Risk of Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sense lato for a Host in Relation to the Duration of Nymphal Ixodes ricinus Feeding and the Method of Tick Removal

Kahl, Olaf; Janetzki-Mittmann, C.; Gray, Jeremy; Jonas, Rainer; Stein, Jürgen M.; Boer, Rob de

doi:10.1016/s0934-8840(98)80142-4

Cited by 141 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Indeed, the risk of transmission increases with the duration of attachment (Kahl et al, 1998;Crippa et al, 2002). In this study, most nymphs were removed after 424 h of blood meal, whereas most females were removed within 24 h. The small size of the nymphs enables them to be attached longer before being detected and removed (Logar et al, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Another important factor of risk is the duration of I. ricinus tick attachment (here also referred to as blood meal duration), the risk of transmission increasing with the duration of tick attachment (Kahl et al, 1998;Crippa et al, 2002). Therefore, knowledge of the duration of tick attachment is an important tool to evaluate the risk of B. burgdorferi sl transmission.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…B. burgdorferi sl is not transmitted immediately after an infected tick bite. In Europe, the risk of transmission is already present during the first 24 h of tick feeding (Kahl et al, 1998;Crippa et al, 2002). Duration of feeding time (tick attachment to the host) can be estimated from the scutal index (SI), the ratio between body length (idiosoma) and scutum width, as reported by Falco et al (1996) for I. scapularis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tick bites in a Lyme borreliosis highly endemic area in Switzerland

Hügli

Moret

Rais

et al. 2009

International Journal of Medical Microbiology

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The duration of tick feeding is an important indicator to evaluate the risk of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato transmission, which increases considerably with the blood meal duration. This blood meal duration may be estimated from scutal index, the ratio between body length (idiosoma) and scutum width. For the estimation of blood meal duration in Ixodes ricinus, nymphal and adult female ticks were detached at predetermined intervals (24, 48, 72, and 96 h) from laboratory mice and rabbits and their scutal index calculated. From this, non-linear regression equations were developed to determine the duration of attachment for nymphal and adult female I. ricinus ticks. As part of an epidemiological study addressing the risk of subclinical (seroconversion) and clinical infections after a tick bite in the Neuchaˆtel area (Switzerland) over 3 years (2003)(2004)(2005), duration of tick attachment and anatomical site of bites collected on participants as well as seasonal distribution of tick bites were studied. Tick attachment duration was estimated in all ticks collected during this study (n ¼ 261). Nymphs were attached for a mean (7 standard error, SE) of 31.6 h (72.6) and females for a mean (7SE) of 29.6 h (73.2). Most nymphs were removed after 24 h of blood meal whereas most females were removed before 24 h. Legs were the major anatomical sites of bites for women (40.7%), men (44.4%), and almost all age classes. Only children o10 years old were bitten more frequently on the head (41.2%) and on the neck (38.5%) than participants 410 years. The majority of tick bites were recorded from May to July during the 3 years. Attachment sites can influence the discovery of ticks, hence the duration of the tick bite. A detailed body examination after each outing in forest and an early withdrawal of an attached tick is an effective way to prevent Lyme borreliosis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tick bites in a Lyme borreliosis highly endemic area in Switzerland

Hügli

Moret

Rais

et al. 2009

International Journal of Medical Microbiology

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“…This suggests that the time of blood feeding may be an important factor determining the clinical outcome if bitten by a TBEV infected tick, and perhaps even the risk of transmission as a whole, as suggested by the person bitten by a TBEV infected tick that got neither symptoms nor antibody response. That would make the risk of TBEV transmission and clinical outcome more in line with the dynamics of Borrelia transmission where the tick feeding-time is an important factor (Kahl et al, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tick-borne encephalitis virus in ticks detached from humans and follow-up of serological and clinical response

Lindblom

Wilhelmsson

Fryland

et al. 2014

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

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“…The attachment of the anomalous female may be an indicator of a higher aggressiveness exhibited by anomalous, even pathogen-free ticks to humans. When unfed I. ricinus attaches to a vertebrate host, Borrelia transmission does not occur at the beginning of the blood uptake but later on, and transmission efficiency increases with the duration of the blood meal (Crippa et al, 2002;Kahl et al, 1998). The delay in transmission observed during the first hours of the blood meal might be due to this phenomenon, the migration of the spirochaetes from midgut to salivary glands.…”

Section: Ticks Behaviour and Borrelia Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%