Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Salisbury, UK.
School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, UK.
Zoonoses Public Health. 2020 Aug;67(5):591-599. doi: 10.1111/zph.12694. Epub 2020 Mar 11.
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a tick-borne disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. In Europe, it is predominately transmitted by the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus. Compared with other European countries, the United Kingdom (UK) is considered to have a low incidence of LB, although this varies regionally. To determine whether an association exists between tick bite consultations and LB incidence in the UK, retrospective questionnaires were sent to general practitioners (GPs) in high (Wiltshire), medium (Cumbria) and low (Wales) incidence areas. During 2011, the greatest incidence of consultations for tick bites was reported by GPs in Cumbria (204 consultations per 100,000 inhabitants), followed by Wiltshire (160 per 100,000 population) and Wales (54 per 100,000 population). In Wiltshire and Cumbria, GPs predominantly provided advice on tick removal, whilst Welsh GPs mostly advised patients on tick bite prevention. Focusing on Cumbria during 2011-2013, 72.5% of GPs removed ticks from patients (incidence of 101 consultations per 100,000 population), and more GPs diagnosed LB based on clinical features than laboratory-confirmed diagnoses. To date, this is the first study to investigate the incidence of tick bite consultations and LB in England and Wales.
莱姆病（LB）是一种由伯氏疏螺旋体复合群引起的蜱媒传染病。在欧洲，它主要由绵羊蜱，也就是蓖子硬蜱传播。与其他欧洲国家相比，英国（UK）被认为 LB 的发病率较低，尽管这在地区上有所不同。为了确定英国蜱叮咬咨询与 LB 发病率之间是否存在关联，向高（威尔特郡）、中（坎布里亚郡）和低（威尔士）发病率地区的全科医生（GP）发送了回顾性问卷。在 2011 年，坎布里亚郡的 GP 报告了最多的蜱叮咬咨询（每 10 万人中有 204 次咨询），其次是威尔特郡（每 10 万人中有 160 次咨询）和威尔士（每 10 万人中有 54 次咨询）。在威尔特郡和坎布里亚郡，GP 主要提供有关蜱虫去除的建议，而威尔士的 GP 主要建议患者预防蜱虫叮咬。在 2011 年至 2013 年期间，专注于坎布里亚郡，72.5%的 GP 从患者身上去除了蜱虫（发病率为每 10 万人中有 101 次咨询），并且根据临床特征诊断 LB 的 GP 比根据实验室确诊诊断 LB 的 GP 更多。到目前为止，这是第一项调查英格兰和威尔士蜱叮咬咨询和 LB 发病率的研究。
