Habitat and Occurrence of Ixodid Ticks in the Liguria Region, Northwest Italy

Overview

Journal Exp Appl Acarol

Specialties Biology
Parasitology

Date 2014 Apr 1

PMID 24682615

Citations 9

Authors

Leonardo A Ceballos

Maria D Pintore

Laura Tomassone

Alessandra Pautasso

Donal Bisanzio

Walter Mignone

Cristina Casalone

Alessandro Mannelli

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Questing ticks were collected during monthly dragging sessions (March-August 2011) in three provinces of the Liguria region, north-western Italy, to evaluate the species occurrence, spatial distribution and relative abundance. A total of 1,464 specimens were collected in 94 dragging sites. Ixodes ricinus was the most abundant species (81.3 % of collected ticks), followed by Haemaphysalis punctata (10.9 %), Dermacentor marginatus (5.5 %), Ixodes frontalis (1.3 %), and Rhipicephalus spp. (0.9 %). Ixodes frontalis is reported for the first time in Liguria. An aggregation of I. ricinus positive sites was observed in inland areas characterized by dense forests dominated by deciduous trees (Castanetum and Fagetum phytoclimatic zones), especially in the west of the region where the differences in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were higher between inland and coastal sites. Random-effect logistic regression was used to model the associations of NDVI and season with the probability of finding host-seeking I. ricinus nymphs [corrected]. The NDVI was a good predictor of I. ricinus nymphs abundance, and confirmed its utility in discriminating habitat suitability for this vector in north-western coastal Italy, where dry habitat conditions may limit the distribution of this species.

Citing Articles

Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens: Occurrence and Host Associations over Four Years of Wildlife Surveillance in the Liguria Region (Northwest Italy).

Guardone L, Nogarol C, Accorsi A, Vitale N, Listorti V, Scala S Animals (Basel). 2024; 14(16).

PMID: 39199911 PMC: 11350676. DOI: 10.3390/ani14162377.

Spatial and seasonal determinants of Lyme borreliosis incidence in France, 2016 to 2021.

Fu W, Bonnet C, Septfons A, Figoni J, Durand J, Frey-Klett P Euro Surveill. 2023; 28(14).

PMID: 37022210 PMC: 10283463. DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.14.2200581.

Hard Ticks (Ixodidae) from Wildlife in Liguria, Northwest Italy: Tick Species Diversity and Tick-Host Associations.

Accorsi A, Schiavetti I, Listorti V, Dellepiane M, Masotti C, Ercolini C Insects. 2022; 13(2).

PMID: 35206772 PMC: 8880679. DOI: 10.3390/insects13020199.

Exploratory Space-Time Analyses of Reported Lyme Borreliosis Cases in France, 2016-2019.

Fu W, Bonnet C, Figoni J, Septfons A, Metras R Pathogens. 2021; 10(4).

PMID: 33917723 PMC: 8068173. DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10040444.

Assessment of the Exposure of People to Questing Ticks Carrying Agents of Zoonoses in Aosta Valley, Italy.

Millet I, Ragionieri M, Tomassone L, Trentin C, Mannelli A Vet Sci. 2019; 6(1).

PMID: 30884896 PMC: 6466159. DOI: 10.3390/vetsci6010028.

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