IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 5105: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Tick-Borne Diseases in North-Central Wisconsin from 2000 –2016

IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 5105: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Tick-Borne Diseases in North-Central Wisconsin from 2000–2016 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph17145105 Authors: Austin Rau Claudia Munoz-Zanzi Anna M. Schotthoefer Jonathan D. Oliver Jesse D. Berman Lyme disease is a well-recognized public health problem in the USA, however, other tick-borne diseases also have major public health impacts. Yet, limited research has evaluated changes in the spatial and temporal patterns of non-Lyme tick-borne diseases within endemic regions. Using laboratory data from a large healthcare system in north-central Wisconsin from 2000–2016, we applied a Kulldorf’s scan statistic to analyze spatial, temporal and seasonal clusters of laboratory-positive cases of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis at the county level. Older males were identified as the subpopulation at greatest risk for non-Lyme tick-borne diseases and we observed a statistically significant spatial and temporal clustering of cases (p < 0.05). HGA risk shifted from west to east over time (2000–2016) with a relative risk (RR) ranging from 3.30 to 11.85, whereas babesiosis risk shifted from south to north and west over time (2004–2016) with an RR ranging from 4.33 to 4.81. Our study highlights the occurrence of non-Lyme tick-borne diseases, and identifies at-risk ...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research