There Goes the Neighbourhood : A Multi‐City Study Reveals Ticks and Tick‐Borne Pathogens Commonly Occupy Urban Green Spaces
Publiceringsår
2025
Upphovspersoner
Sormunen, Jani J.; Kylänpää, Satu; Sippola, Ella; Elo, Riikka; Kiran, Nosheen; Pakanen, Veli-Matti; Kallio, Eva R.; Vesterinen, Eero J.; Klemola, Tero
Abstrakt
Introduction Humans acquire tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) from infected ticks contacted during outdoor activities. Outdoor activity is at its highest in urban green spaces, where the presence of tick populations has increasingly been observed. Consequently, more insight into factors influencing the presence of ticks therein is needed. Here, we assess the occurrence of ticks and several TBPs in urban green spaces in Finland, estimate related human hazard and assess how landscape features influence tick and TBP occurrence therein. Methods Ticks collected from five cities during 2019–2020 were utilised. Borrelia, Rickettsia, Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia and TBEV were screened from ticks using qPCR. Various landscape features were calculated and utilised in generalised linear mixed models to assess their contribution towards tick and TBP occurrence in green spaces. Finally, human population density proximate to each study site was calculated and used to create population-weighted risk indices. Results Borrelia were the most common pathogens detected, with 22% of nymphs and 43% of adults infected. Increasing forest cover had a positive effect on the densities of nymphs and adults, whereas forest size had a negative effect. Middling percentages of artificial surfaces predicted higher nymph densities than low or high values. Human population-weighted risk estimates were highly varied, even within cities. A positive correlation was observed between total city population and risk indices. Conclusions Ticks and TBPs are commonplace in urban green spaces in Finland. Enzootic cycles for Borrelia and Rickettsia appear to be well maintained within cities, leading to widespread risk of infection therein. Our results suggest that nymph densities are highest in urban forests of medium size, whereas small or large forests show reduced densities. Green spaces of roughly similar risk can be found in cities of different sizes, emphasising that the identification of areas of particularly high hazard is important for effective mitigation actions.
Visa merOrganisationer och upphovspersoner
Uleåborgs universitet
Pakanen Veli-Matti
Publikationstyp
Publikationsform
Artikel
Moderpublikationens typ
Tidning
Artikelstyp
En originalartikel
Målgrupp
VetenskapligKollegialt utvärderad
Kollegialt utvärderadUKM:s publikationstyp
A1 Originalartikel i en vetenskaplig tidskriftPublikationskanalens uppgifter
Journal
Förläggare
ISSN
Publikationsforum
Publikationsforumsnivå
2
Öppen tillgång
Öppen tillgänglighet i förläggarens tjänst
Ja
Öppen tillgång till publikationskanalen
Delvis öppen publikationskanal
Parallellsparad
Ja
Parallellagringens licens
CC BY
Övriga uppgifter
Vetenskapsområden
Ekologi, evolutionsbiologi; Biomedicinska vetenskaper; Folkhälsovetenskap, miljö och arbetshälsa
Nyckelord
[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Publiceringsland
Tyskland
Förlagets internationalitet
Internationell
Språk
engelska
Internationell sampublikation
Nej
Sampublikation med ett företag
Nej
DOI
10.1111/zph.13208
Publikationen ingår i undervisnings- och kulturministeriets datainsamling
Ja