Tick infestation on roe deer in relation to geographic and remotely sensed climatic variables in a tick-borne encephalitis endemic area

Roe deer Capreolus capreolus are among the most important feeding hosts for the sheep tick Ixodes ricinus, thus contributing to the occurrence of tick-borne diseases in Europe. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), which is transmitted by co-feeding of larvae and nymphs on rodents, requires precise climati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epidemiology and infection 2008-10, Vol.136 (10), p.1416-1424
Main Authors: CARPI, G., CAGNACCI, F., NETELER, M., RIZZOLI, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altitude
Animals
Arachnids
Arboviral encephalitis
Arboviroses
Biological and medical sciences
Climate models
Cooling
Deer
Deer hunting
Encephalitis
Encephalitis, Tick-Borne - epidemiology
Endemic Diseases
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Geography
Human viral diseases
Humans
Incidence
Infectious diseases
Italy
Ixodes
Larvae
Medical sciences
Meteorological Concepts
Microbiology
Nymphs
Original Papers
Parametric models
Satellites
Tick borne encephalitis
Tick infestations
Tick Infestations - epidemiology
Tick Infestations - veterinary
Ticks
Tropical viral diseases
Viral diseases
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Summary:Roe deer Capreolus capreolus are among the most important feeding hosts for the sheep tick Ixodes ricinus, thus contributing to the occurrence of tick-borne diseases in Europe. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), which is transmitted by co-feeding of larvae and nymphs on rodents, requires precise climatic conditions to occur. We used roe deer as sentinels for potential circulation of TBE virus in Northern Italy, by examining the association between tick infestation, occurrence of TBE human cases, geographical and climatic parameters. Tick infestation on roe deer, and particularly frequency of co-feeding, was clearly associated with the geographic location and the autumnal cooling rate. Consistently, TBE occurrence in humans was geographically related to co-feeding tick abundance. The surveillance of tick infestation on roe deer, combined with remotely sensed climatic data, could therefore be used as an inexpensive early risk assessment tool of favourable conditions for TBE emergence and persistence in humans.
ISSN:0950-2688
1469-4409
DOI:10.1017/S0950268807000039