Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
203,234 studies31 sourcesUpdated 31 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BYParasites & Vectors

Asynchronous local differences in Lyme disease environmental hazard driven by variation in tick abundance and Borrelia burgdorferi infection prevalence

  • Jessica L. Hall1
  • Agata Delnicka2
  • Kevin J. Bown1
  • Richard J. Birtles1
  1. 1Human and Natural Sciences, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford
  2. 2Disease Control, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan
Read full textDOICite

Abstract

Background The tick-borne disease Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a clear and increasing public health threat across the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, including the United Kingdom. The epidemiology of LB is shaped by the environmental hazard posed by its causative agent Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, which is frequently quantified in terms of the density of infected nymphal ticks (DIN). Methods We report quantification of the dynamics of DIN at three sites in close proximity to one another in Cumbria, a region of the UK where LB is frequently reported, through monthly surveys of questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs over a 33-month period. Results Despite the proximity of study sites, we observed significant spatial variation in DIN between them. We also observed significant temporal variation in DIN at all three sites, but this variation was asynchronous. Changes in both tick abundance and B. burgdorferi infection prevalence underlay this variation. Conclusions These observations suggest very local key ecological determinants of DIN and that meaningful estimation/prediction of LB risk on a national or regional scale is extremely challenging. Graphical Abstract

Related

  1. Broad scale environmental conditions, not urbanisation, explain geographic variation in great tit feather microstructure
    D. Lopez-Idiaquez, H. Watson, J. Perez-Tris +2
    bioRxivPreprintCC BYFull textEcologybioRxiv
  2. Standing genetic variation drives polygenic adaptation to different environmental shifts
    Y. Zhang, M. G. Stetter
    bioRxivPreprintCC BY-NCFull textEvolutionary biologybioRxiv
  3. Differences in rumen microbiome protein metabolism are associated with individual variation in rumen bloating on high-concentrate diets.
    Jinju Mao, Chunzheng Zhang, Lizhi Wang +5
    Animal microbiomePeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textPlant biologyEurope PMCDOAJ
  4. Interspecific differences in second-site modifiers reshape dominance in a Mendelian trait by altering environmental plasticity
    Y. Fukutomi, A. Phillips-Garcia, J. Zhang +1
    bioRxivPreprintCC BY-NC-NDFull textEvolutionary biologybioRxiv
  5. Environmental and host-associated determinants of microbiome variation in the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus linnaei in Thailand
    Artharee Rungrojn, Kittipong Chaisiri, Janjira Thaipadungpanit +6
    Parasites & VectorsPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textMicrobiologyPMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{hall2026asynchronous,
  title = {{Asynchronous local differences in Lyme disease environmental hazard driven by variation in tick abundance and Borrelia burgdorferi infection prevalence}},
  author = {Jessica L. Hall and Agata Delnicka and Kevin J. Bown and Richard J. Birtles},
  journal = {Parasites \& Vectors},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1186/s13071-026-07509-8},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-026-07509-8},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Asynchronous local differences in Lyme disease environmental hazard driven by variation in tick abundance and Borrelia burgdorferi infection prevalence
AU  - Jessica L. Hall
AU  - Agata Delnicka
AU  - Kevin J. Bown
AU  - Richard J. Birtles
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/01
JO  - Parasites & Vectors
DO  - 10.1186/s13071-026-07509-8
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-026-07509-8
AB  - Background The tick-borne disease Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a clear and increasing public health threat across the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, including the United Kingdom. The epidemiology of LB is shaped by the environmental hazard posed by its causative agent Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, which is frequently quantified in terms of the density of infected nymphal ticks (DIN). Methods We report quantification of the dynamics of DIN at three sites in close proximity to one another in Cumbria, a region of the UK where LB is frequently reported, through monthly surveys of questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs over a 33-month period. Results Despite the proximity of study sites, we observed significant spatial variation in DIN between them. We also observed significant temporal variation in DIN at all three sites, but this variation was asynchronous. Changes in both tick abundance and B. burgdorferi infection prevalence underlay this variation. Conclusions These observations suggest very local key ecological determinants of DIN and that meaningful estimation/prediction of LB risk on a national or regional scale is extremely challenging. Graphical Abstract
SN  - 1756-3305
ER  -