Forests harbor more ticks than other habitats: A meta-analysis

• Published in: Forest ecology and management Vol. 541; p. 121081
• Main Authors: Bourdin, Audrey, Dokhelar, Théo, Bord, Séverine, van Halder, Inge, Stemmelen, Alex, Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael, Jactel, Hervé
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.08.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Ixodes; Life Sciences; Mixed forests; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Ungulates; Urban; Zoonosis; Urban; Ixodes; Zoonosis; Ungulates; Mixed forests
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121081

•Ixodes ticks are more abundant in forests than in other types of habitat.•This difference is greater with mixed forests than with deciduous forests.•Exophilic Ixodes abundance is positively correlated with the abundance of ungulates. With increasing deforestation, questions are being raised about the risk of zoonotic disease to humans. To better assess the role of forest in the emergence of tick-borne diseases, we conducted a meta-analysis of the scientific literature to compare the abundance or diversity of ticks between forest and open habitats (natural or anthropogenic) and a meta-regression to test how tick abundance is influenced by the abundance of their vertebrate hosts in forest habitats. We found that Ixodes ticks were on average more abundant in forests than in any other non-forested habitats, the difference being more pronounced with mixed deciduous- coniferous than with deciduous forests. At the forest scale, exophilic Ixodes tick abundance was positively influenced by the abundance of their ungulate hosts. Our results suggest that mixed forests represent the habitats with the highest level of tick hazard. However, more studies are needed to assess the risk of transmission of tick-borne diseases in forests, which also depends on the prevalence of pathogens and the exposure of people.