The wood tick Ixodes ricinus, one of the most common arthropod-borne disease vectors, is of increasing relevance for human and animal health in Europe. The aim of this study was to determine the relative contribution of several abiotic and biotic factors potentially affecting questing activity and local abundance of I. ricinus in Italy, considering the scale at which these factors interact with the host-seeking ticks. Within EDEN, a large-scale EU collaborative project on eco-epidemiology of vector-borne diseases, we collected questing ticks for three consecutive years using a standard protocol at eleven sites in the Italian Alps and Apennines. A total of 25 447 I. ricinus were collected. All sites showed the same annual pattern of tick activity (bimodal for nymphs and unimodal for larvae and adults), although the abundance of nymphs was statistically different between sites and years. A Generalized Linear Mixed Model and a Linear Mixed Model fitted to data for nymphs, showed that while the principal variables affecting the local abundance of questing ticks were saturation deficit (an index combining temperature and relative humidity) and red deer density, the most important variable affecting questing nymph activity was saturation deficit. As for the timing of seasonal emergence, we confirmed that the threshold temperature at this latitude for larvae is 10°C (mean maximum) while that for nymphs is 8° C.

Tagliapietra, V.; Rosa', R.; Arnoldi, D.; Cagnacci, F.; Capelli, G.; Montarsi, F.; Hauffe, H.C.; Rizzoli, A. (2011). Saturation deficit and deer density affect questing activity and local abundance of Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae) in Italy. VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY, 183 (1-2): 114-124. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.07.022 handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/20696

Saturation deficit and deer density affect questing activity and local abundance of Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae) in Italy

Tagliapietra, Valentina;Rosa', Roberto;Arnoldi, Daniele;Cagnacci, Francesca;Hauffe, Heidi Christine;Rizzoli, Annapaola
2011-01-01

Abstract

The wood tick Ixodes ricinus, one of the most common arthropod-borne disease vectors, is of increasing relevance for human and animal health in Europe. The aim of this study was to determine the relative contribution of several abiotic and biotic factors potentially affecting questing activity and local abundance of I. ricinus in Italy, considering the scale at which these factors interact with the host-seeking ticks. Within EDEN, a large-scale EU collaborative project on eco-epidemiology of vector-borne diseases, we collected questing ticks for three consecutive years using a standard protocol at eleven sites in the Italian Alps and Apennines. A total of 25 447 I. ricinus were collected. All sites showed the same annual pattern of tick activity (bimodal for nymphs and unimodal for larvae and adults), although the abundance of nymphs was statistically different between sites and years. A Generalized Linear Mixed Model and a Linear Mixed Model fitted to data for nymphs, showed that while the principal variables affecting the local abundance of questing ticks were saturation deficit (an index combining temperature and relative humidity) and red deer density, the most important variable affecting questing nymph activity was saturation deficit. As for the timing of seasonal emergence, we confirmed that the threshold temperature at this latitude for larvae is 10°C (mean maximum) while that for nymphs is 8° C.
Ixodes ricinus
Cervus elaphus
Saturation deficit
Seasonal questing activity
Climate
Linear model
Settore VET/06 - PARASSITOLOGIA E MALATTIE PARASSITARIE DEGLI ANIMALI
2011
Tagliapietra, V.; Rosa', R.; Arnoldi, D.; Cagnacci, F.; Capelli, G.; Montarsi, F.; Hauffe, H.C.; Rizzoli, A. (2011). Saturation deficit and deer density affect questing activity and local abundance of Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae) in Italy. VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY, 183 (1-2): 114-124. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.07.022 handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/20696
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
2011 VP Tagliapietra et al.pdf

solo utenti autorizzati

Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 1.22 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.22 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10449/20696
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 86
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 82
social impact