Human - environment interactions and the epidemiological periurban landscape of tick - borne diseases

At Södertörn university we have ongoing research focusing on ticks and tick-borne diseases. The main objective of our research is to assess and mitigate increasing public health risks from endemic diseases like Lyme borreliosis, TBE and anaplasmosis, but also from emerging disease like, babesiosis, neoerlichiosis, and Spiroplasma infections. Emerging pathogens colonize new geographical regions through ticks being moved around by their hosts. The common tick Ixodes ricinus is a generalist species feeding on reptiles, small mammals, large mammals, bats, and birds. Birds and bats are transporting ticks over very large distances, other host species are good at harboring pathogens and can act as reservoir species. Several other tick species are currently increasing their distributions in northern Europe. These new tick species also risk bringing new tick-borne pathogens to our neighborhoods. Therefore, to understand the future risk from ticks and tick-borne disease it is crucial to study and monitor the development of ticks and tick-borne diseases in the whole Baltic Sea area.

In our research we study how public health risk is affected by ticks, pathogens, and human attitudes, knowledge, and behavior. Our studies have been performed in Sweden, Estonia and Latvia. We have also carried out research at Åland in collaboration with staff at the hospital in Mariehamn. At Åland we have established an international collaboration for investigations of ticks and pathogens. Ourt research is now continuing in the new research project named “Tick-borne diseases and public health”

Publications

• Ticks - public health risks in urban green spacesExternal link
• Factors responsible for Ixodes ricinus presence and abundance across a natural-urban gradientExternal link
• Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis in Southern Sweden: Associations with coniferous forest, water bodies and landscape heterogeneityExternal link