Title |
Adverse moisture events predict seasonal abundance of Lyme disease vector ticks (Ixodes scapularis)
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Published in |
Parasites & Vectors, April 2014
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DOI | 10.1186/1756-3305-7-181 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Kathryn A Berger, Howard S Ginsberg, Katherine D Dugas, Lutz H Hamel, Thomas N Mather |
Abstract |
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in north temperate regions worldwide, affecting an estimated 300,000 people annually in the United States alone. The incidence of LB is correlated with human exposure to its vector, the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis). To date, attempts to model tick encounter risk based on environmental parameters have been equivocal. Previous studies have not considered (1) the differences between relative humidity (RH) in leaf litter and at weather stations, (2) the RH threshold that affects nymphal blacklegged tick survival, and (3) the time required below the threshold to induce mortality. We clarify the association between environmental moisture and tick survival by presenting a significant relationship between the total number of tick adverse moisture events (TAMEs - calculated as microclimatic periods below a RH threshold) and tick abundance each year. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 2 | 50% |
Unknown | 2 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 3 | 75% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 25% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United Kingdom | 1 | 1% |
Colombia | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 93 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 16 | 17% |
Student > Master | 15 | 16% |
Researcher | 13 | 14% |
Student > Bachelor | 13 | 14% |
Professor | 6 | 6% |
Other | 13 | 14% |
Unknown | 19 | 20% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 34 | 36% |
Environmental Science | 10 | 11% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 6 | 6% |
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 4 | 4% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 3% |
Other | 12 | 13% |
Unknown | 26 | 27% |