Lyme borreliosis incidence in relation to mammalian abundance, climate, and landscape characteristics in a boreal area.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The circulation of tick-borne pathogens is influenced by the availability of ticks, the hosts of ticks and pathogens, and the environmental conditions that affect both the ticks and their hosts. Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks, is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. Understanding the spatio-temporal dynamics of human LB incidence regarding abundance of ticks and hosts and environmental factors is essential for effective disease risk management.

Methods

We analyzed long-term (1997-2018) and spatially extensive (277 municipalities covering 230,000 km²) data on human LB incidence in Finland. Using dynamic species distribution models, we assessed the effects of

SUBMITTER: Aminikhah M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12784504 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature