Sammanfattning

Environmental and climatic changes in northern Europe have shaped a geographical area in which new tick species may become established and introduce new tick-borne pathogens. In recent decades, ticks have expanded their latitudinal and altitudinal range limits in northern Sweden. In this study, ticks were collected in 2018 and 2019 in northern Sweden from different hosts, mainly from dogs, cats and humans. The ticks in 2018 (n = 2141, collected from 65 municipalities in 11 provinces) were identified as Ixodes ricinus (n = 2108, 98.5%), Ixodes persulcatus (n = 18, 0.8%), Ixodes trianguliceps (n = 14, 0.7%) and Hyalomma marginatum (n = 1, 0.05%). The ticks collected in 2019 (n = 519, across a smaller area than in 2018, i.e. Sweden's four northernmost provinces) were identified as I. ricinus (n = 242, 46.6%) and I. persulcatus (n = 277, 53.4%). Among those collected in 2019, the majority of I. ricinus (n = 111, 45.9%) were submitted from the province of Va & BULL;sterbotten, while most I. persulcatus (n = 259, 93.5%) were collected in the province of Norrbotten. This study provides updated figures on the geographical distribution of two Ixodes species in northern Sweden. The results confirmed I. ricinus to be the dominant species and that I. persulcatus has enlarged its distributional area compared with previous reports. Updated knowledge of tick distribution is fundamental for the creation of risk maps and will allow relevant advice to be provided to the general public, suggesting measures to prevent tick bites and consequently tickborne diseases.

Nyckelord

Tick; Northern Sweden; Ixodes ricinus; Ixodes persulcatus; Citizen science

Publicerad i

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
2023, Volym: 14, nummer: 6, artikelnummer: 102244
Utgivare: ELSEVIER GMBH

SLU författare

• Albihn, Ann

  • Institutionen för husdjurens biovetenskaper, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    
  • Sveriges Veterinärmedicinska Anstalt (SVA)

• Choklikitumnuey , Phimphanit

  • Institutionen för husdjurens biovetenskaper, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Grandi, Giulio

  • Institutionen för husdjurens biovetenskaper, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    
  • National Veterinary Institute SVA

UKÄ forskningsämne

Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi
Miljövetenskap
Ekologi


Publikationens identifierare

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102244

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/126366