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Springer A, Lindau A, Fachet-Lehmann K, Kämmer D, Bulling I, Knoll S, Król N, Fischer D, Fischer L, Drehmann M, Chitimia-Dobler L, Noll M, Rose Vineer H, Kahl O, Pfeffer M, Strube C, Mackenstedt U. Tick hazard in a Central European country: Mapping Europe's principal tick-borne disease vector across Germany. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2025; 16:102485. [PMID: 40381598 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2025] [Revised: 03/27/2025] [Accepted: 04/15/2025] [Indexed: 05/20/2025]
Abstract
The most common European tick species, Ixodes ricinus, is the principal vector of Borrelia and tick-borne encephalitis virus and several other pathogens of public health relevance in Europe. Comprehensive data on tick abundance and the underlying ecological drivers are crucial for developing awareness and control strategies and to assess future changes in tick-borne disease risk. We aimed to provide a Germany-wide map of I. ricinus abundance to aid in disease transmission risk assessment. During 2018-2020, questing tick density was assessed at 83 sites across the whole country by drag flagging, whereby 49,344 I. ricinus nymphs and adults were collected. Relationships between climate, land cover, and monthly questing I. ricinus nymph density were explored and used to draw an abundance map. Highest tick hazard was observed in areas near the coast with mild winters and moist springs, and in mid-elevation mountain ranges, which represent popular tourist destinations. The ticks' seasonal activity pattern was predominantly unimodal. The fact that the observed regional differences are contradictory to a previous estimation based on a combination of regional studies illustrates the need for an extensive and coordinated sampling effort to reliably estimate tick abundance at larger spatial scales. Combined with data on tick-borne pathogens, our study enables estimating the density of infected ticks and consequently the risk of acquiring an infectious tick bite. Moreover, the observed relationships with climate and land cover can help to predict future developments of tick hazard under different climate scenarios in Central Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Springer
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, Germany.
| | - Alexander Lindau
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Emil‑Wolff‑Strasse 34, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - Katrin Fachet-Lehmann
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Emil‑Wolff‑Strasse 34, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - Daniel Kämmer
- tick-radar GmbH, Jagowstrasse 4, 10555 Berlin, Germany.
| | | | - Steffen Knoll
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, Germany.
| | - Nina Król
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Dominik Fischer
- Raptor Center and Wildlife Park Hellenthal, Wildfreigehege 1, 53940 Hellenthal, Germany; Working Group Wildlife Research and Wildlife Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 108, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
| | - Luisa Fischer
- Working Group Wildlife Research and Wildlife Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 108, 35392 Giessen, Germany; Wildlife Research Institute, State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection North Rhine-Westphalia, Pützchens Chaussee 228, 53229 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Marco Drehmann
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Emil‑Wolff‑Strasse 34, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
| | | | - Madeleine Noll
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool CH64 7TE, UK.
| | - Hannah Rose Vineer
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool CH64 7TE, UK.
| | - Olaf Kahl
- tick-radar GmbH, Jagowstrasse 4, 10555 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Martin Pfeffer
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Christina Strube
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, Germany.
| | - Ute Mackenstedt
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Emil‑Wolff‑Strasse 34, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
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Batista ML, Carvalho B, Gibb R, Solaraju-Murali B, Flasche S, Castell S, Ghozzi S, Lowe R. Modelling the impact of climate and the environment on the spatiotemporal dynamics of Lyme borreliosis in Germany. EBioMedicine 2025; 115:105701. [PMID: 40300325 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2025.105701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2024] [Revised: 03/12/2025] [Accepted: 04/01/2025] [Indexed: 05/01/2025] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a predominant vector-borne disease in Europe, with Germany reporting endemic circulation for at least the past two decades. Climatic and environmental conditions are key drivers of tick activity, and human exposure to tick bites. Understanding the climatic and environmental factors driving LB dynamics can help devise decision-support tools to guide interventions and adaptation strategies. METHODS Using a Bayesian modelling framework, we assessed the delayed and nonlinear associations between climate variation and land use change and monthly LB case counts from the German national notification system at a district level from 2009 to 2022. We evaluated the predictive performance of our model and then predicted risk trends in states without mandatory notification. We then used the fitted risk function for maximum temperature to assess long-term trends in relative risk since the 1950s. FINDINGS Our analyses revealed that climate and environmental factors are positively associated with LB cases reported to the national notification system. Maximum temperature between 10.5 °C and 26.3 °C two to four months prior, relative humidity levels exceeding 78.8% six months prior, and exceptionally wet conditions accumulated over three months, lagged by one month, were associated with an increased risk of LB. The effect of relative humidity was only relevant in areas suitable for deer population, potentially linked to tick survival. Predictions from our model identified significant increasing trends in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, and Lower Saxony, three states without mandatory case notification. We also observed an increasing trend in maximum-temperature related LB relative risk in all Federal States, with the largest percentage change in the period 2013-2022 in northern districts, compared to 1951-1970. INTERPRETATION Our study underscores the role of climatic variables as potential drivers of LB risk in Germany. We identified optimal conditions that may be related to human exposure and tick survival and detected long-term upward trends nationwide, including in areas without mandatory notification. This decision-support modelling framework emphasises the added value of expanding LB surveillance in Germany and across Europe to address the emerging risk of tick-borne infectious diseases. FUNDING Helmholtz Association, Helmholtz Climate Initiative, Wellcome Trust, Royal Society, and Horizon Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martín Lotto Batista
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain; Department for Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Brunswick, Germany.
