Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden
Abstract Background Ixodes ricinus is the main vector in Europe of human-pathogenic Lyme borreliosis (LB) spirochaetes, the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and other pathogens of humans and domesticated mammals. The results of a previous 1994 questionnaire, directed at people living in Central...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b7a0d5581d7b43008c3daa854b9bfdb1 2023-05-15T17:40:17+02:00 Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden Jaenson Thomas GT Jaenson David GE Eisen Lars Petersson Erik Lindgren Elisabet 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-5-8 https://doaj.org/article/b7a0d5581d7b43008c3daa854b9bfdb1 EN eng BMC http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/5/1/8 https://doaj.org/toc/1756-3305 doi:10.1186/1756-3305-5-8 1756-3305 https://doaj.org/article/b7a0d5581d7b43008c3daa854b9bfdb1 Parasites & Vectors, Vol 5, Iss 1, p 8 (2012) Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 article 2012 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-5-8 2022-12-31T11:44:07Z Abstract Background Ixodes ricinus is the main vector in Europe of human-pathogenic Lyme borreliosis (LB) spirochaetes, the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and other pathogens of humans and domesticated mammals. The results of a previous 1994 questionnaire, directed at people living in Central and North Sweden (Svealand and Norrland) and aiming to gather information about tick exposure for humans and domestic animals, suggested that Ixodes ricinus ticks had become more widespread in Central Sweden and the southern part of North Sweden from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. To investigate whether the expansion of the tick's northern geographical range and the increasing abundance of ticks in Sweden were still occurring, in 2009 we performed a follow-up survey 16 years after the initial study. Methods A questionnaire similar to the one used in the 1994 study was published in Swedish magazines aimed at dog owners, home owners, and hunters. The questionnaire was published together with a popular science article about the tick's biology and role as a pathogen vector in Sweden. The magazines were selected to get information from people familiar with ticks and who spend time in areas where ticks might be present. Results Analyses of data from both surveys revealed that during the near 30-year period from the early 1980s to 2008, I. ricinus has expanded its distribution range northwards. In the early 1990s ticks were found in new areas along the northern coastline of the Baltic Sea, while in the 2009 study, ticks were reported for the first time from many locations in North Sweden. This included locations as far north as 66°N and places in the interior part of North Sweden. During this 16-year period the tick's range in Sweden was estimated to have increased by 9.9%. Most of the range expansion occurred in North Sweden (north of 60°N) where the tick's coverage area doubled from 12.5% in the early 1990s to 26.8% in 2008. Moreover, according to the respondents, the abundance of ticks had increased markedly in LB- ... Article in Journal/Newspaper North Sweden Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Parasites & Vectors 5 1 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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English |
topic |
Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
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Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Jaenson Thomas GT Jaenson David GE Eisen Lars Petersson Erik Lindgren Elisabet Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden |
topic_facet |
Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
description |
Abstract Background Ixodes ricinus is the main vector in Europe of human-pathogenic Lyme borreliosis (LB) spirochaetes, the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and other pathogens of humans and domesticated mammals. The results of a previous 1994 questionnaire, directed at people living in Central and North Sweden (Svealand and Norrland) and aiming to gather information about tick exposure for humans and domestic animals, suggested that Ixodes ricinus ticks had become more widespread in Central Sweden and the southern part of North Sweden from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. To investigate whether the expansion of the tick's northern geographical range and the increasing abundance of ticks in Sweden were still occurring, in 2009 we performed a follow-up survey 16 years after the initial study. Methods A questionnaire similar to the one used in the 1994 study was published in Swedish magazines aimed at dog owners, home owners, and hunters. The questionnaire was published together with a popular science article about the tick's biology and role as a pathogen vector in Sweden. The magazines were selected to get information from people familiar with ticks and who spend time in areas where ticks might be present. Results Analyses of data from both surveys revealed that during the near 30-year period from the early 1980s to 2008, I. ricinus has expanded its distribution range northwards. In the early 1990s ticks were found in new areas along the northern coastline of the Baltic Sea, while in the 2009 study, ticks were reported for the first time from many locations in North Sweden. This included locations as far north as 66°N and places in the interior part of North Sweden. During this 16-year period the tick's range in Sweden was estimated to have increased by 9.9%. Most of the range expansion occurred in North Sweden (north of 60°N) where the tick's coverage area doubled from 12.5% in the early 1990s to 26.8% in 2008. Moreover, according to the respondents, the abundance of ticks had increased markedly in LB- ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jaenson Thomas GT Jaenson David GE Eisen Lars Petersson Erik Lindgren Elisabet |
author_facet |
Jaenson Thomas GT Jaenson David GE Eisen Lars Petersson Erik Lindgren Elisabet |
author_sort |
Jaenson Thomas GT |
title |
Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden |
title_short |
Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden |
title_full |
Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden |
title_fullStr |
Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden |
title_full_unstemmed |
Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden |
title_sort |
changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in sweden |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-5-8 https://doaj.org/article/b7a0d5581d7b43008c3daa854b9bfdb1 |
genre |
North Sweden |
genre_facet |
North Sweden |
op_source |
Parasites & Vectors, Vol 5, Iss 1, p 8 (2012) |
op_relation |
http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/5/1/8 https://doaj.org/toc/1756-3305 doi:10.1186/1756-3305-5-8 1756-3305 https://doaj.org/article/b7a0d5581d7b43008c3daa854b9bfdb1 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-5-8 |
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Parasites & Vectors |
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