A1 Journal article (refereed)
Monitoring of ticks and tick-borne pathogens through a nationwide research station network in Finland (2020)
Sormunen, J. J., Andersson, T., Aspi, J., Bäck, J., Cederberg, T., Haavisto, N., Halonen, H., Hänninen, J., Inkinen, J., Kulha, N., Laaksonen, M., Loehr, J., Mäkelä, S., Mäkinen, K., Norkko, J., Paavola, R., Pajala, P., Petäjä, T., Puisto, A., . . . Klemola, T. (2020). Monitoring of ticks and tick-borne pathogens through a nationwide research station network in Finland. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 11(5), Article 101449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101449
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Sormunen, Jani J.; Andersson, Tommi; Aspi, Jouni; Bäck, Jaana; Cederberg, Tony; Haavisto, Noora; Halonen, Hanna; Hänninen, Jari; Inkinen, Jasmin; Kulha, Niko; et al.
Journal or series: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
ISSN: 1877-959X
eISSN: 1877-9603
Publication year: 2020
Volume: 11
Issue number: 5
Article number: 101449
Publisher: Elsevier
Publication country: Germany
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101449
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel
Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/69155
Abstract
Ticks were collected by cloth dragging from 11 research stations across Finland in May-September 2015-2018 (2012-2018 in Seili). Collected ticks were screened for twelve different pathogens by qPCR: Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia valaisiana, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia miyamotoi, Babesia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Francisella tularensis, Bartonella spp. and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV).
Altogether 15 067 Ixodes ricinus and 46 Ixodes persulcatus were collected during 68 km of dragging. Field collections revealed different seasonal activity patterns for the two species. The activity of I. persulcatus adults (only one nymph detected) was unimodal, with activity only in May-July, whereas Ixodes ricinus was active from May to September, with activity peaks in September (nymphs) or July-August (adults). Overall, tick densities were higher during the latter years of the study. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato were the most common pathogens detected, with 48.9 ± 8.4 % (95% Cl) of adults and 25.3 ± 4.4 % of nymphs carrying the bacteria. No samples positive for F. tularensis, Bartonella or TBEV were detected.
This collaboration project involving the extensive Finnish Research Station network has ensured enduring and spatially extensive, long-term tick data collection to the foreseeable future.
Keywords: mites; Ixodidae; pathogens; bacteria; Borrelia; Bartonella bacteria; Apicomplexa; viruses; distribution; monitoring; longitudinal research
Free keywords: ticks; tick-borne pathogens; monitoring; longitudinal study; nationwide
Contributing organizations
Ministry reporting: Yes
Reporting Year: 2020
JUFO rating: 1