| | | | - Rory Gibb
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Stefan Flasche
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Centre for Global Health, Charite, Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Castell
- Department for Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Stéphane Ghozzi
- Department for Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Rachel Lowe
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain; Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
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4
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van Daalen KR, Tonne C, Semenza JC, Rocklöv J, Markandya A, Dasandi N, Jankin S, Achebak H, Ballester J, Bechara H, Beck TM, Callaghan MW, Carvalho BM, Chambers J, Pradas MC, Courtenay O, Dasgupta S, Eckelman MJ, Farooq Z, Fransson P, Gallo E, Gasparyan O, Gonzalez-Reviriego N, Hamilton I, Hänninen R, Hatfield C, He K, Kazmierczak A, Kendrovski V, Kennard H, Kiesewetter G, Kouznetsov R, Kriit HK, Llabrés-Brustenga A, Lloyd SJ, Batista ML, Maia C, Martinez-Urtaza J, Mi Z, Milà C, Minx JC, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Palamarchuk J, Pantera DK, Quijal-Zamorano M, Rafaj P, Robinson EJZ, Sánchez-Valdivia N, Scamman D, Schmoll O, Sewe MO, Sherman JD, Singh P, Sirotkina E, Sjödin H, Sofiev M, Solaraju-Murali B, Springmann M, Treskova M, Triñanes J, Vanuytrecht E, Wagner F, Walawender M, Warnecke L, Zhang R, Romanello M, Antó JM, Nilsson M, Lowe R. The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: unprecedented warming demands unprecedented action. Lancet Public Health 2024; 9:e495-e522. [PMID: 38749451 PMCID: PMC11209670 DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(24)00055-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Kim R van Daalen
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain; British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Cathryn Tonne
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jan C Semenza
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Joacim Rocklöv
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Interdisciplinary Center of Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Niheer Dasandi
- School of Government, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Slava Jankin
- School of Government, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Hicham Achebak
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm), Paris, France
| | - Joan Ballester
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Thessa M Beck
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Max W Callaghan
- Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Jonathan Chambers
- Energy Efficiency Group, Institute for Environmental Sciences (ISE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marta Cirah Pradas
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Orin Courtenay
- The Zeeman Institute and School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Shouro Dasgupta
- Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), Venice, Italy; Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Sciences, London, UK
| | - Matthew J Eckelman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zia Farooq
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Peter Fransson
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Interdisciplinary Center of Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elisa Gallo
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Olga Gasparyan
- Department of Political Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Nube Gonzalez-Reviriego
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain; European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF), Bonn, Germany
| | - Ian Hamilton
- Energy Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Risto Hänninen
- Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Charles Hatfield
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kehan He
- The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Vladimir Kendrovski
- European Centre for Environment and Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Bonn, Germany
| | - Harry Kennard
- Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gregor Kiesewetter
- Pollution Management Research Group, Energy, Climate, and Environment Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria
| | | | - Hedi Katre Kriit
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Interdisciplinary Center of Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Simon J Lloyd
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Martín Lotto Batista
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain; Medical School of Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Carla Maia
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health (LA-REAL), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jaime Martinez-Urtaza
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Zhifu Mi
- The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, London, UK
| | - Carles Milà
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jan C Minx
- Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Mark Nieuwenhuijsen
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Marcos Quijal-Zamorano
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Peter Rafaj
- Pollution Management Research Group, Energy, Climate, and Environment Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Elizabeth J Z Robinson
- Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Sciences, London, UK
| | | | - Daniel Scamman
- Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver Schmoll
- European Centre for Environment and Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Jodi D Sherman
- Yale University School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Pratik Singh
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elena Sirotkina
- Department of Political Science, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Henrik Sjödin
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Mikhail Sofiev
- Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Marco Springmann
- Centre for Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), London, UK; Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marina Treskova
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Interdisciplinary Center of Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Joaquin Triñanes
- Department of Electronics and Computer Science, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain
| | | | - Fabian Wagner
- The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, London, UK
| | - Maria Walawender
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Ran Zhang
- University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marina Romanello
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Josep M Antó
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Nilsson
- Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Rachel Lowe
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain; Centre for Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), London, UK; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
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