Tick distribution and tick-borne pathogens in Finland - The tick project of the University of Turku

• Main Authors: Laaksonen Maija, Hänninen Jari, Penttinen Ritva, Vuorinen Ilppo, Hytönen Jukka, Sormunen Jani, Klemola Tero, Ilari, Sajanti Eeva, Ruohomäki Kai, Sääksjärvi, Vesterinen Eero
• Other Authors: biodiversiteettiyksikkö, Biodiversity unit, PÄÄT Lääketieteen mikrobiologia ja immunologia, PÄÄT Lääketieteen mikrobiologia ja immunologia, biolääketieteen laitos, yhteiset, Institute of Biomedicine, biologian laitoksen yhteiset, Department of Biology, PÄÄT Saaristomeren tutkimuslaitos, PÄÄT Archipelago Research Institute, ekologia ja evoluutiobiologia, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 2606010, 2607100, 2607105, 2606402, 2606400, 2606012
• Language: English
• Published: Öresund, Sweden 2022
• Subjects: Norway; taiga
• Online Access: https://www.utupub.fi/handle/10024/158362

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are a growing problem in northern Europe and Russia. Surveys conducted in Russia, Sweden and Norway have revealed a northwards shift in distribution and an increase in tick abundance over the past few decades. However, despite ticks being actively studied in neighboring countries, ecological data of Finnish tick populations are almost non-existent. Furthermore, the last nationwide mapping of the geographical distribution of Ixodes ricinus in Finland is over five decades old. Regarding the distribution of the taiga tick (Ixodes persulcatus), no nationwide surveys have ever been made. The University of Turku tick project was started in 2012 with the objective of producing novel data on tick abundance, ecology and tick-borne pathogen diversity in Finland. Initially the main aim of the project was to revisit several study locations around Southwest Finland from where previous ecological and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato prevalence data was available. Blanket dragging was conducted at these locations, to survey possible changes in tick abundance and B. burgdorferi s.l. prevalence. Additional blanket dragging locations were added around southwestern Finland later in 2013-2014. In addition to B. burgdorferi s.l., the occurrence and prevalence of several other tick-borne pathogens has also been determined from these samples. Furthermore, a long-term surveillance site for tracking annual changes in tick abundance, seasonal questing activity patterns and pathogen diversity was established in 2012 on one of the study locations, Seili. Similar surveillance sites were established in 2015 at several university research stations all around Finland. However, in addition to these local data of tick abundance, activity patterns and pathogen diversity, the project also wanted to produce nationwide data on the geographical distribution of the two currently known disease-transmitting tick species in Finland, I. ricinus and I. persulcatus. To accomplish this, we decided to try a crowdsourcing approach: ...