PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The environmental risk of Lyme disease, defined by the density of Ixodes scapularis ticks and their prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection, is increasing across the Ottawa, Ontario region, making this a unique location to explore the factors associated with environmental risk along a residential-woodland gradient. In this study, we collected I. scapularis ticks and trapped Peromyscus spp. mice, tested both for tick-borne pathogens, and monitored the intensity of foraging activity by deer in residential, woodland, and residential-woodland interface zones of four neighbourhoods. We constructed mixed-effect models to test for site-specific characteristics associated with densities of questing nymphal and adult ticks and the infection prevalence of nymphal and adult ticks. Compared to residential zones, we found a strong increasing gradient in tick density from interface to woodland zones, with 4 and 15 times as many nymphal ticks, respectively. Infection prevalence of nymphs and adults together was 15 to 24 times greater in non-residential zone habitats. Ecological site characteristics, including soil moisture, leaf litter depth, and understory density, were associated with variations in nymphal density and their infection prevalence. Our results suggest that high environmental risk bordering residential areas poses a concern for human-tick encounters, highlighting the need for targeted disease prevention.
摘要：
莱姆病的环境风险，由肩cap虫的密度及其伯氏疏螺旋体感染的患病率定义，在渥太华增加，安大略省,使其成为一个独特的位置，以探索与住宅林地梯度相关的环境风险因素。在这项研究中,我们收集了I.肩胛骨蜱和捕获的Peromyscusspp。老鼠,测试了蜱传病原体，并监测了鹿在住宅中觅食活动的强度，林地,和四个街区的住宅-林地接口区。我们构建了混合效应模型，以测试与询问若虫和成年蜱的密度以及若虫和成年蜱的感染率相关的特定部位特征。与住宅区相比，我们发现从界面到林地的蜱密度有很强的梯度增加，有4倍和15倍的若虫蜱，分别。在非居住区栖息地，若虫和成虫的感染率高15至24倍。生态场地特点,包括土壤湿度，落叶深度,和林下密度，与若虫密度及其感染率的变化有关。我们的结果表明，与住宅区接壤的高环境风险会引起人类与蜱虫相遇的关注，强调有针对性的疾病预防的必要性。
