Deer presence rather than abundance determines the population density of the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus, in Dutch forests.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Understanding which factors drive population densities of disease vectors is an important step in assessing disease risk. We tested the hypothesis that the density of ticks from the Ixodes ricinus complex, which are important vectors for tick-borne diseases, is determined by the density of deer, as adults of these ticks mainly feed on deer.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study to investigate I. ricinus density across 20 forest plots in the Netherlands that ranged widely in deer availability to ticks, and performed a deer-exclosure experiment in four pairs of 1 ha forest plots in a separate site.

Results

Ixodes ricinus from all stages were more abundant in plots with deer (n = 17) than in plots without deer (n = 3). Where deer were present, the densi

SUBMITTER: Hofmeester TR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5606071 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature