increase in AO and the increase both in mean annual air temperatures and temperatures during tick active season resulted in the northward expansion of Ixodid ticks, main TBE virus vector.Abstract:
Background: The increase in tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) incidence is observed in recent decades in a number of subarctic countries. The reasons of it are widely discussed in scientific publications. The objective of this study was to understand if the climate change in Arkhangelsk Oblast (AO) situated in the north of European subarctic zone of Russia has real impact on the northward expansion of Ixodid ticks and stipulates the increase in TBE incidence. Methods: This study analyzes: TBE incidence in AO and throughout Russia, the results of Ixodid ticks collecting in a number of sites in AO, and TBE virus prevalence in those ticks, the data on tick bite incidence in AO, and meteorological data on AO mean annual air temperatures and precipitations. Results: It is established that in recent years TBE incidence in AO tended to increase contrary to its apparent decrease nationwide. In last 10 years, there was nearly 50-fold rise in TBE incidence in AO when compared with 1980-1989. Probably, the increase both in mean annual air temperatures and temperatures during tick active season resulted in the northward expansion of Ixodes Persulcatus, main TBE virus vector. The Ixodid ticks expansion is confirmed both by the results of ticks flagging from the surface vegetation and by the tick bite incidence in the population of AO locations earlier free from ticks. Our mathematical (correlation and regression) analysis of available data revealed a distinct correlation between TBE incidence and the growth of mean annual air temperatures in AO in 1990-2009. Conclusion: Not ruling out other factors, we conclude that climate change contributed much to the TBE incidence increase in AO. Keywords: climate change; tick-borne encephalitis; Ixodes persulcatus; subarctic zone (Published: 21 October 2011) Citation: Global Health Action 2011, 4 : 8448 - DOI: 10.3402/gha.v4i0.8448read more
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Impact of Recent and Future Climate Change on Vector-Borne Diseases
TL;DR: This review highlights significant regional changes in vector and pathogen distribution reported in temperate, peri‐Arctic, Arctic, and tropical highland regions during recent decades, changes that have been anticipated by scientists worldwide.
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Climate change and Ixodes tick-borne diseases of humans
TL;DR: Both mechanistic and phenomenological models suggest dramatic range expansions of Ixodes ticks and tick-borne disease as the climate warms, however, the predicted distributions vary strongly with the models' assumptions, which are rarely tested against reasonable alternatives.
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Climate change, biodiversity, ticks and tick-borne diseases: The butterfly effect.
TL;DR: The aim of the present article is to logically extend the rationale presented on the occasion of the IECID meeting on climate change, biodiversity, ticks and tick-borne diseases, and to improve the understanding of the complex interactions between landscape, climate, host communities, and politics.
Journal ArticleDOI
Vaccination and Tick-borne Encephalitis, Central Europe
Franz X. Heinz,Karin Stiasny,Heidemarie Holzmann,Marta Grgič-Vitek,Bohumir Kriz,Astrid Essl,Michael Kundi +6 more
TL;DR: Researchers compared the number of cases in 3 neighboring countries in which vaccination coverage differs but many other factors remain the same and found far fewer cases in Austria, indicating that vaccination is an excellent way to prevent this disease.
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Transport of ixodid ticks and tick-borne pathogens by migratory birds.
TL;DR: Although it has never been demonstrated that a new tick species, or a newtick pathogen, actually has been established in a new locality after being seeded there by birds, evidence strongly suggests that this could occur.
References
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Elisabet Lindgren,Rolf Gustafson +1 more
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