Lyme borreliosis incidence in Lombardy, Italy (2000-2015): spatiotemporal analysis and environmental risk factors

Publication date: Available online 3 July 2019Source: Ticks and Tick-borne DiseasesAuthor(s): Sergio A. Zanzani, Sara G. Rimoldi, MariaTeresa Manfredi, Romualdo Grande, Alessia L. Gazzonis, Stefania Merli, Emanuela Olivieri, Vania Giacomet, Spinello Antinori, Giuliana Cislaghi, Giovanna Bestetti, Katiuscia Nan, Vittorio Sala, Maria R. Gismondo, Chiara Atzori, Eleonora De FaveriAbstractLyme borreliosis cases have been reported from Lombardy in northern Italy, where Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. However, spatial and temporal variation in the incidence of Lyme borreliosis is not well understood. In the present study, based on new notified cases of Lyme borreliosis from 2000 to 2015, an average of 1.24 new cases per million residents per year was documented. New cases, georeferenced at the municipal level, were analyzed by retrospective space-time analysis (using SaTScan v. 9.3.1); and land cover, extrapolated from a Corine Land Cover dataset (using QGIS 2.8.1), was used to implement an environmental risk factor analysis. Firstly, a temporal high-risk cluster was detected in Lombardy: the relative risk of Lyme borreliosis was 3.73 times higher during 2008-2015 compared with the entire study period. Moreover, in a spatiotemporal high-risk cluster with a circular base, land cover consisting of wildland-urban interface, meadow, forest and meadow-forest transition were significantly higher compared to low-risk areas. Results of the present stud...
Source: Ticks and Tick borne Diseases - Category: Zoology Source Type: research