Assessing zoonotic risk in a fenced natural park in northwestern Italy: integrating camera traps for a vector-host approach to investigate tick-borne pathogens.

ABSTRACT: Tick-borne diseases are among the major widespread emerging zoonotic diseases, and their circulation in the environment is influenced by a broad range of abiotic and biotic factors, including the abundance of vectors and vertebrate hosts. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens and the impact of wildlife head count on their circulation in a lowland natural area in northwestern Italy. We collected ticks and camera trap pictures from 14 sampling points every 2 weeks for 1 year and identified pathogens through molecular analyses: Babesia capreoli, B. microti-like, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), Rickettsia of the spotted fever group (SFG), Theileria capreoli, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We modeled the presence of

SUBMITTER: Vada R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11911494 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature