Dataset Information

Could climate trends disrupt the contact rates between Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae) and the reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.?

ABSTRACT: This study addresses the modifications that future climate conditions could impose on the transmission cycles of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. by the tick Ixodes ricinus in Europe. Tracking the distribution of foci of a zoonotic agent transmitted by vectors as climate change shapes its spatial niche is necessary to issue self-protection measures for the human population. We modeled the current distribution of the tick and its predicted contact rates with 18 species of vertebrates known to act as reservoirs of the pathogen. We approached an innovative way for estimating the possibility of permanent foci of Borrelia afzelii or Borrelia garinii tracking separately the expected spatial overlap among ticks and reservoirs for these pathogens in Europe. Environmental traits were obtained from MODIS satellite images for the years 2002-2017 (baseline) and projected on scenarios for the years 2030 and 2050. The ratio between MODIS baseline/current interpolated climatologies (WorldClim), and the ratio between MODIS-projected year 2050 with five climate change scenarios for that year (WorldClim) revealed no significant differences, meaning that projections from MODIS are reliable. Models predict that contact rates between the tick and reservoirs of either B. garinii or B. afzelii are spatially different because those have different habitats overlap. This is expected to promote different distribution patterns because of the different responses of both groups of reservoirs to environmental variables. Models for 2030 predict an increase in latitude, mainly in the circulation of B. garinii, with large areas of expected permanent contact between vector and reservoirs in Nordic countries and central Europe. However, climate projections for the year 2050 predict an unexpected scenario of contact disruption. Though large areas in Europe would be suitable for circulation of the pathogens, the predicted lack of niche overlap among ticks and reservoirs could promote a decrease in permanent foci. This development represents a proof-of-concept for the power of jointly modeling both the vector and reservoirs in a common framework. A deeper understanding of the unanticipated result regarding the year 2050 is needed.

SUBMITTER: Fernandez-Ruiz N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7259620 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Could climate trends disrupt the contact rates between Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae) and the reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.?

Fernández-Ruiz Natalia N Estrada-Peña Agustin A

PloS one 20200529 5

This study addresses the modifications that future climate conditions could impose on the transmission cycles of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. by the tick Ixodes ricinus in Europe. Tracking the distribution of foci of a zoonotic agent transmitted by vectors as climate change shapes its spatial niche is necessary to issue self-protection measures for the human population. We modeled the current distribution of the tick and its predicted contact rates with 18 species of vertebrates known to act as res ...[more]

PMID: 32470102

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundThe tick Ixodes ricinus has considerable impact on the health of humans and other terrestrial animals because it transmits several tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) such as B. burgdorferi (sensu lato), which causes Lyme borreliosis (LB). Small forest patches of agricultural landscapes provide many ecosystem services and also the disservice of LB risk. Biotic interactions and environmental filtering shape tick host communities distinctively between specific regions of Europe, which makes evaluating the dilution effect hypothesis and its influence across various scales challenging. Latitude, macroclimate, landscape and habitat properties drive both hosts and ticks and are comparable metrics across Europe. Therefore, we instead assess these environmental drivers as indicators and determine their respective roles for the prevalence of B. burgdorferi in I. ricinus.MethodsWe sampled I. ricinus and measured environmental properties of macroclimate, landscape and habitat quality of forest patches in agricultural landscapes along a European macroclimatic gradient. We used linear mixed models to determine significant drivers and their relative importance for nymphal and adult B. burgdorferi prevalence. We suggest a new prevalence index, which is pool-size independent.ResultsDuring summer months, our prevalence index varied between 0 and 0.4 per forest patch, indicating a low to moderate disservice. Habitat properties exerted a fourfold larger influence on B. burgdorferi prevalence than macroclimate and landscape properties combined. Increasingly available ecotone habitat of focal forest patches diluted and edge density at landscape scale amplified B. burgdorferi prevalence. Indicators of habitat attractiveness for tick hosts (food resources and shelter) were the most important predictors within habitat patches. More diverse and abundant macro- and microhabitat had a diluting effect, as it presumably diversifies the niches for tick-hosts and decreases the probability of contact between ticks and their hosts and hence the transmission likelihood.ConclusionsDiluting effects of more diverse habitat patches would pose another reason to maintain or restore high biodiversity in forest patches of rural landscapes. We suggest classifying habitat patches by their regulating services as dilution and amplification habitat, which predominantly either decrease or increase B. burgdorferi prevalence at local and landscape scale and hence LB risk. Particular emphasis on promoting LB-diluting properties should be put on the management of those habitats that are frequently used by humans. In the light of these findings, climate change may be of little concern for LB risk at local scales, but this should be evaluated further.

Project description:Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been demonstrated to be useful for tick identification at the species level. More recently, this tool has been successfully applied for the detection of bacterial pathogens directly in tick vectors. The present work has assessed the detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus tick vector by MALDI-TOF MS. To this aim, experimental infection model of I. ricinus ticks by B. afzelii was carried out and specimens collected in the field were also included in the study. Borrelia infectious status of I. ricinus ticks was molecularly controlled using half-idiosome to classify specimens. Among the 39 ticks engorged on infected mice, 14 were confirmed to be infected by B. afzelii. For field collection, 14.8% (n = 12/81) I. ricinus ticks were validated molecularly as infected by B. burgdorferi sl. To determine the body part allowing the detection of MS protein profile changes between non-infected and B. afzelii infected specimens, ticks were dissected in three compartments (i.e. 4 legs, capitulum and half-idiosome) prior to MS analysis. Highly reproducible MS spectra were obtained for I. ricinus ticks according to the compartment tested and their infectious status. However, no MS profile change was found when paired body part comparison between non-infected and B. afzelii infected specimens was made. Statistical analyses did not succeed to discover, per body part, specific MS peaks distinguishing Borrelia-infected from non-infected ticks whatever their origins, laboratory reared or field collected. Despite the unsuccessful of MALDI-TOF MS to classify tick specimens according to their B. afzelii infectious status, this proteomic tool remains a promising method for rapid, economic and accurate identification of tick species. Moreover, the singularity of MS spectra between legs and half-idiosome of I. ricinus could be used to reinforce this proteomic identification by submission of both these compartments to MS.

Dataset Information

Could climate trends disrupt the contact rates between Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae) and the reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.?

Publications

Could climate trends disrupt the contact rates between Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae) and the reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.?

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets