Examining Prevalence and Diversity of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Questing Ixodes pacificus Ticks in California
Daniel J. Salkeld, Danielle M. Lagana, Julie Wachara, W. Tanner Porter, Nathan C. Nieto
Abstract
Understanding the local host ecology and prevalence of zoonotic diseases is vital for public health. Using tick-borne diseases in California, we show that there is often a bias to our understanding and that studies tend to focus on particular habitats, e.g., Lyme disease in oak woodlands. Other habitats may harbor a surprising diversity of tick-borne pathogens but have been neglected, e.g., coastal chaparral. Explaining pathogen prevalence requires descriptions of data on a local scale; otherwise, aggregating the data can misrepresent the local dynamics of tick-borne diseases.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyBorrelia burgdorferiLyme diseaseChaparralTickBorreliaTick-borne diseaseAnaplasma phagocytophilumEcologyWoodlandZoologyVirologyImmunologyAntibodyVector-borne infectious diseasesViral Infections and VectorsMosquito-borne diseases and control