#TimeLyme: Timing of host-vector-pathogen activity and emergence of Lyme disease under climate change

The main objective is to understand vector-borne disease emergence at the northern range limits under climate change as a basis for disease mitigation. The acronym #TimeLyme emphasizes the main novelty: to identify how the seasonal timing of vector and host activity is driven by climate and in turn impacts Lyme disease incidence in humans.

Bilde av skogsflåtten Ixodes ricinus

Skogsflåtten Ixodes ricinus er vektor for patogenet som gir Lyme borreliose

Ecosystems provide important services to the human society, yet, enhancing wildlife can also have its drawbacks for human health and well-being. A major challenge with current climate change is the emergence of tick-borne diseases (TBD), and the World Health Organization identifies Lyme disease as a priority TBD. Climate warming has positive direct effects on tick abundance at northern latitudes, however the importance of indirect climatic effects through host populations is not well known. An important theme in the climate effect literature is the extent to which timing of seasonal activity (phenology) of interacting species responds similarly to warming, making hosts either more or less seasonally available to ticks. The main aim of #TimeLyme is to provide a better understanding of the emergence of TBD at the northern range limits.

The #TimeLyme project aim to quantify how incidence and seasonal timing of Lyme disease in humans has developed over years across Norway (1995-2019). We will quantify how timing of migration of red deer affects seasonal niche overlap with ticks and in turn disease incidence. We will also quantify variation in small mammal abundances and timing of activity, tick load and infection prevalence depending on climate. Lastly, we provide a synthesis by quantifying the relative role of direct climate effects on ticks and indirect effects through hosts (small mammals, birds, deer) for Lyme disease incidence. Societal impact is secured by actively involving Norwegian Institute for Public Health and Norwegian Veterinary Institute in the project.

Selected publications

Mysterud, A., Hügli, C., and Viljugrein, H. 2021. Tick infestation on medium-large sized mammalian hosts - are all equally suitable to Ixodes ricinus adults? Parasites and Vectors 14: 254.

Goren, A., Viljugrein, H., Rivrud, I.M., Jore, S., Bakka, H., Vindenes, Y., and Mysterud, A. 2023. The emergence and shift in seasonality of Lyme borreliosis in northern Europe. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: in press.

Tags: Lyme borreliose
Published May 19, 2020 2:35 PM - Last modified Feb. 1, 2023 5:29 PM

Participants

Detailed list of participants