The impact of temperature and precipitation on blacklegged tick activity and Lyme disease incidence in endemic and emerging regions
Abstract Background The incidence of Lyme disease shows high degrees of inter-annual variation in the northeastern United States, but the factors driving this variation are not well understood. Complicating matters, it is also possible that these driving factors may vary in regions with differing hi...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
BMC
2016-11-01
|
Series: | Parasites & Vectors |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13071-016-1894-6 |
id |
doaj-5b901aae635a42b5b33cefe293b3c84d |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-5b901aae635a42b5b33cefe293b3c84d2020-11-25T00:51:36ZengBMCParasites & Vectors1756-33052016-11-019111010.1186/s13071-016-1894-6The impact of temperature and precipitation on blacklegged tick activity and Lyme disease incidence in endemic and emerging regionsJames C. Burtis0Patrick Sullivan1Taal Levi2Kelly Oggenfuss3Timothy J. Fahey4Richard S. Ostfeld5Department of Natural Resources, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Natural Resources, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State UniversityCary Institute of Ecosystem StudiesDepartment of Natural Resources, Cornell UniversityCary Institute of Ecosystem StudiesAbstract Background The incidence of Lyme disease shows high degrees of inter-annual variation in the northeastern United States, but the factors driving this variation are not well understood. Complicating matters, it is also possible that these driving factors may vary in regions with differing histories of Lyme disease endemism. We evaluated the effect of the number of hot (T > 25 °C), dry (precipitation = 0) days during the questing periods of the two immature Ixodes scapularis life stages (larval and nymphal) on inter-annual variation in Lyme disease incidence between 2000 and 2011 in long-term endemic versus recently endemic areas. We also evaluated the effect of summer weather on tick questing activity and the number of ticks found on small mammals between 1994 and 2012 on six sites in Millbrook, NY. Results The number of hot, dry days during the larval period of the previous year did not affect the human incidence of Lyme disease or the density of questing nymphs the following season. However, dry summer weather during the nymphal questing period had a significant negative effect on the incidence of Lyme disease in the long-term endemic areas, and on the density of questing nymphs. Summer weather conditions had a more pronounced effect on actively questing I. scapularis collected via dragging than on the number of ticks found feeding on small mammals. In recently endemic areas Lyme disease incidence increased significantly over time, but no trend was detected between disease incidence and dry summer weather. Conclusions Recently endemic regions showed an increase in Lyme disease incidence over time, while incidence in long-term endemic regions appears to have stabilized. Only within the stabilized areas were we able to detect reduced Lyme disease incidence in years with hot, dry summer weather. These patterns were reflected in our field data, which showed that questing activity of nymphal I. scapularis was reduced by hot, dry summer weather.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13071-016-1894-6Ixodes scapularisLyme diseaseTemperaturePrecipitationUnited States |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
James C. Burtis Patrick Sullivan Taal Levi Kelly Oggenfuss Timothy J. Fahey Richard S. Ostfeld |
spellingShingle |
James C. Burtis Patrick Sullivan Taal Levi Kelly Oggenfuss Timothy J. Fahey Richard S. Ostfeld The impact of temperature and precipitation on blacklegged tick activity and Lyme disease incidence in endemic and emerging regions Parasites & Vectors Ixodes scapularis Lyme disease Temperature Precipitation United States |
author_facet |
James C. Burtis Patrick Sullivan Taal Levi Kelly Oggenfuss Timothy J. Fahey Richard S. Ostfeld |
author_sort |
James C. Burtis |
title |
The impact of temperature and precipitation on blacklegged tick activity and Lyme disease incidence in endemic and emerging regions |
title_short |
The impact of temperature and precipitation on blacklegged tick activity and Lyme disease incidence in endemic and emerging regions |
title_full |
The impact of temperature and precipitation on blacklegged tick activity and Lyme disease incidence in endemic and emerging regions |
title_fullStr |
The impact of temperature and precipitation on blacklegged tick activity and Lyme disease incidence in endemic and emerging regions |
title_full_unstemmed |
The impact of temperature and precipitation on blacklegged tick activity and Lyme disease incidence in endemic and emerging regions |
title_sort |
impact of temperature and precipitation on blacklegged tick activity and lyme disease incidence in endemic and emerging regions |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
Parasites & Vectors |
issn |
1756-3305 |
publishDate |
2016-11-01 |
description |
Abstract Background The incidence of Lyme disease shows high degrees of inter-annual variation in the northeastern United States, but the factors driving this variation are not well understood. Complicating matters, it is also possible that these driving factors may vary in regions with differing histories of Lyme disease endemism. We evaluated the effect of the number of hot (T > 25 °C), dry (precipitation = 0) days during the questing periods of the two immature Ixodes scapularis life stages (larval and nymphal) on inter-annual variation in Lyme disease incidence between 2000 and 2011 in long-term endemic versus recently endemic areas. We also evaluated the effect of summer weather on tick questing activity and the number of ticks found on small mammals between 1994 and 2012 on six sites in Millbrook, NY. Results The number of hot, dry days during the larval period of the previous year did not affect the human incidence of Lyme disease or the density of questing nymphs the following season. However, dry summer weather during the nymphal questing period had a significant negative effect on the incidence of Lyme disease in the long-term endemic areas, and on the density of questing nymphs. Summer weather conditions had a more pronounced effect on actively questing I. scapularis collected via dragging than on the number of ticks found feeding on small mammals. In recently endemic areas Lyme disease incidence increased significantly over time, but no trend was detected between disease incidence and dry summer weather. Conclusions Recently endemic regions showed an increase in Lyme disease incidence over time, while incidence in long-term endemic regions appears to have stabilized. Only within the stabilized areas were we able to detect reduced Lyme disease incidence in years with hot, dry summer weather. These patterns were reflected in our field data, which showed that questing activity of nymphal I. scapularis was reduced by hot, dry summer weather. |
topic |
Ixodes scapularis Lyme disease Temperature Precipitation United States |
url |
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13071-016-1894-6 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT jamescburtis theimpactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT patricksullivan theimpactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT taallevi theimpactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT kellyoggenfuss theimpactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT timothyjfahey theimpactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT richardsostfeld theimpactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT jamescburtis impactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT patricksullivan impactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT taallevi impactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT kellyoggenfuss impactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT timothyjfahey impactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions AT richardsostfeld impactoftemperatureandprecipitationonblackleggedtickactivityandlymediseaseincidenceinendemicandemergingregions |
_version_ |
1725244958375411712 |