Climate Changes Exacerbate the Spread of Ixodes ricinus and the Occurrence of Lyme Borreliosis and Tick-Borne Encephalitis in Europe—How Climate Models Are Used as a Risk Assessment Approach for Tick-Borne Diseases

Abstract

Climate change has influenced the transmission of a wide range of vector-borne diseases in Europe, which is a pressing public health challenge for the coming decades. Numerous theories have been developed in order to explain how tick-borne diseases are associated with climate change. These theories include higher proliferation rates, extended transmission season, changes in ecological balances, and climate-related migration of vectors, reservoir hosts, or human populations. Changes of the epidemiological pattern have potentially catastrophic consequences, resulting in increasing prevalence of tick-borne diseases. Thus, investigation of the relationship between climate change and tick-borne diseases is critical. In this regard, climate models that predict the ticks’ geographical distribution changes can be used as a predicting tool. The aim of this review is to provide the current evidence regarding the contribution of the climatic changes to Lyme borreliosis (LB) disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and to present how computational models will advance our understanding of the relationship between climate change and tick-borne diseases in Europe.

Seroprevalence for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and tick-borne encephalitis virus antibodies and associated risk factors among forestry workers in northern France, 2019 to 2020

“…The low prevalence of TBEV found in ticks in France and the higher awareness of forestry workers could explain the low number of professionals seropositive for TBEV. Nevertheless, climate change could, in the future, contribute to an expansion of risk areas into new regions [38]. The recent introduction of mandatory notification of TBE in France will help to follow incidence trends and to identify new geographical risk areas and risk factors.…”

Klimawandel und vektorübertragene Infektionen in EuropaTeil 2: Zeckenübertragene Infektionen

“…Schildzecken (Ixodidae) gelten in Zentraleuropa als die bedeutendsten Vektoren von humanpathogenen Infektionserregern und unterteilen sich in verschiedene Gattungen, einschließlich Ixodes- , Dermacentor- , Hyalomma- , Rhipicephalus - und Haemaphysalis- Zecken 7 .…”

“…Ökologische Nischenmodelle für die Zeckenarten I. ricinus , D. reticulatus (Auwaldzecke) und D. marginatus (Schafzecke) zeigen, dass alle 3 Spezies von den zu erwartenden Klimaveränderungen in Europa profitieren und ihren geografischen Verbreitungsraum vor allem in Richtung Nordosteuropa ausdehnen werden 7 , 8 .…”

Tick-borne zoonotic flaviviruses and Borrelia infections in wildlife hosts: What have field studies contributed?

“…Recent reviews on tick-borne Borrelia spp. and TBFV have focused on getting information on the biology of infection in vertebrate hosts [ 13 , 14 ], reporting prevalence and clinical cases in human [ 15 , 16 ] and discussing diagnostic methodologies [ 17 , 18 ], the role of non-vector transmissions for TBFV [ 19 , 20 ], or on the importance of modelling TBP regarding climate change [ 21 , 22 ]. Some reviews have focused on wildlife hosts but only at a national or continental scale [ 23 , 24 ], or on reservoirs associated with flaviviruses in general, with little focus on TBFV [ 25 ].…”