IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 603: Multi-Scale Clustering of Lyme Disease Risk at the Expanding Leading Edge of the Range of Ixodes scapularis in Canada
IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 603: Multi-Scale Clustering of Lyme Disease Risk at the Expanding Leading Edge of the Range of Ixodes scapularis in Canada
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15040603
Authors:
Marion Ripoche
Leslie Lindsay
Antoinette Ludwig
Nicholas Ogden
Karine Thivierge
Patrick Leighton
Since its detection in Canada in the early 1990s, Ixodes scapularis, the primary tick vector of Lyme disease in eastern North America, has continued to expand northward. Estimates of the tick’s broad-scale distribution are useful for tracking the extent of the Lyme disease risk zone; however, tick distribution may vary widely within this zone. Here, we investigated I. scapularis nymph distribution at three spatial scales across the Lyme disease emergence zone in southern Quebec, Canada. We collected ticks and compared the nymph densities among different woodlands and different plots and transects within the same woodland. Hot spot analysis highlighted significant nymph clustering at each spatial scale. In regression models, nymph abundance was associated with litter depth, humidity, and elevation, which contribute to a suitable habitat for ticks, but also with the distance from the trail and the type of trail, which could be linked to host distribution and human disturbance. Accounting for this heterogeneous nymph distribution at a fine spatial scale could help improve Lyme disease management strategies but also help...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Marion Ripoche Leslie Lindsay Antoinette Ludwig Nicholas Ogden Karine Thivierge Patrick Leighton Tags: Article Source Type: research