Googling for Ticks and Borreliosis in Germany: Nationwide Google Search Analysis From 2015 to 2018

Scheerer, Cora; Rüth, Melvin; Tizek, Linda; Köberle, Martin; Biedermann, Tilo; Zink, Alexander

doi:10.2196/18581

Cited by 24 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…Google Trends has been shown to be suitable for studying seasonal patterns of various skin problems. 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 In line with previous studies, we found a seasonal pattern for the internet interest for ticks with peaks of interest in May. 49 , 50 Expectedly, there was a peak of interest for insect stings in July.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Epidemiologic evolution of common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites: A Google Trends analysis

2021

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Background Common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites are not reportable conditions in most countries. Their worldwide epidemiologic evolution and distribution are mostly unknown. Objective To explore the evolution and geographic distribution of common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites through an analysis of Google Trends. Methods Search trends from 2004 through March 2021 for common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites were extracted from Google Trends, quantified, and analyzed. Results Time series decomposition showed that total search term volume for pubic lice decreased worldwide over the study period, while the interest for ticks, pediculosis, insect bites, scabies, lice, and bed bugs increased (in increasing order). The interest for bed bugs was more pronounced in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics countries, interest for lice in Near East and Middle East countries, and interest for pubic lice in South American countries. Internet searches for bed bugs, insect bites, and ticks exhibited the highest seasonal patterns. Limitations Retrospective analysis limits interpretation. Conclusion Surveillance systems based on Google Trends may enhance the timeliness of traditional surveillance systems and suggest that, while most cutaneous infestations increase worldwide, pubic lice may be globally declining.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Epidemiologic evolution of common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites: A Google Trends analysis

2021

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“…Nevertheless, the majority of cities had their largest search volume in October 2015, which was mainly caused by an increase of searches for chlamydia-related keywords, and which indicates a national rather than regional trend. In contrast to studies that investigated pruritus, skin cancer, or borreliosis, no seasonal variations were detected [ 28 , 32 , 33 ], which suggests that interest in STIs is independent of periodic external factors such as climate. The few observed national peaks in search volume may be due to increased media coverage, as seen in other studies [ 40 , 41 ].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 70%

“…In general, the internet is frequently used as a source for health-related information [ 16 , 52 ], and search engine data have been successfully used in prior studies to describe population interests and behavior with regard to public health topics [ 27 , 28 , 53 , 54 ]. The advantage is the great amount of data, which can be easily and anonymously acquired from millions of people.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…“Venereal diseases” (“Geschlechtskrankheiten”) constitutes the most common German term for STIs. Google Ads Keyword Planner is usually used to optimize placements of advertisements but can also be successfully employed for scientific purposes [ 27 , 28 ]. The search volume indicates the total number of searches for the respective keywords.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interest in Sexually Transmitted Infections: Analysis of Web Search Data Terms in Eleven Large German Cities from 2015 to 2019

Pilz

Tizek

Rüth

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis has increased in recent years in the US and in European countries. In order to implement effective educational programs, the interests of target populations have to be identified. Since the internet is an important source of information-gathering on health issues, this study investigates web search data in large German cities related to STIs. Google Ads Keyword Planner was used to identify STI-related terms and their search volume in eleven German cities from June 2015 to May 2019. The data obtained were analyzed descriptively with regard to total search volumes, search volumes of specific thematic areas, and search volumes per 100,000 inhabitants. Overall, 741 terms with a total search volume of 5,142,560 queries were identified, with more than 70% of all search queries including a specific disease and “chlamydia” being the overall most often searched term (n = 1,196,160). Time courses of search behavior displayed a continuous interest in STIs with synchronal and national rather than regional peaks. Volumes of search queries lacked periodic patterns. Based on the findings of this study, a more open public discussion about STIs with linkage to increased media coverage and clarification of responsibilities among all STI-treating disciplines concerning management of STIs seem advisable.

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“…Pet owners are concerned about ectoparasites and vector-borne pathogens with ever-increasing online searching for relevant information [6,21]. Yearly, pet owners purchase 5.2 billion US dollars in ectoparasiticidal products to protect their pets from these pests [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An assessment of canine ectoparasiticide administration compliance in the United States based on timing of ectoparasiticide purchases recorded in veterinary hospital transactions.

Lavan

Normile

Husain³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: This study evaluated the timing of dog owner ectoparasiticide purchases to estimate administration compliance and assess the consequent impact of dose purchase gaps on the proportion of time that dogs are protected over a 12-month period. Methods: Ectoparasiticide purchase transactions over a 12-month period were evaluated for dogs from 626 U.S. veterinary hospitals to determine dose purchase timing and identify consequent gaps between dose administration. Orally administered prescription ectoparasitic medications with active ingredients from the isoxazoline family (afoxolaner, fluralaner, lotilaner, or sarolaner) are included in the analysis. A period was calculated for each of the four isoxazoline-containing medications that represented the duration of protection provided by two doses of ectoparasiticide plus the average gap between these two doses. The maximum percentage of time possible for ectoparasiticide protection for this aggregate period was then calculated for each active. Results: Ectoparasiticide transaction records were analyzed for 506,637 dogs. Of these, 43% of dog owners purchased just one dose over the 12 months. If a dog owner purchased more than one dose, then the timing of these transactions could create a time gap between the completion of ectoparasite protection from the first dose and onset of protection from the subsequent purchase and administration of the second dose. Such gaps were observed in purchases made by 31-65% of dog owners depending on the selected active ingredient and number of doses. The average gap duration between dose purchases was calculated for all possible dose combinations over 12 months of ectoparasite protection. Time gaps between the first and second doses are as follows: for sarolaner (20.3 weeks), afoxolaner (12.9 weeks), fluralaner (12.8 weeks), and lotilaner (8.9 weeks). The proportion of time when protection was provided during the aggregate period between administration of the first and second doses was fluralaner 65%, lotilaner 49%, afoxolaner 40,% and sarolaner 30%. Conclusions: Dog owner ectoparasiticide purchase transactions show that there are time gaps between doses leading to reduced ectoparasite protection. The longer re-administration interval of fluralaner, which results from its extended duration, results in dog owners gaining the greatest proportion of ectoparasite protection time compared with shorter-acting monthly re-treatment medications.

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Googling for Ticks and Borreliosis in Germany: Nationwide Google Search Analysis From 2015 to 2018

Cited by 24 publications

References 25 publications

Epidemiologic evolution of common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites: A Google Trends analysis

Epidemiologic evolution of common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites: A Google Trends analysis

Interest in Sexually Transmitted Infections: Analysis of Web Search Data Terms in Eleven Large German Cities from 2015 to 2019

An assessment of canine ectoparasiticide administration compliance in the United States based on timing of ectoparasiticide purchases recorded in veterinary hospital transactions.

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