Heterogeneity in tick abundance and pathogen presence in a peri-urban forest
(2019) BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTH IN THE TROPICS — Location: Brussels (6.December.2019)
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- Authors
Rousseau, Raphaël 
- et. al.
- Abstract
- Ticks constitute a threat for human and animal health, as they are vectors of various pathogens. Forests are considered the primary habitat for ticks because they provide favorable micro-conditions. As such, forests are often considered as a homogenous land cover harboring high tick populations. However, little is known about the heterogeneity in tick abundance within a forest, especially in areas where human exposure is high. In this study, we collected ticks in seven sites in the Bois de Lauzelle, a peri-urban forest in Louvain-la-Neuve. We selected sites to represent the diversity of the forest in terms of both human exposure and site characteristics, e.g. slopes, type of soil, distance to the forest edge, ground vegetation cover. These sites were sampled every two weeks during the seasonal period of tick activity, i.e. from March to November 2016. 959 nymphal and adult ticks were collected, stored, identified and screened for the presence of three zoonotic pathogenic agents: Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, which are the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis, Q-fever and tularemia respectively. Tick abundance was temporally and spatially variable, with only the most typical site being consistently higher than the other sites. Mean abundance was lower in sites assumed to have a higher human exposure. Fine-scale predictors affected tick abundance but no clear association with pathogen presence was identified. Our results question the assumption that forest can be assumed to be a homogenously suitable tick habitat, and underline the necessity to account for micro-environmental conditions and human exposure.
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Citations
Kabamba, B., Wolter, E., Vanwambeke, S., Rousseau, R., Lori, M., & et al. (2019). Heterogeneity in tick abundance and pathogen presence in a peri-urban forest. BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTH IN THE TROPICS, Brussels. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/228300