Abiotic and habitat drivers of tick vector abundance, diversity, phenology and human encounter risk in southern California.

ABSTRACT: The distribution, abundance and seasonal activity of vector species, such as ticks and mosquitoes, are key determinants of vector-borne disease risk, and are strongly influenced by abiotic and habitat conditions. Despite the numerous species of tick vectors in the heavily populated North American West Coast, all but Ixodes pacificus, the primary vector of the Lyme disease spirochete, is poorly characterized with regard to seasonal activity patterns and fine scale drivers of distribution and abundance, particularly in heavily populated regions of southern California. This lack of knowledge inhibits both scientific understanding and public health efforts to minimize vector exposure and risk of pathogen transmission to humans. Here we address this gap by characterizing the abiotic and habitat

SUBMITTER: MacDonald AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6067749 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature