Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Recreational Greenspaces in North Central Florida, USA

Bhosale, Chanakya R.; Wilson, Kristen N.; Ledger, Kimberly J.; White, Zoe S.; Dorleans, Rayann; Jesus, Carrie E. De

doi:10.3390/microorganisms11030756

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 95 publications

(116 reference statements)

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“…The pathogen was not detected in either D. variabilis or A. maculatum ticks, which were also collected in the study [ 313 ]. The findings from Bhosale et al [ 312 ] and Noden et al [ 313 ] support the previous supposition that A. americanum ticks are the vector of B. coco .…”

Section: Prevalence Of Babesia Cocosupporting

confidence: 72%

“…A study of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in recreational greenspaces in Gainesville (Florida) conducted by Bhosale et al [ 312 ] in 2021 collected questing ticks of six species belonging to various genera, including Amblyomma ( A. americanum , Amblyomma maculatum Koch, 1844), Dermacentor ( Dermacentor variabilis Say, 1821), Haemaphysalis ( Haemaphysalis leporispalustris Packard, 1869), and Ixodes ( Ixodes affinis Neumann, 1899, Ixodes scapularis Say, 1821); however, B. coco DNA was detected only in A. americanum . The infection rate was very low, only 7 out of 1076 lone star ticks were infected with the pathogen [ 312 ]. Similarly, Noden et al [ 313 ] found that only 22 out of 4714 questing lone star ticks collected in 2017 and 2018 in Oklahoma City were infected with B. coco .…”

Section: Prevalence Of Babesia Cocomentioning

confidence: 99%

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Canine Babesiosis Caused by Large Babesia Species: Global Prevalence and Risk Factors—A Review

Zygner

Gójska-Zygner²,

Bartosik

et al. 2023

Animals

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Canine babesiosis is a disease caused by protozoan pathogens belonging to the genus Babesia. Four species of large Babesia cause canine babesiosis (B. canis, B. rossi, B. vogeli, and the informally named B. coco). Although canine babesiosis has a worldwide distribution, different species occur in specific regions: B. rossi in sub-Saharan Africa, B. canis in Europe and Asia, and B. coco in the Eastern Atlantic United States, while B. vogeli occurs in Africa, southern parts of Europe and Asia, northern Australia, southern regions of North America, and in South America. B. vogeli is the most prevalent large Babesia species globally. This results from its wide range of monotropic vector species, the mild or subclinical nature of infections, and likely the longest evolutionary association with dogs. The most important risk factors for infection by large Babesia spp. include living in rural areas, kennels or animal shelters, or regions endemic for the infection, the season of the year (which is associated with increased tick activity), infestation with ticks, and lack of treatment with acaricides.

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Section: Prevalence Of Babesia Cocosupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Prevalence Of Babesia Cocomentioning

confidence: 99%

Canine Babesiosis Caused by Large Babesia Species: Global Prevalence and Risk Factors—A Review

Zygner

Gójska-Zygner²,

Bartosik

et al. 2023

Animals

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Don’t go chasing waterfalls: the phenology of Amblyomma americanum and increased collection of medically relevant ticks further away from hiking trails in the Piedmont of North Carolina, USA

Adams,

Figurskey,

Barbarin

et al. 2024

Journal of Medical Entomology

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Hiking is a popular recreational activity in North Carolina that may expose people to ticks and tick-borne pathogens. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how ticks are distributed on and near trails. Our study tested the hypothesis that ticks are more likely to be encountered when moving further away from trails by measuring differences in relative abundance at various distances. We tested 4 distances (middle of trail, edge of trail, 5 m, 20 m), as well as an on-trail and off-trail grouping. We collected significantly more ticks and ticks were more likely to be collected at our 20 m and 5 m sampling distances rather than directly on or adjacent to trails, and significantly more were collected during off-trail collections than on-trails. When looking only at Amblyomma americanum, post hoc comparisons revealed that significantly more juvenile stages were collected at 5 m and 20 m distances, but not for adults. Our monthly sampling also allowed us to describe the phenology of A. americanum in North Carolina, which is consistent with the phenology of this species in the southeastern United States with adults peaking May–Jun, nymphs Jun–Jul, and larvae in Jul–Aug. These results generally demonstrate the importance of utilizing established trails when hiking to decrease tick-borne disease risk and should be communicated to the public as a recommendation for reducing tick-encounter risk.

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Ticks - public health risks in urban green spaces

Janzén,

Choudhury,

Hammer

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

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Background Urban green spaces are important for human health, but they may expose visitors to tick-borne diseases. This not only presents a potential public health challenge but also undermines the expected public health gains from urban green spaces. The aim of this study is to assess the public health risk of tick-borne diseases in an urban green space used for recreation in Stockholm, Sweden. Methods We used a mixed method approach identifying both the magnitude of the tick hazard and the extent of the human exposure to tick-borne diseases. At six entry points to an urban green space, we sampled ticks and documented microhabitat conditions from five randomly assigned 2 m × 2 m plots. Surrounding habitat data was analyzed using geographical information system (GIS). Nymphs and adult ticks were tested for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum using TaqMan qPCR. Positive B. burgdorferi (s.l.) ticks were further analyzed by nested PCR amplification and sequence analysis. Population census data and visitor count data were used to estimate the degree of human exposure to tick-borne diseases. To further understand the degree to which visitors get in contact with infected ticks we also conducted interviews with visitors to green spaces. Results High tick densities were commonly found in humid broadleaved forest with low field vegetation. High pathogen prevalence was significantly correlated with increasing proportions of artificial areas. Integrating the tick hazard with human exposure we found that the public health risk of tick-borne diseases was moderate to high at most of the studied entry points. Many of the visitors frequently used urban green spaces. Walking was the most common activity, but visitors also engaged in activities with higher risk for tick encounters. Individual protective measures were connected to specific recreational activities such as picking berries or mushrooms. Conclusions The number of visitors can be combined with tick inventory data and molecular analyses of pathogen prevalence to make crude estimations of the public health risk of tick-borne diseases in urban green spaces. The risk of encountering infected ticks is omnipresent during recreational activities in urban green spaces, highlighting the need for public health campaigns to reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases.

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Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Recreational Greenspaces in North Central Florida, USA

Cited by 4 publications

References 95 publications

Canine Babesiosis Caused by Large Babesia Species: Global Prevalence and Risk Factors—A Review

Canine Babesiosis Caused by Large Babesia Species: Global Prevalence and Risk Factors—A Review

Don’t go chasing waterfalls: the phenology of Amblyomma americanum and increased collection of medically relevant ticks further away from hiking trails in the Piedmont of North Carolina, USA

Ticks - public health risks in urban green spaces

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