No net effect of host density on tick-borne disease hazard due to opposing roles of vector amplification and pathogen dilution.

ABSTRACT: To better understand vector-borne disease dynamics, knowledge of the ecological interactions between animal hosts, vectors, and pathogens is needed. The effects of hosts on disease hazard depends on their role in driving vector abundance and their ability to transmit pathogens. Theoretically, a host that cannot transmit a pathogen could dilute pathogen prevalence but increase disease hazard if it increases vector population size. In the case of Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and vectored by Ixodid ticks, deer may have dual opposing effects on vectors and pathogen: deer drive tick population densities but do not transmit B. burgdorferi s.l. and could thus decrease or increase disease hazard. We aimed to test for the role of deer in shaping Lyme disease hazar

SUBMITTER: Gandy S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9448966 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature