Importance of Considering Seasonality in Tick Activity When Assessing Spatial Expansion Potential: A Case Study on <i>Haemaphysalis longicornis</i>.

ABSTRACT: Haemaphysalis longicornis, a tick vector of the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, has long been established in parts of East Asia and Oceania but is now rapidly expanding in the eastern US, raising significant concerns about its further domestic and international spread. In this study, we mapped the spatial expansion risk of H. longicornis in North America and Europe by training a habitat suitability model with its occurrence data from East Asia and Oceania. Our model incorporated ecologically relevant predictors for tick survival, which have been neglected in previous habitat suitability modeling for this species. Specifically, we employed temperature, relative humidity, saturation deficit, precipitation, and vegetation level as predictors, with the f

SUBMITTER: Kim Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12015634 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature