Robert Käthe, Van Gestel Mats, Lathouwers Michiel, Fonville Manoj, Sprong Hein, Matthysen Erik, Heylen Dieter
Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Brussels, Belgium.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Jun 2;25(1):2031. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23221-1.
Ticks, particularly Ixodes ricinus, are primary vectors for tick-borne diseases in Europe, with private gardens representing an understudied but potentially significant risk habitat. Through a citizen science initiative, we aimed to investigate tick density and pathogen prevalence in domestic gardens across Flanders, Belgium.
A total of 185 citizen scientists participated in standardized tick dragging and collecting garden data over multiple occasions from 2020 to 2022. Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to analyze tick density and pathogen prevalence.
Ticks were detected in 44.3% of 185 gardens. They were most frequently found in rural gardens (60.2% of rural gardens, 50/83), but also in suburban (28.9%, 11/38) and urban gardens (50.0%, 4/8). Ixodes ricinus was the dominant species (94.7% out of 1162 ticks), with all life stages present. Additionally, few individuals of Ixodes frontalis (5.0%) and Ixodes hexagonus (0.3%) were collected. Ticks were found in a variety of vegetation types, however the highest proportions of successful collections were in fallen leaves (47.4%) and fallow land (46.2%). Nymphal density was positively associated with the number of mammal species observed and an association with vegetation type was found: significantly more nymphs were collected on wild vegetation (with fallow land) and fallen leaves, compared to mown grass, tall grass and flower beds (with vegetable gardens). Pathogen screening revealed that 34.1% of ticks carried at least one pathogen, with Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. most prevalent (19.6%), followed by Rickettsia spp. (11.7%). Co-infections were observed in 6.6% of ticks. Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. prevalence was significantly lower in the presence of dogs and increased with nymphal density. Additionally, a significant interaction was found between life stage and the number of bird species.
The presence of Ixodes ricinus in gardens, coupled with the detection of pathogens at prevalence levels similar to those in natural habitats, suggests that private gardens may serve as overlooked risk areas for tick exposure. This underscores that raising public awareness, combined with effective garden management strategies, may help mitigate the risk of infection with tick-borne diseases. Future research could focus on evaluating the effectiveness of prevention and garden management measures.
蜱虫，尤其是蓖麻硬蜱，是欧洲蜱传疾病的主要传播媒介，私人花园是一个研究较少但潜在风险较大的栖息地。通过一项公民科学倡议，我们旨在调查比利时弗拉芒地区家庭花园中的蜱虫密度和病原体流行情况。
共有185名公民科学家参与了标准化的蜱虫拖拽活动，并在2020年至2022年期间多次收集花园数据。使用广义线性混合效应模型分析蜱虫密度和病原体流行情况。
在185个花园中，44.3%检测到了蜱虫。它们最常出现在乡村花园（83个乡村花园中的60.2%，即50个），但在郊区花园（38个中的28.9%，即11个）和城市花园（8个中的50.0%，即4个）中也有发现。蓖麻硬蜱是优势物种（1162只蜱虫中的94.7%），各个生命阶段都有。此外，还收集到了少量的额硬蜱（5.0%）和六角硬蜱（0.3%）个体。蜱虫在多种植被类型中都有发现，然而成功采集比例最高的是落叶（47.4%）和休耕地（46.2%）。若虫密度与观察到的哺乳动物物种数量呈正相关，并且发现与植被类型有关：与割草、高草和花坛（包括菜园）相比，在野生植被（包括休耕地）和落叶上采集到的若虫明显更多。病原体筛查显示，34.1%的蜱虫携带至少一种病原体，其中伯氏疏螺旋体最为常见（19.6%），其次是立克次体属（11.7%）。6.6%的蜱虫存在共感染情况。在有狗的情况下，伯氏疏螺旋体的流行率显著较低，并且随着若虫密度的增加而升高。此外，还发现生命阶段与鸟类物种数量之间存在显著的相互作用。
花园中存在蓖麻硬蜱，以及检测到的病原体流行水平与自然栖息地相似，这表明私人花园可能是被忽视的蜱虫暴露风险区域。这强调了提高公众意识，结合有效的花园管理策略，可能有助于降低蜱传疾病感染风险。未来的研究可以集中在评估预防和花园管理措施的有效性上。
